The Scunthorpe Alphas are an American football club based in Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, England that competes in the BAFA National Leagues NFC 1 North, the second tier of British American football. The club play their home games at Quibell Park Stadium and were formed in late 2018 by a consortium of coaches and former players who had previously played together at other local sides. In formation the Alphas became the second American football team to represent Scunthorpe following the Steelers who folded in 1990.[1]
 | |
| Founded | 2018 |
|---|---|
| League | BAFA National Leagues |
| Division | NFC 1 North |
| Location | Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, England |
| Stadium | Quibell Park Stadium |
| Colours | White Helmets Navy Blue and White Jerseys Navy Blue pants White socks |
| Head coach | Alex Robson |
| General manager | Warwick Grosvenor |
| Division titles | 2022 |
| Playoff berths | 2022 and 2023 |
History edit
Associate process edit
The Alphas were formed in 2018 by a consortium of coaches and former players who had previous links to the Sheffield Giants, Lincolnshire Bombers and Doncaster Mustangs, namely founding members Warwick Grosvenor, Alex Robson, Nick Tomaszewski, Mikey Gray and Iain Heron Stamp.[2]
The club had become the first team to represent Scunthorpe since the 'Scunthorpe Steelers' who folded in 1990.[3] The Alphas added American quarterback Derek Yenerall, formerly of Premier League team Bristol Aztecs to their roster for their debut season and played their first game against Etone Jaguars (formerly Coventry Jets) on the 3 August 2019, losing 16–12 in Nuneaton.[4] The Alphas brought American Football back to Quibell Park Stadium for the first time in 19 years when they hosted the Northants Knights on 15 September 2019, in attendance was a crowd of over 400 people.[5]
In February 2020 in preparation for their second season, the Alphas appointed former NCAA LSU Tigers player William Walker Jnr as their new Offensive Line coach. Walker had played under Louis Oubre at McDonogh High School and alongside future NFL players Joe McKnight and Delvin Breaux.[6]
Division Two edit
The Alphas were made full BAFA members in October 2020. BAFA representative Warren Smart commented "BAFA believes that General Manager (GM) Warwick Grosvenor, aided by Assistant GM Nick Tomaszewski and the Alphas management and coaching squad, has established a sustainable, dynamic and competitive club".[7]
The Alphas made their debut in part of the makeshift 2021 season, with BAFA announcing that the three-tier format would be suspended for one season and replaced by a localised division in order to minimize travel. Scunthorpe were placed in the BAFA Central East with the Nottingham Caesars, Lincolnshire Bombers, Northants Knights and South Lincs Lightning. The Alphas won their debut BAFANL game with a 10–3 victory over the Lincolnshire Bombers with Deivydas Merkelis scoring Scunthorpe's first ever League touchdown.[8]
In 2022 won they NFC 2 South with a 8–0 record before defeating Darlington Steam in the play-off quarter finals, which they won 23–6. The Alphas were eventually defeated in the semi-finals away at the Highland Stags in Invergordon losing 18–8, but were promoted to Division 1 for 2023 as the second placed team in the North.
Promotion to Division One edit
In 2023 the Alphas started their regular season with a loss away at the Northumberland Vikings 24–13. The Alphas would go on to beat the Lancashire Wolverines, Darlington Steam and the Yorkshire Rams twice. The Alphas ultimately faltered at home to the Vikings 28–0. An 8–2 regular season in their first year in Division 1 would result in two consecutive playoff berths. The Alphas won their first Division 1 playoff game 23–13 away at the Glasgow Tigers on 20 August 2023.
The Alphas have a regular season record of 16–2 over their first two official seasons in the league.
Youth team edit
The Alphas introduced several levels of Youth team football in 2020 and in turn appointed former Great Britain Lions youth coach Richard Scott as their new U19 Head Coach. The Alphas will also run a U16 team with coaches Ryan McEntee and Patrick Galvin on board to work under coach Scott.[9]
In 2022, Scunthorpe Alphas saw the selection of 2 members of the Scunthorpe Alphas selected to represent the Great Britain U17s Team in LT Dominic Norbron and WR Jay Robinson.
Stadium edit
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The Alphas play their home games at Quibell Park Stadium, the former home of the Steelers. Quibell Park is a purpose-built athletics and cycling velodrome stadium that has an American football field in the centre. The Alphas also use the adjacent field for practice making the Quibell Park complex their home for both training and match days.
