Leicester Falcons
Encyclopedia
| Year Formed | 2006 |
|---|---|
| Team Colours | White helmets Forest green shirts Forest green pants Green & white socks |
| Home Field | Syston RFC |
| Conference Alignment | BAFA Community Leagues BAFA Community Leagues The BAFA National Leagues are the primary American football competition in England, Scotland and Wales. They were formed by the British American Football Association in 2010 to coordinate contact football and flag football across all age ranges... Division 1 Central |
| General Manager | Guy Kersey (2006–Present) |
| Head Coach | Saul Freer |
| All-time Regular Season Record | (23-13-4) |
| 2011 Regular Season Record | (8-2) |
| Playoff Record | (5-2) |
| Playoff Appearances | (3) 2009 2010 2011 |
| Conference Championships | (0) |
| Divisional Championships | (1) Div 2 2009 |
| League Championships | (0) |
| BritBowl Appearances | (2) Div 2 2009, Div 1 2011 |
The Leicester Falcons 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 Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The Falcons play in Division 1 of the British American Football Association
British American Football Association
The British American Football Association is the national governing body for the sport of American football in the United Kingdom. It is affiliated to the European Federation of American Football...
National Leagues
BAFA National Leagues
The BAFA National Leagues are the primary American football competition in England, Scotland and Wales. They were formed by the British American Football Association in 2010 to coordinate contact football and flag football across all age ranges...
.
History
The Leicester Falcons were formed in 2006 by General Manager Guy Kersey and a nucleus of local players hoping to share their enjoyment and knowledge of the sport. Named in connection with Leicester Eagles, the regional flag footballFlag football
Flag football is a version of Canadian football or American football that is popular worldwide. The basic rules of the game are similar to those of the mainstream game , but instead of tackling players to the ground, the defensive team must remove a flag or flag belt from the ball carrier to end...
team, the Leicester Falcons held their first training session at Belgrave Rugby Club on March 19, 2006. After two seasons of associate membership, the Falcons achieved full membership 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....
prior to the 2008 season.
The Falcons' first season in BAFL Division 2 Central ended with a 3-5-2 record, under head coach Danny Gaunt.
The 2009 season proved to be much better, with a regular season record of 7-2-1. Lester Hopewell took over as head coach, and led the Falcons to a playoff place. In the playoffs the Falcons beat Manchester Titans and Glasgow Tigers to reach their first championship game . In a tight game Leicester Falcons defeated Colchester Gladiators
Colchester Gladiators
The Colchester Gladiators are an American Football team competing in the South East Conference of British American Football League Division 2. They play their home games at the Broad Lane stadium in Wivenhoe, Essex and train at the Sir Charles Lucas Centre for Sport and Art in Colchester...
33:32 to become the BAFL Division 2 Champions for 2009 . This also secured promotion and the Falcons now play in BAFA Community Leagues
BAFA Community Leagues
The BAFA National Leagues are the primary American football competition in England, Scotland and Wales. They were formed by the British American Football Association in 2010 to coordinate contact football and flag football across all age ranges...
Division 1.
The 2010 season contained a number of highlights. The team celebrated the 25th Anniversary of the Leicester charity LOROS by holding their league match against Birmingham Bulls
Birmingham Bulls (American football)
Birmingham Bulls is a British American football team based in the West Midlands, England at the ground of Walsall Rugby Club.-Overview:The Bulls is one of the longer established American football teams playing in the United Kingdom, having been founded in 1983...
at the Welford Road ground of Leicester Tigers
Leicester Tigers
Leicester Tigers is an English rugby union club that plays in the Aviva Premiership.Leicester are the most successful English club since the introduction of league rugby in 1987, a record 9 times English champions - 3 more than either Bath or Wasps, the last of which was in 2010...
. To crown the day the Falcons won a well-fought game to claim their first victory of the season 22 :15. To bolster the team for the second half of the season the team signed ex-NFL quarterback Bradlee Van Pelt
Bradlee Van Pelt
Bradlee Van Pelt is an American football quarterback and safety who currently plays for Leicester Falcons in the United Kingdom. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the seventh round of the 2004 NFL Draft, and was also a member of the Houston Texans...
