The Team Ireland Under 13’s squad had a very impressive debut in the European Flag Football Championship Finals, played in Rome, Italy over the weekend of 17th to 19th September. The team finished in second place overall, after reaching the Final, where they were defeated by reigning Champions, the Netherlands.

The Irish team got off to a very impressive start in the league stage of the competition with comprehensive victories over Austria and Germany on Saturday morning. The team then lost to Switzerland on Saturday afternoon.  On Sunday morning, they were involved in two close games – losing to host country Italy by only 1 point and then beating the Netherlands by 1 point.  Three wins qualified the team for the Semis.

Team Ireland had a comfortable 33-24 victory over Austria in the Semi-final, but then lost by 39-13 to the Netherlands in the Grand Final.

The players representing Ireland were selected from the schools currently participating in the Schools Flag Football programme underway in the Midlands.  This is the first time that an Irish underage flag football team contested a European finals. All of the players in the squad were introduced to the sport for the firts time through the Schools Flag programme. The team is being coached by Ken Farrell and Aidan Waters, both of whom are involved in the programme.  What is also notable, is that the Irish squad was the youngest in the competition. As the players were selected from Primary Schools, the majority are only 11 or 12 years old and so will still qualify for U13 level next year.

All games were played in Rome’s Stadio Pasquale Giannattasio.

The tournament website is: http://www.euroflagrome2010.com

Team Ireland Results:

Saturday 18th:

Ireland 32 -14 Austria

Ireland 49-19 Germany

Ireland 0-13 Switzerland.

Sunday 19th:

Ireland 26-27 Italy

Ireland 20-19 Netherlands.

Semi-Final:

Ireland 33-24 Austria

Final:

Ireland 13-39 Netherlands.

The Team Ireland Under 13 Flag Football team is competing in the European Junior Flag Championships taking place in Rome, Italy over the weekend of 17^th to 19^th September.

The players representing Ireland have been selected from the schools currently participating in the Schools Flag Football programme underway in the Midlands. This is the first time that an Irish underage flag football team will contest a European finals. The team is being coached by Ken Farrell and Aidan Waters, both of whom are involved in the Schools Flag Football programme.

The other participants in the U13 category are Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Netherlands and host country, Italy. Team Ireland will play Austria, Germany and Switzerland on Saturday 18^th and Netherlands and Italy on Sunday 19^th. The top teams in the league stage will qualify for the final on Sunday afternoon.

All games are taking place in Rome’s Stadio Pasquale Giannattasio.

The tournament website is: http://www.euroflagrome2010.com

Results of Team Ireland’s games will be posted on this site.

On Monday evening,Coach Reinebold spent 4 hours giving clinics to IAFCA coaches, giving full access to the run and shoot concepts used at SMU, where along with June Jones he was part of a resurgence that led to a Hawaii bowl victory where SMU demolished the heavily favoured Nevada.

IAFCA Coaches learn from Coach Reinebold

Tues morning,Coach Reinebold and his wife were keen to take in Dublin,and visited Kilmainham Goal to take in some Irish history. Coach O’Toole then took them on a tour of Trinity College Dublin and Coach Reinebold and his wife got to visit The Book of Kells aswell as The Long Hall of TCD. On Tuesday evening, more coaches joined the returning ones to hear Coach Reinebold continue his series of excellent clinic talks on a variety of topics on all sides of the ball.

Wed evening was a great day for IAFA players as they got to join in on the fun. Player from all IAFL teams turned up to Castleknock College to take part in a field clinic led by Coach Reinebold.Coach Reinebold worked alongside IAFL  Coaches Lawless,O’Toole,Andrews,Loughran and Naylor in teaching the IAFL players how to practise to an elite level.

IAFCA Board Members Darrin O'Toole & Mark Lawless with SMU Coach

After the 3 days, Coach Reinebold said “I am really impressed with the level of play in Ireland,if players got a weightroom mentality and focused Ireland could have some big time players”.On the coaching front Coach Reinebold said “The coaches are some really tuned in guys,who have a thorough understanding of football”.Coach Reinebold also stated he looks forward to the inevitable re-emergence of Team Ireland and seeing how it progresses.

IAFCA Technical Director Darrin O’Toole said “This visit by Coach Reinebold has really shown that Ireland is starting to knock on the door of the worldwide football commuunity.Coach Reinebold really liked 2 of our players and it shows that if we can develop our players from a young enough age, the sky really is the limit for some of them”.

EFAF Board Members including Greg Loughran.

Mr. Greg Loughran, President of the Irish American Football Association was elected to the Board of the European Federation of American Football for a second term at the EFAF General Assembly in Frankfurt last weekend.

Mr. Loughran will be the Director of Flag Football on the new Board which includes the following members:

Robert Huber (President), Roope Noronen, Michael Daum, Enrique de Castro, Michael Eschlbock, Eugene Checkov and Pillan Pass.

Three new countries – Luxembourg, Turkey & Belarus – received full membership of EFAF, which now has Federations representing 30 European countries on board. The EFAF GA has hosted by Frankfurt City Council in Germany over the weekend of 12-14 March.

Among the intitiatives announced was  a deal between EFAF and Eurosport to have European American football games broadcast on the Eurosport network, which is available in 59 countries across Europe an Asia.

