Manchester Titans American Football Club is celebrating a huge financial boost ahead of their 2019 season with a £10,000 grant from Sport England which will allow them to expand its Adult Contact program.
During the 2018 season, the Manchester Titans worked closely with partners American Football Development Limited who have in the last couple of years secured over £250,000 in funding for British American Football. The partnership with AFD has led to the Titans Securing funding from Sport England with a remit focused on increasing participation.
This announcement has come after what has been another successful summer for the Titans and will see the formation of a ‘Bee’ team. The team will be looking to start its association year in the 2019 season, with a view to joining BAFA Division Two in 2020.
Club General Manager stated “The success of this application means that we can expand our offering within Manchester and offer competitive American Football to more people than ever before, providing platforms for new players and our junior teams to develop into Adult sport. This means the Titans will be able to offer both Elite and participatory models within the National leagues.”
Currently the Titans’ Adult Contact team play in the Prem North, the highest level of club American Football in the UK. While this means the team are playing at a very competitive level, it is hard for rookies to break into the sport and a large jump for U19s to make into senior football. With the addition of a ‘Bee’ team there will be more opportunities and hopefully keep people participating in the sport.
Caleb Jackson, Funding and Development officer stated “It is great to get another funder to make the commitment to supporting our vision for increasing participation. There is certainly a demand and we are appreciative of all those who contributed to making us a credible programme. External funding is a huge benefit and increases the Clubs potential. It has been a great partnership working with AFD as they understand the sport and are a genuine asset. If the sport is looking at tapping into the millions, here is the organisation that have a track record in the right places to make that a reality.
“Working alongside AFD has been a seamless and positive experience and they are a great credit to the sport. They are clearly experienced in generating funding and know the process in obtaining funds inside out. We had a vision, and they have added their skill and expertise into mobilising our vision into a credible application.
Judith Ineson Chief Operating Officer for AFD stated “We are delighted that we have been able to help The Manchester Titans achieve the funding they need to expand their club. They have a passion to drive American Football participation and share many of the same values as ourselves. We look forward to seeing the club grow and develop and would love to be able to help more clubs do the same.”
Caleb Jackson continues; “We would recommend clubs to approach AFD for their Club Support Schemes they can provide help and expertise to teams looking to build and expand. Their support services include finding the right funding solutions for your club and also writing funding bid applications.”
The Titans would also like to show appreciation and gratitude to Sport England for the funding to increase participation and increase more people playing, participating and improving their health. The doors of opportunities for coaches and volunteers has been extended, we hope to upskill people in their own personal development and create a legacy for the future.
The Titans will be looking for Coaches, Players and Volunteers to get involved with the formation and running of the ‘Bee’ Team, if you are interested in joining or getting involved ‘JUST TURN UP’ to our rookie camp on Sunday January 6th at Belle Vue Leisure Centre, 12:00-15:00.