Star-spangled sport
Not many people know Cambridge has an American football team, but the ARU Phantoms and Cambridgeshire Cats are fruit of the game’s growing popularity in the UK. James Gilbert and Olly West see what all the fuss is about
Yet this success is in fact part of a second wave of interest in the sport in this country. The first NFL games in the UK were in the early 1980s. The patriotically titled “American Bowl” was an annual one-off preseason game between two randomly selected teams in the old Wembley Stadium and attracted sizeable crowds. At this time the Cambridgeshire Cats were formed, entering senior competition in 1985. In their first season the Cats finished top of the A1 division with an 8-0 regular season and crowds often exceeding 600. This was a time when, as Phantoms coach Graeme ‘Geordie’ Saint says, “thanks to the disinterest in soccer after the problems in the game in the 80s, American Football was huge here”.
However, the success of Italia 90 was almost a nail in the coffin for the sport in the UK. “American Bowl” attendances dwindled as fans grew bored of watching games with no edge played by fringe players, and the last of these to be played in London was in 1993. The Cats, too, ran into problems. The withdrawal of a sponsorship deal eventually forced them out of competition for two years as league fees could not be paid.
The Cats reformed in 1992 and went on to enjoy their most successful period, but the NFL struggled to expand. The World League of American Football, founded in 1991, imploded by 1993. From these ashes rose the phoenix of NFL Europe which lasted 12 years. Yet low crowds could not sustain the financial input from the NFL, who were losing $30 million a season in the project. In 2006, a bizarre last-ditch effort was made to save it by changing its name to NFL Europa but by the summer of 2007, the concept of a foreign football league was laid to rest.
So began the NFL’s “International Series”, finally providing fans outside the US with a chance to see competitive games between genuine NFL teams. The first game at Wembley in 2007 sold 40,000 tickets within an hour and a half of sales.
It would certainly appear that the NFL’s popularity in the country is at an all-time high. Current proposals also include introducing an extra regular season game for every team that would take place abroad or even starting a franchise in London.
It was good timing for the Phantoms, who were formed in 2003 by a former PGCE student. The ARU side rushed into the league and struggled early on. “The first days were pretty legendary with squads of 14 turning up for games and two getting injured on the opening kick-off. Yet everyone is surprised by how hard we play and now we’re looking for a cutting edge”, coach Saint remarked.
Cambridge University members have previously played with the Phantoms but this will change next year as all teams must align with a single institution. The Cambridge University Pythons were quite successful but have been defunct since 1997, but there may be hope for a Blues side. “I am very keen to see a Cambridge side compete in the BUAFL and to develop an event which pits Cambridge against Oxford,” said Andy Fuller, BAFA Director for Student Development.
This may be possible. “Cambridge Uni is prime for a team. With North American Students it would have a natural base of top end talent and this would inspire others”, believes the Phantoms’ coach. “It could reach the levels of ice hockey.” More information: www.angliaphantoms.co.uk.
