Gloucester Banshees
Encyclopedia
{Infobox BAFL team
| name = Gloucester Centurions
| founded = 2012
| city = Gloucester,
| colors =
| BAFL_start_yr = 2012|
| hist_yr =
| hist_misc2 =
| no_eurobowl_champs = 0
| eurobowl_champs =
| no_bowl_champs = 0
| bowl_champs =
| no_conf_champs = 0
| conf_champs =
| no_div_champs = 0
| div_champs =
| no_league_champs = 0
| league_champs =
| stadium_years = Sir Thomas Rich's School, Longlevens, Gloucester (2012 --

The Gloucester Centurions, are a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

 team based in at Sir Thomas Rich's School - Longlevens - Gloucester

Overview

The team was set up in 2007 as the Gloucester Banshees, many of the Gloucester Banshees staff were involved in previous teams, such as the Severn Vale Royals, West Country Phoenix, Cheltenham Chieftains, Cotswold Bears and the Gloucester Boars. After a 10 months feasibility study (to see if the interest was still there for American Football), training began in early February 2008. The Banshees first fully kitted game was with Premiership "giants" Bristol Aztecs
Bristol Aztecs
The Bristol Aztecs are a British American football team based inBristol, England, at the Filton WISE sports academy of Filton College, Bristol, which is also the base for a number of other sports teams such as Bristol Academy woman's soccer team.- Overview :...

. This game was a one-sided affair with the Aztecs posting 50 points without reply. But, the Banshees were soon to taste their first win, when they beat a full strength Reading Renegades
Reading Renegades
The Berkshire Renegades are an American Football team currently competing in the South West Conference of British American Football League Division 2. They play their home games at the Bulmershe Court Campus, University of Reading but train in Palmer Park Stadium in Reading, Berkshire...

. A late season game with Division One Oxford Saints ended with victory going to the Saints but the Banshees had successfully completed their Associate campaign and awaited the deliberations of the assessor from League HQ.

Going on the strength of superb facilities that included a full-sized 100-yard playing field, the British American Football League
British American Football League
The British American Football League was the United Kingdom's primary American Football league from 1998 until 2010. It was formerly known as the British Senior League until 2005. BAFL was the trading name for Gridiron Football League Ltd incorporated as a Company limited by guarantee....

 promoted the Banshees to full league membership in November 2008. The Banshees drafted players from the now-defunct Hereford Chargers. in preparation for their first season as full members of the British American Football League
British American Football League
The British American Football League was the United Kingdom's primary American Football league from 1998 until 2010. It was formerly known as the British Senior League until 2005. BAFL was the trading name for Gridiron Football League Ltd incorporated as a Company limited by guarantee....

 in 2009. The Banshees were to play in the BAFL Division 2, Southwest conference where they have remained thus far.

At the end of the 2010 season an agm was held as per the club constitution and a new committee for 2011 was democratically elected by the club members. Just two games into the 2011 season co- founders of the Banshees, Head Coach Maurice Myers and Administrator/Chairman Jim Byrne resigned their posts - due to internal unrest.

2012 will see a new Football Team in Gloucester, called the Gloucester Centurions.

The Centurions will be playing at a different venue, no longer at the excellent Oxstalls Indoor Centre but at Sir Thomas Rich's School,in Longlevens Gloucester - with new colours and playing strip.

Team colours

The Gloucester Banshees played in a predominantly white home kit with red and black trim. With an alternative kit of dark navy and silver trim the Banshees were able to select colours that suited the host team when playing on the road.
The Gloucester Centurions, will have new colours, uniform and logo for their first season in 2012.

History of American Football in Gloucestershire

American Football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

 has been played in Gloucester
Gloucester
Gloucester is a city, district and county town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. Gloucester lies close to the Welsh border, and on the River Severn, approximately north-east of Bristol, and south-southwest of Birmingham....

 since its début in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

. The first league team to play in the area was the Gloucester Boars who played in the 1985 United Kingdom American Football Association. The team progressed to the Budweiser League and played as the Cotswold Bears during 1986 and 1987. They won the SW conference, on the way they even played on the hallowed turf of Kingsholm, (which is known as the home of Gloucester Rugby) against the Cardiff Tigers in front of a crowd of 3000.

The Bears folded at the end of the 1987 season. A new team was set up at Plock Court, Gloucester playing under the name of the Severn Vale Royals. The Royals took part in the British National Gridiron League during the 1989 to 1993 seasons, reaching a BowlFinal in their rookie year, but losing out to their bitter rivals,the Cheltenham Chieftains. The Severn Vale Royals closed at the end of the 1993 season and the team was replaced the following year by the West Country Phoenix. But less than a year later, the Phoenix disappeared. Several youth teams emerged during the mid-1990s but without any real success. However, 15 years later, in 2007, a senior Kitted team emerged and the great game of American Football returned to Gloucester.

After almost five years 2007-2011 the Gloucester Banshees, to all intents and purposes no longer exist.

Another team has been formed (from the ashes of the Banshees) - called the Gloucester Centurions. With new colours and playing strip, they will be playing their 2012 games at Sir Thomas Rich's School in Longlevens Gloucester.

Media

The team has been featured on BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...

 Radio Gloucestershire and The West Country Tonight
The West Country Tonight
The West Country Tonight is a regional television news and current affairs programme, also including local sports news and local features of interest, produced by ITV West & Westcountry at its studios in Bristol...

.

{| class="toccolours" style="text-align: middle;"
|-
! colspan="7" style="background-color: #191970;" |
|

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK