Introducing The Gathering Bowl teams.

 

The Irish American Football Association and The Gathering Dublin are pleased to introduce the teams playing in The Gathering Bowl, which will take place at Tallaght Stadium on Saturday 31st August 2013.

The game will feature two top class teams who are among the best in their category of the sport. Canadian team, the Greendell Falcons will play the Bristol Academy Pride from the European US High School league. Both teams will be bringing full squads of players to this transatlantic battle played on neutral territory in Dublin. For Irish fans, this will be the only opportunity to watch this level of American football in Ireland in 2013.

Greendell Falcons:

The Falcons are a community based team from Manitoba in Canada. They recruit players from the Winnepeg area and field a number of teams at various age groups from 7 year olds right up to high school (15-17) and college (18-22) aged players. Their top level team plays in the Manitoba Major Football League. The Falcons squad for The Gathering Bowl – their “Euroteam” will feature players from both their high school and college aged squads. A number of players from the Falcons have progressed onto Canada’s top level professional league, the CFL.

The Falcons in action (green uniforms).

Bristol Academy Pride:

Though based in the UK, the Pride play in the US High School system. They play in the DODDS Europe League which is the European section of the American High School League for the US Military bases. This league features teams based in Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Belgium. These games are played in stadia and regularly attract up to c.2,000 spectators. In 2012, the Pride were ranked in the top 4 in Division 1 of the DODDS league. A number of Bristol players have won scholarships to NCAA college football teams in the United States in recent years.

 

Bristol Academy (white/silver) in action.

Tickets for The Gathering Bowl will be available from this website from next week and, as this is a South Dublin County Council community event, will be free of charge for all who register.  

In addition to The Gathering Bowl, on Wednesday 28th August, a domestic U20 selection of young players selected mainly from IAFL clubs will play a challenge game against the Greendell Falcons. Time and venue for this game will be announced shortly.