The Manchester Titans are delighted to announce the launch of a 2nd Adult Contact team. Manchester Titans Bees will start training in January 2019 ahead of an associate year with BAFA, looking to join Division 2 in 2020.
The Titans are already one of the largest clubs in Great Britain, the only club to boast a team competing in every format offered by BAFA, all of our existing teams compete in the highest level available and in 2017 three of our teams won divisional titles. The Titans have been awarded Double Coverages Programme Of The Year in both 2016 and 2017.
The Titans are seeking a team manager to work under Head Of Adult Football James Dean, this person will be responsible for the running of the Titans Bee Team and will receive the full support of the committee along with training and guidance from the existing pool of team managers.
The Titans are also seeking expressions of interest from anyone who would be interested in becoming Head Coach of the Titans Bee Team.
Club Chairman Jonathan Homer explained the reasons behind the decision: “There are several main factors driving the decision to launch a 2nd Adult Contact team within the Titans;
- firstly we have a very strong U17/U19 set-up but we struggle to convert these players into our Adult team, the main feedback being that the jump from U19 football to Adult/Premier Division Football is too great. Having the 2nd team provides a pathway for our young players to continue to their American Football development and physical development. It also allows players who attend university and would miss pre-season the chance to come into an environment where they can still earn plenty of reps during games
- secondly is the size of the club, we have had over 100 players on our roster for 4 straight seasons and our members have asked about a 2nd team at consecutive AGMs. We are conscious that we have over 100 players who take the time to register but realistically only half of these will see game time
- thirdly is the opportunity to enforce minimum standards within the club. Our existing Adult Contact squad currently sit 2nd in the Premier Division North with a 4-1 record, however, we are acutely aware that there is still work to be done for us to be considered contenders for a National Title. Having two squads allows us to set minimum standard in terms of attendance, personal and physical development, film study and playbook knowledge and coach development. We will use this to drive the best performance from our elite players and coaches who want to play in the 1st team
- finally we are aware that players have left the club as they either can not, or do not want to meet the rigours of playing Premier Division American Football. A 2nd team allows the Titans to provide opportunities for all.
We are excited by this development and look forward to seeing it take the club to another level.”