, who had previously played for Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
and subsequently Houston Texans
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston, Texas. The team is currently a member of the Southern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. This had the desired effect and helped an improving team to win its next four matches and secure a wildcard place in the 2010 season play-offs. Despite having a weakened team the Falcons made the number 1 seeded team, East Kilbride Pirates, work very hard to secure their place in the semi-finals; the Falcons lost a close fought game by only two points.
The Next Generation
As part of the team's continued growth and to help ensure its future, as well as to provide an entry point for teenagers who wish to enjoy the sport of American football, the Falcons are looking for the next generation of players to join the organisation.The Falcons started a youth programme in the autumn of 2009 to fill the gap between junior Flag Football and adult contact football. In 2011, they entered the BAFACL Junior division for the first time. 2011 will also see the debut of a youth (under 16) and university team, in association with De Montfort University
De Montfort University
De Montfort University is a public research and teaching university situated in the medieval Old Town of Leicester, England, adjacent to the River Soar and the Leicester Castle Gardens...
.
Younger players are invited to join the local Flag Football team in the form of the Leicester Eagles. Flag Football
Flag football
Flag football is a version of Canadian football or American football that is popular worldwide. The basic rules of the game are similar to those of the mainstream game , but instead of tackling players to the ground, the defensive team must remove a flag or flag belt from the ball carrier to end...
is a non-contact form of the game that is excellent for developing the fundamentals of the kitted sport. It is good fun for both children and adults alike, and is recommended for younger children to give them an initial taste of the game.
The 2011 Season
Following a realignment of the teams in BAFACL Division 1 the Leicester Falcons played in the Central Conference in 2011. This has proved to be a successful season for the Falcons, who finished top of the conference with a 9-1 record. However, in a controversial ending to the season, BAFANL stripped the Falcons of the conference title and deducted one game after being found to have not followed proper transfer procedure in the transfer of Jason Brisbane.. The Falcons therefore entered the playoffs as the #4 seed. In the playoffs, the Falcons beat Doncaster Mustangs in the quarter finals, before a famous upset win against top seeds London OlympiansLondon Olympians
The London Olympians is a British amateur American football team, based in Crystal Palace, London. They are the United Kingdom's most successful amateur American football club...
in the semifinal, to set up a rematch with East Kilbride Pirates at Britbowl XXV. This ended in a 62-23 defeat.
The Junior team, in their first season at this level, finished 1-7, with the sole win coming against Coventry Jets
Coventry Jets
The Coventry Jets are an American football team based in Coventry, England and were the 2008 National Champions. They currently play in the BAFA Community Leagues Premier division. The Jets have played their home games at a number of venues in Coventry, including the Butts Park Arena, which is home...
.
Senior Team
| General Manager | Guy Kersey | |
| Team Manager | Catherine Grimbly | |
| Head Coach | Saul Freer | |
| Offensive Coordinator | Stuart Franklin | |
| Offensive Line Coach | Joshua Jennings | |
| Running Backs Coach | Guy Kersey | |
| Wide Receivers coach | John Price | |
| Defensive Coordinator | Jason Brisbane Jason Brisbane Jason Brisbane Jason Brisbane Jason Brisbane (born March 8, 1983 in London, England is a American football player and coach. He was signed by the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted free agent in 2008 and currently is defensive coordinator of the Leicester Falcons.-Playing career:... |
|
| Defensive Backs Coach | Karl Burgess | |
| Physiotherapist | Nick Punchard |
Junior Team
| Team Manager & Assistant Offensive Coach | Joel Pearson | |
| Head Coach & Defensive Coordinator | Karl Burgess | |
| Offensive Coordinator | Andy Hill | |
| Assistant Coach | Darren Cummings | |
| Assistant Coach | Rob Wylie | |
| Assistant Defensive Coach | Jimmy Shaw |