Manchester Titans
 | |
| Founded | 2003 |
|---|---|
| League | BAFA National Leagues |
| Division | Premier Division North |
| Location | Manchester |
| Stadium | National Speedway Stadium |
| Colours |
Blue Helmets Blue Jerseys Blue Pants |
| Head coach | Pete Birds |
| General manager | Jonathan Homer |
The Manchester Titans are a British American football team based in Manchester, England. They currently play they in the BAFA Premier League North. The Titans were given British American Football League status in 2003, although they missed the following season in order to be restructured for the 2005 campaign. The original team the Northwich Spartans were formed in 1983, and in 1984 the team was renamed the Manchester Spartans. During the 1990s the club folded but was reborn as the Titans in 2003. As of 2017 the Titans play their home games at the National Speedway Stadium.
The Titans are one of the biggest clubs in Great Britain with teams at Adult Contact, Adult Flag, Women's Contact, Women's Flag, U19 Contact, U17 North and U17 South Contact, U17 Flag and U12 Flag and a partneship to run a team at The Manchester College. The Titan have been awarded the title of British American Football program of the year in 2016 and 2017.
History
American Football was first played in the Greater Manchester area in 1983 when the Northwich Spartans played the London Ravens. The following season the Spartans were renamed the Manchester Spartans. Other active clubs in the Manchester area at the time were the Allstars and Heroes. In the 1990s all of the Manchester sides folded and the city was without a Football team until 2003 when the Titans were born.
The formation of the club was inspired by the film "Remember the Titans", the club were founded by local players who until then had been travelling out of the City to play for other teams. The Titans were soon handed BAFA status and entered the year playing at Broughton Park F.C. Rugby Union Club, Manchester and finished with a 1-8-1 record before disbanding in 2004.
Adult Contact
In 2005, the Adult Contact team re-entered the league after being restructured with new coaching staff and players. They finished the season winning 5 games and losing. In 2007, they moved grounds and began playing their fixtures at Broughton Park RUFC. During this season they also advanced to the play-offs after a 7-2-1 record where they defeated the Nottingham Caesars only to be knocked out by the Dundee Hurricanes in the semi-final.
In the 2009 season, The Titans won all 10 of their regular season games but were defeated in the first round play-off game against the Leicester Falcons. The following season saw the form continue and yet again they wiped the floor with the competition by winning all of their games on the route to the play-offs. This time they swiftly dispatched the West Coast Trojans and Shropshire Revolution to book their place in the National Final at the Britbowl. However, they were defeated 35-13 by the London Olympians.
The 2011 season was to be difficult as a large number of players departed which saw the team swap a 100% winning record for a 100% losing record, and due to controversial restructuring of the leagues the Titans were relegated in 2012. In October 2014, the club played its first game inside the Salford City Stadium, where they notched up a 64-0 win over the Crewe Railroaders in front of a crowd of 1,349.[1]
A perfect 10-0 season in 2015 saw the Titans rise from Division 2 to Division 1 in the BAFA structure. A first season in Division 1 in 2016 saw the Titans claim a 7-3 record and a play-off run that ended in the quarter finals. In 2017 the team returned stronger, winning their division with a 9-1 record and advancing to the Division 1 national final where they beat the London Olympians 48-22 in the Britbowl Final to secure promotion to the Premier Division for 2018
Adult Flag
The Titans Adult Flag team have been competing since 2013, offering non-contact American Football for men and women. The team have enjoyed play-off runs in both 2016 and 2017 and in 2017 clinched the MEC North division title to cement a place in the Premier Division and bragging rights as the best team in Manchester.
Women's Contact
The Titan's Women's team have been at the forfront of the growth of the Women's game. Having played in the Sapphire series since 2014 they were one of the founding members of the Women's premier division in 2015 making the Semi-Finals in both 2017 and 2018 to be ranked the 4th best team in Great Britain.
Titans players Sian Perry, Louise Fitzsimmons, Emily Parkinson and Sian Kersse have all represented Great Britain at both the 2015 European Championships and the 2017 World Cup.
Women's Flag
The Women's only flag team enters the national Opal series run each Autumn, playing teams from all over the country. The Titans best finish was a 6th place in 2014.
Home Stadium
The club have previously operated from the AJ Bell Stadium in Salford but from 2017 they have played at the Belle Vue Stadium.
Notable Players
The Club has had some talented and notable players over the years including Ricky Whittle and Chris Fountain (ex-Hollyoaks stars), Graham Roberts, Mark Squire, Nigel Dias, (all have represented GB Lions). Several players have also gone on to play Football overseas including Anthony Bingham (Germany), Ashley Dewing (Germany & Finland), William Wakatega, “Slick” Semper, Philip & Caleb Waldecker (all USA) and also U19 Junior team products James Newnes (Brazil) & Jonathan Pan Gago (Finland & Spain).
References
- ↑ "History - The Club - Manchester Titans American Football Club". Manchester Titans American Football Club.