Tamworth Phoenix
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| Established | 2004 | |||||||||||||||
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| Based in | Tamworth | |||||||||||||||
| Home stadium | Atherstone Rugby Club | |||||||||||||||
| League | BAFA National Leagues | |||||||||||||||
| Division | Premier North | |||||||||||||||
| League titles | None | |||||||||||||||
| Division titles | 2010, 2011, 2016 | |||||||||||||||
| Current uniform | ||||||||||||||||
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The Tamworth Phoenix are a British American football team based in Atherstone, Warwickshire who currently play in the BAFA Premier Division North. They play their home games at Atherstone Sports Club and are three-time Divisional Champions having last won the Premier North in the 2016 season.
History
The Phoenix were founded in 2004 by Dave Winter, Jay Alexander, Ed Winter and Ryan Baker, after re-establishing youth football in the area, as the Tamworth Trojans, a year earlier. In their first season 2008, the Phoenix came 2nd in the BAFL2 Central conference behind champions the Nottingham Caesars. However, they avenged this by defeating them in the playoffs on route to a BritBowl 2 final defeat to the London Cobras, also a first year club.
Despite defeat in the BritBowl 2 final, Tamworth Phoenix were promoted to BAFL1 division and placed in the South-West Conference. The Phoenix completed the regular season with a record of 9-1, winning the South-West Conference, and moved into the playoffs as the #2 seed. After a victory over the Kent Exiles in the first round of the playoffs, their run was halted at the semi final stage by the East Kilbride Pirates.
In the 2010 season, Tamworth completed a perfect 10-0 season, and a perfect post-season, winning the BritBowl against the East Kilbride Pirates, and moving to the BAFACL Premiership. It was a memorable season for the Phoenix as earlier in the year they had the chance to compete against the Australian Gridiron team as part their tri-nations warm up, and matched-up well, only losing 27-22 to the tourists.
Graham Kelly took over from Jay Alexander as Head Coach, and began life in the Premier League with a win against the East Kilbride Pirates at Lichfield Rugby Club. They built on this success with a 5-5 regular season record with victories over some of the established premiership teams. They were defeated by the London Warriors in the semi-finals of the Play-offs.
The 2014 season was the most successful Premiership campaign for the Phoenix. Having secured the second seed in the Northern Conference, the team beat the Bristol Aztecs in the National Playoffs before succumbing to the London Warriors in the Semi Final.
2015 saw the appointment of Martin Hilton to the position of Head Coach - the fourth in the team's short history - and a fledgling partnership with the Atherstone Sports Hub, where the Phoenix will play their home games.
Senior team season records
| Season | Division | Wins | Losses | Ties | PF | PA | Final Position | Playoff Record | Notes |
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| 2008 | BAFL Division Two North Midlands | 6 | 2 | 2 | 227 | 45 | National Runners Up | Beat Merseyside Nighthawks 17–3 in quarter-final. Beat Nottingham Caesars 28–8 in semi-final. Defeated by London Warriors 30–6 in final. |
Conference champions. Promoted to Division One. |
| 2009 | BAFL Division One South West Conference | 9 | 1 | 0 | 322 | 51 | Defeated Semi Finalists | Beat Kent Exiles 27–20 in quarter-final. Defeated by East Kilbride 28–0 in semi-final. |
Conference champions. |
| 2010 | BAFL Division One South West Conference | 10 | 0 | 0 | 428 | 48 | National Champions | Beat Gateshead Senators 21–00 in quarter-final. Beat Cambridge Cats 47–7 in semi-final. Beat East Kilbride 35–14 in final. |
Conference champions. Division 1 Champions. Promoted to Premier League |
| 2011 | BAFACL Premier | 5 | 5 | 165 | 124 | Did not make playoffs | |||
| 2012 | BAFACL Premier | 6 | 4 | 0 | 201 | 176 | Defeated in first round of playoffs | Defeated by London Olympians in quarter final | |
| 2013 | BAFACL Premier | 6 | 4 | 0 | 178 | 198 | Defeated in first round of playoffs | Defeated by London Warriors in quarter final | |
| 2014 | BAFACL Premier North | 8 | 1 | 0 | 229 | 144 | Defeated Semi Finalists | Beat Bristol Aztecs 28–8 in quarter-final. Defeated by London Warriors 44–17 in semi-final |
Seeded as #2 team in the North. Conference Runners Up |
| 2015 | BAFACL Premier North | 8 | 2 | 0 | 246 | 90 | Defeated Semi Finalists | Defeated by London Warriors 14–9 in semi-final |
Seeded as #2 team in the North. Conference Runners Up. |
| 2016 | BAFACL Premier North | 10 | 0 | 0 | 229 | 144 | Defeated Semi Finalists | Defeated by London Blitz 44–17 in semi-final | Seeded as #1 team in the North. Northern Conference Champions Runners Up |
Staff
Head Coach/Offensive Co-ordinator: Martin Hilton
Defensive Coordinator/Assistant Head Coach: Jason Scott
Offensive Coordinator: Dan Smith
Defensive Assistant Coaches: Peter Buckley, Adam Gibson, Pete Davies, Johnny Flowers
Offensive Assistant Coaches: Andy Mackenzie, Andrew Mathers
Team Roster
| Tamworth Phoenix Roster 2010 | ||||||
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Quarterbacks
Running Backs
Wide Receivers
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Offensive Linemen
Defensive Linemen
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Linebackers
Defensive Backs
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Youth Team
In February 2012 a new team was introduced, the youth team. The youth team games last 30 minutes and it is 5 vs 5. They faced a difficult first season having to forfeit nine games due to lack of players, but competed well against established teams like Standish Raiders, Birmingham Bulls and the Leicester Falcons.
In 2013 the appointment of Andrew Garrett brought new optimism to the Youth Program. Andrew Garrett had been promoted to the position of head coach. The following season they saw huge improvements on the field, beating Coventry Jets in the opening game of the year. They continued a rich vein of form by beating an experienced Yorkshire Rams team, before narrowly losing to Leicester. They also hosted their first home tournament, and built links for the future.
2014 brought more success as the Youth Team won their first tournament in Doncaster, and made the playoffs for the first time in their history.
Youth Staff
Head Coach: Mick Fearn
Defensive Co-ordinator: Ian Statham
Offensive Assistant Coach: Marc Coleman
Youth Hall of Fame
- Cameron Dean (RB/LB) 2011-2014
- Ewan Lockwood (LB) 2013-2016
Team Records
- 2011 BAFACL Premier 5-5, defeat in the Semi-Finals of the Play-Offs
- 2010 BAFL1 South-West Conference 10-0 Regular Season, Play-off Winners
- 2009 BAFL1 South-West Conference 9-1 Regular Season
- 2008 BAFL2 Central Conference 6-2-2