Club Staff edit
| Role | Name |
|---|---|
| Head Coach |  Alex Robson
|
| Offensive Coordinator | Nicholas Bagnall
|
| Defensive Coordinator | Alex Robson
|
| Special Teams Coordinator | Alex Robson
|
| Offensive line coach | Warwick Grosvenor
|
| Defensive line coach | Warwick Grosvenor
|
| Assistant Offensive line coach | Wayne Dempsey
|
| Assistant Offensive line coach | Lloyd Jones
|
| Assistant Defensive line coach | Joe Hickson
|
| Running Backs Coach | Owen Yarwood
|
| Wide Receivers Coach | Andy Bagnall
|
| Linebackers Coach |  Nick Tomaszewski
|
| Performance Director |  Eric Biesel
|
| U19 Head Coach | Richard Scott
|
| U16 Head Coach | Warwick Grosvenor
|
| U14/U11 Head Coach |  Cardin Smith
|
| Team Physio | Skye Sellars
|
| Team Physio | Chris Robinson
|
| Medical Assistant | Pauline Marsden
|
| General Manager | Warwick Grosvenor
|
| Assistant General Manager | Nick Tomaszewski
|
| Marketing Manager | Dave Noble
|
| Sponsorship Manager | Dave Handley
|
| Gameday Manager | Hannah Goodley-Jones
|
| Assistant Gameday Manager | Justine Robson
|
| Equipment Officer | Dave Handley
|
| Club Photographer | Mike Dixon
|
| Club Videographer | Patrick Axe
|
| Gameday Commentator | Jay Robinson
|
| Gameday Commentator | Mikey Gray
|
| Gameday Commentator | Charlie Wilson
|
Current Roster edit
|
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
Offensive line
|
Defensive line
Linebackers
Defensive backs
|
Season records edit
| Season | League | Level | Regular Season Record | Post Season | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wins | Losses | Ties | ||||||
| 2019 | BAFANL Associate Process | 4 | 0 | 5 | 0 | – | All games Exhibitions to gain BAFANL entry | |
| 2020 | BAFANL Associate Process | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | Season cancelled due to COVID-19 Pandemic Achieved BAFANL status | |
| 2021 | BAFANL Central East Division | – | 3 | 5 | 0 | – | Exhibition season due to COVID-19 Pandemic | |
| 2022 | BAFANL NFC2 South (Division 2) | 3 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1–1 | Divisional champions, Promoted to Division 1 | |
| 2023 | BAFANL NFC1 Central (Division 1) | 2 | 8* | 2 | 0 | 1-1 | Beaten in Play-off semi-finals | |
| Total | 19 | 12 | 0 | All-time regular season record | ||||
Honours edit
- BAFA National Leagues : NFC 2 South Champions - 2022
References edit
- ^ "Britball Remembered: The Scunthorpe Steelers". Ninety-Nine Yards: American Football. April 3, 2020.
- ^ "Scunthorpe's American Football team to play first game in nearly 30 years". Grimsbytelegraph.co.uk. August 2, 2019.
- ^ "After 20 years – American Football returns to Scunthorpe". Grimsbytelegraph.co.uk. December 16, 2018.
- ^ "Scunthorpe Alphas American Football". Facebook.com.
- ^ "Log into Facebook". Facebook.com. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
{{cite web}}: Cite uses generic title (help) - ^ "Former player from USA who played with NFL athletes joins Scunthorpe Alphas". Grimsbytelegraph.co.uk. February 14, 2020.
- ^ "Scunthorpe Alphas confirmed as full members of BAFA National Leagues | News | British American Football Association". Archived from the original on 2020-10-23. Retrieved 2020-10-20.
- ^ "Scunthorpe Alphas American Football : about 4 months ago". Facebook.com. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
- ^ "Scunthorpe Alphas American Football - #Youth | The Scunthorpe Alphas are delighted to announce our new under 19's head coach, Richard Scott. Richard joins the Alphas with a wealth experience coaching at youth level, having coached some of the best players across the country when he coached Great Britain's under 19's. Richard also spent time coaching Farnham Knight's under 17 and 19', respectively. Having overseen a number of Alphas first team sessions, Richard has spoken of his excitement towards joining the Alphas and why he wanted to be a part of the setup. Richard said: "The Alphas are a great organisation. Even in my short time with the team I can see the potential. It's amazing to feel so welcome and I can't wait to get started with this project." Working alongside current Alphas coaches, Richard will oversee our youth team as we aim to develop high character and highly skilled Football players into the university and senior level, as well as building a pathway through the organisation. He added: "My personal goal is always about developing kids, not only into good football players but good people. Anyone with the right attitude and work ethic can get better as a football player. There is always a place on the team for anyone provided they respect the team and teammates." The Alphas will hold a taster day for prospective players in February 2021. We will provide all newcomers with equipment, along with our official kit to try on. The session will be an introduction to the sport, with coaches from different position groups for our prospective players to work with. If you, or anyone who you know, may be interested in joining the Alphas youth team, you can get in touch with us here. #BeAlpha #ScunthorpeAlphasYouth #AlphasFootball #IYBIWC #FastBoatFootball #WeReady #ExpectUs #Scunthorpe #NorthLincolnshire #AmericanFootball #Sport #PoweredByBeSpunki 💙🐺 | Facebook". Facebook.com. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
- ^ "Scunthorpe Alphas American Football". Facebook.com.