womens gridiron

When you make an assumption you etc ... we thought when the Iceni Spears return near Cambridge 18 November they'd be meeting the London teams from earlier this month but no they'll be playing the Coventry Panthers, Coventry Cougars and Nottingham Uni.

That's nice, the London Amazons have bought us a trio of coffees.  They'll be back competing near Cambridge 18th of next month, a Saturday this time.

When rugby ended at Shelford near Cambridge Sunday the staff locked up the pavilion and departed leaving three women's flag american football teams without water and more importantly toilets prompting drives to a garden centre for the facility.  Hopefully won't happen when Iceni Spears, Sacks in the City and London Amazons are back there next month.

In Ireland yesterday a different result for GB women versus Spain. 

Yesterday's Norwich Devils 33-38 Kent Exiles was a game of interceptions and breakaways.  Thankfully we think the medics only came on once and we liked the Exile coaches Hawaiian shirt theme.  Spectating Peterborough Royal Benita Grant told us the Royals' promotion to 9 a side had not been easy; kickers to be found, the larger field plus the time and resources to train a special teams.

Safeties were being very popular at Saturday's three team tournament in Thorpe St Andrew with five being scored in the first two games.  A scorcher had been forecast but a gentle breeze made the day manageable.  Despite losing a player early on to a serious ankle injury (speedy recovery) the Norwich Devils won both their games.  The Herts Cheetahs may have come out two games down but we really liked their dress theme of animal print.

Tribal knowledge that women are collaborative and perhaps women who play team sports even more so.  We were still impressed yesterday at the Norwich Devils Women Rookies when a vet metaphorically beat up a rookie on the line then explained what she had done and what the rookie should do to stop it.  Perhaps the nicest day of the year so far and made more rounded by an energetic ball chasing young spaniel and a baby in a buggy.  Devils' first home game this year 10 June against new opponents Hertfordshire Cheetahs.

Very pleasing that Iceni Spears women's flag football in Norwich have a sponsor for this year and a good cause too.

Britain's women whitewashed Sweden's 40-00 today in Worcester.

Six players at the Iceni Spears yesterday for flag football training in Thorpe St Andrew .  A minimum flag team is just five as so amply proved by the Hyde Park Renegades back before the virus.  Impressed to see passers getting spin on the ball and coach Jamie Fowle told us the Opal Series will be running this autumn so there will be competition ... can't wait.

Perhaps fortuitously with International Women's Day on Monday the NFL has appointed their second woman official and the first African-American woman official Maia Chaka.

Last year Sarah Thomas became the first woman to officiate a Super Bowl playoff game.  She managed the measuring chain and down marker the NFL having renamed the role from Head Linesman to the gender independent Down Judge ... she's doing it again tomorrow fortnight at this year's Super Bowl.

In East Anglia we're lucky to benefit from ref Alisha Darkins who does not lack attitude when disorder breaks out ... Get off my field!.

An insight into women's american football from Cheshire Bears defensive lineperson Megan Delaney.(a one time roller derbyist)  A safety (around 2:58) because the QB threw the ball out the back of the end zone.  We've seen player panic in a uni game do the same and we've done similar playing rugby <blush>.

Devastated that Great Britain women's american football last night won their match against Finland but failed to win the European Championship by two points.  Towards the end our stomachs got so tight we felt ill but gratifying that Iceni Spear Victoria Ware playing defensive end for GB made such a contribution even if Pinky and Perky the commentators couldn't get her surname right.

If you become an american football referee in the UK you get paid, get expenses, have a buddy/mentor when starting, there are at least two women refs in East Anglia, and you get called sir (or sometimes ma'am).  More info on the BAFRA web site.

Women's american football gets its own Facebook album.

We arrived yesterday in Thorpe St Andrew in time for the lunch break (impressive catering) to be told it had tried to snow earlier but thankfully the rain had held off.  Women's american football team Iceni Spears were hosting the Peterborough Royals and Essex Hellcats for joint  training followed by a seven a side tournament.  In the event there weren't enough players to make two seven sides so empty slots were filled by coaches and as one player observed We've learnt more this afternoon than we would from three practices.

We found French director Céline Sciamma's film Tomboy highly involving and rewarding not least because it made the Parisian suburbs look idyllic.  So very gratifying to find a sealed copy of her later film Girlhood in the Framlingham EACH chazza.  Here the banlieue is relentlessly gritty and though Vic essentially remains trapped in her situation the opening sequence is women's american football from team Les Molosses.

After three years of watching UK gridiron we've finally realised it's college rules not NFL ... thought some of those decisions were a bit odd.

Sunday near Norwich the Iceni Spears were training for the autumn's Opal flag football series.  Flag football is no (hopefully) contact American football where you're tackled if an opponent can grab a flag from your waist.  The flags can be just football socks tucked into your waistband or like the Spears yellow streamers held in place by plastic poppers.  The Spears have an everybody welcome flag rookie day next month.

Yesterday near Norwich we watched Iceni Spears women's American football walk through some plays in the changing room and then go outside to practice in icy rain ... that's commitment.  The season long Sapphire series for women is five or seven a side.  We couldn't imagine how a sport that normally has eleven (twelve in Canada) on the pitch players per team could work with five but watching the Spears routine a play we saw that with just five everybody really has to know what they should be doing.  Looking forward to seeing these impressive ladies compete this coming weekend in Peterborough.