American Football Now And Then: How the sport in the UK and Nottingham Caesars have grown

The Nottingham Caesars, the city of Nottingham’s American Football team and the oldest in the UK, have been continually growing since they started up three decades ago as interest in the sport ever increases.

As American Football is more prominent than ever in the UK with more NFL matches taking place at Wembley, the Caesars have been keeping up with the trend as interest reached a record high in 2016.

Head coach Barry Boseley has worked at the Caesars since the club started in 1984 and says that the club from then to now is incomparable.

Speaking on Sports Week, he said:

“Back then, it was something that young guys wanted to do that was different, it was in the 80s when it was taking off big time. It used to just be on Bramcote Park we’d play but now the Caesars operate much more like a professional team even though we are still an amateur side. From gathering a few guys on the field on a Sunday morning, now it’s much more set and a lot of preparation goes into the work on the field.”

Barry has also noticed the growth happen nationally.

He said:

“The UK now has much more structured and better leagues than what we did in the 80s. It was the case where a guy would set a team up but now it’s a much bigger thing with having university teams as both here in Nottingham have teams, for example.”

For more from Barry, watch the January 4 episode of Sports Week on Notts TV at 7.30pm, or see our catch up service.

Source: nottstv.com