Titans Win a Record 3 Northern Divisional Titles in 2026 Season
Over the past two weekends our Manchester Titans senior team, U19s, and U16s have all won their respective Northern Division titles, something that has never been done before in the club’s history. In 2025 the seniors and the U19s both won their divisions but the U16s narrowly missed out, though they did win the Plate Final in the National Playoffs.
Head Coach George Foster and Defensive Line Coach Lewis Potts enjoying themselves on the sideline. Photo by Rory MacNair.
On Sunday 19 July the Premiership Manchester Titans and our U19s traveled up to East Kilbride together and beat the Pirates twice. This secured the Northern title for our Premiership team for the fifth consecutive season. We spoke with Head Coach George Foster after the EKP game:
Good afternoon Coach, congratulations on winning the Northern Premiership Division title for the fifth year in a row. Can you share your thoughts with our readers?
“It's a fantastic achievement and one we are incredibly proud of. To win the North 5 years on the bounce takes a massive and consistent effort from everyone involved. I can't thank them enough for their dedication to the club so it is very special to share these moments with them. With that said, the job's not done. We have 2 games to win in the regular season to secure an unbeaten record and then we can focus on the playoffs as we hunt a 3rd National Championship.”
HC George Foster and LB Rory Dodgson. Photo by Adam Edwards.
How is the team feeling as we head into these final two regular season games? How are you staying focused with the playoff excitement bubbling in the background?
“We're feeling good, we lost a bit of momentum with the Summer break but we had a good win up in Glasgow and a couple of electric practices so the energy is certainly rebuilding. It's impossible to ignore the playoffs, we've been working towards that final goal all year. However, the most important event coming up is the next practice and then it's Merseyside at home on Saturday.”
Offensive Coordinator Alex Challands adds:
“It is always a joy to win and retain the Crown in the North, and being able to do this 5 years in a row is a testament to the hard work we as team put in each year. I say this to the players at the start of the year, that the game to win the North is one of only 3 that are truly important. The team have put a lot of effort in so far, and this is the first step to challenging for the [National] Crown.”
The second Titans team to secure their Divisional title were our U16s. On Saturday 25 July our youngest contact team won both games to secure the top seed in the North and the best seeding in the playoffs.
The first game saw them trounce the North East Academy Giants, winning 48-6. The second game of the day against the Lancashire Buccaneers ended 50-22 in favour of the Titans. Our young QBs were on a roll, throwing dimes all day, knowing exactly where to find their speedy receivers. Both games can be watched back on our YouTube channel.
As the #1 seed, our U16s will play the East Kilbride Pirates (#5) and the Birmingham Lions (#4) in the Northern Playoffs on August 8th - to be hosted at Belle Vue Stadium.
The Titans U19s win over EKP U19s put them in a position to secure a Division Title of their own the week after. On Sunday 26 July a victory over the Lancashire Buccaneers would put our U19s at 5-1 and top of the leaderboard for North & Scotland.
And a victory they got - decisively concluding their regular season with a 50-6 full time score at a wet and windy Belle Vue. Thank you to everyone who braved the weather to cheer our lads on! The full game is available to watch back on our YouTube channel.
Manchester Titans U19s celebrating their 50-6 victory on 26 July 2026.
We spoke with U19s Head Coach Sean Howe after the game:
“This was truly a team win. We set the standard leading up to the game that we can't switch off, it was a win or go home scenario. The team understood that and delivered. Each unit - offence, defence and special teams - contributed big plays including touchdowns on all three phases. The team started this season 0-1 which wasn't ideal but now I see it as a blessing in disguise. That loss sparked the fire in the team. We refocused to ensure we were a process focused program. The recent results show the success of this with us becoming back to back division champions. Now it's time to fully focus on the playoffs to secure a spot in the Britbowl final.”
Defensive Coordinator Devan Darcy said:
“It’s been an absolute privilege to coach this defence. From the first session, the players completely bought into what we were trying to build. We spoke all season about being focussed on the process rather than being driven by the outcome. We never talked about winning the division or allowing a certain number of points. We talked about doing the little things right every single day, winning our individual battles, playing with relentless effort, trusting our teammates and staying disciplined. The boys committed to that philosophy from day one, and this weekend they got the reward they deserved.
I honestly believe the Northern & Scotland Division is the toughest division in the country. Every week we faced high-powered offences capable of putting points on the board, with East Kilbride, Edinburgh and the Highlands all presenting completely different challenges. To come through that schedule and finish the regular season allowing fewer than 10 points per game is a testament to the work these players have put in since the very beginning.
As proud as I am of what we’ve achieved defensively, Championships are never won by one side of the ball. Our offence, special teams, coaching staff and everyone behind the scenes have all played a huge part in getting us to this point. Most importantly, the players deserve every bit of the credit. They’ve worked relentlessly, trusted the process and earned every bit of this success.
Winning the division is something we’re incredibly proud of, but it doesn’t change our mindset. The standard remains the same, the process remains the same, and now our full focus turns to the playoffs. We’re looking forward to the challenge ahead and seeing what this group is capable of achieving together.”
Our U19s next face the Nottingham Caesars in an away fixture at Nottingham on Sunday 16 August.
For more Titans football at Belle Vue make sure you get your tickets for the upcoming Premiership North game against the Merseyside Nighthawks on Saturday 1 August.
The week after, on Saturday 8 August, we host the Nottingham Caesars in our final Premiership North regular season game. This game will kick off at 6pm after the U16 Northern Playoffs. Don’t miss this epic day of British American Football!