Team Ireland put in their best performance of recent years against the semi-pro Coventry Jets team in Celtic Classic III, played in Coventry on Sunday 15th October. The Jets are the current British Division 1A Champions and are unbeaten over the past 3 seasons. Their roster includes several Great Britain Internationals and players with professional experience. The Celtic Classic was sponsored by the Cassidy Group who also sponsor the Jets. Erin Wagner was Team Ireland’s MVP after making numerous tackles and picking up some first downs on the ground while rotating in on offense.

Ex-NFL Europe star, wide receiver Mark Cohen, was instrumental in the Jets victory, scoring two touchdowns and making several first down receptions. The other scorers include the Jets 2006 MVP, Jeremy Simms and running back Anthony Perkins. Perkins got the opening score of the game mid way through the first quarter after making a number of first down runs during the Jets drive. Team Ireland responded with an 80 yard drive with Simon Mackey, Chris Flinn and Erin Wagner picking up first downs in a long drive. Team Ireland got to the Jets 6 yard line, but good defensive play by the Jets just managed to keep them out of the end-zone. The Jets had two scoring drives in the second quarter. One was set up by a spectacular sideline catch by Cohen inside the Irish 5 yard line. Cohen also caught a touchdown pass from quarterback Tim Spaull after he and Team Ireland cornerback Willie Coyne both came down in the endzone with their hands on the ball. The Irish had another opportunity to score in the second quarter when quarterback Adam Devenney led them on another long drive into scoring range, picking up several first downs on the way. However, the Irish were again stopped by the Jets on fourth down.

The Team Ireland defence opened the third quarter strongly, making several tackles for losses. James Kay, Chris Weir, Erin Wagner, Glen Carr and Kenny Hudson all made tackles. However, the Jets got the ball in scoring range after recovering a fumble. Team Ireland nearly stopped the drive when Ross McCooey came close to making an interception, but the Jets managed to score a few plays later. Team Ireland continued to have a strong third quarter, moving the ball against a strong Coventry Jets defense which was led by Adrian Newey. The Irish appeared to get stronger as the game went on in spite of the Jets kept their star players such as Cohen, Newey a nd Simms on the field right the way through the fourth quarter. Early in the fourth quarter, with Conor Buggle now at quarterback, Team Ireland put together another drive and after getting first and goal, running back Sam Hodgins scored on an inside run. Simon Mackey got the two point conversion after hurdling over the Jets defensive line. The Team Ireland defense also came up with a turnover forcing a fumble which was recovered by Darragh Farrell. The Jets got their final score in the fourth quarter when GB Lions QB Tim Spaull threw a long touchdown pass to Jeremy Simms. Team Ireland caused another turnover and also got the ball in the endzone for an apparent score during the fourth quarter when Willie Coyne recovered a muffed punt and sprinted into the endzone, however, the officials ruled that the Jets returner never had full possession of the ball thus it could not be advanced, however the Irish retained the ball.

Team Ireland Head Coach Marcus Naylor was happy with the teams performance. The team, which was only selected a week earlier, played better than expected in spite of having a new coaching staff and new team management and very limited practice time.Team management were also impressed with the team’s friendly and well behaved attitude off the field. A rematch is being scheduled in Dublin in 2007.

Venue: Greystones RFC.

SCORERS:

1st Quarter: JCU: Aaron Taylor 1yd run (0-6); JCU: Rob Pratus 3yd pass from Spence, Goodrich 1xpt (0-13); JCU: Matt Kehoe 10yd run, Goodrich 1xpt (0-20); JCU: Jim Fink 15 yd int return (0-26).
2nd Quarter: JCU: Matt Matteucci 16yd pass from Troy (0-32).
3rd Quarter: Pete Bernini pass from Spence, Goodrich 1xpt (0-39); IRL: Safety – Ken Hudson/Liam Ryan (2-39); JCU: Stephen Spence 5yd run (2-45).
4th Quarter: JCU: Jeff Johnston 1 yd run, Goodrich 1xpt (2-52).

REPORT:

John Carroll University of Ohio won the Celtic Classic with a comfortable 52-2 victory over Ireland (IAFL Allstars) on front of a large crowd at Greystones RFC. However, the big winner was Irish football – this was the first time the Ireland has fielded a representative squad since the reformation of the IAFL in 2001 and the first time Ireland has played against a US college team. The John Carroll University Blue Streaks are the best team ever to play against domestic opposition in Ireland. Playing against players who practice daily was a big step up in standard for the IAFL players and coupled with the fact that this is the first time the team was playing together meant that this was always going to be a difficult fixture for Ireland, however, the team performed admirably.

John Carroll opened the scoring early when the got a first an goal on their first play from scrimmage. 21 stone full back Aaron Taylor punched in the first touchdown from 1 yard out and a Bill Goodrich extra point made the score 7-0. A turnover gave John Carroll the ball in the Ireland half after the kick-off and the Blue Streaks capitalized with Rob Pratus scoring on a 3 yard pass from Stephen Spence. Ireland failed to move the ball on their next possession and John Carroll drove into scoring rang and Matt Kehoe scored on a 10 yard run. John Carroll got a lucky break on Ireland’s next possession when a tipped pass from Kevin Downs was intercepted by Jim Fink and returned for a touchdown. Ireland finished the first quarter on a high when Dave Wheeler took a hand off on his own 2 yard line and broke free on a 70 yard run to give Ireland the ball in scoring range. However, Ireland failed to covert a 4th down on the John Carroll 10 yard line early in the second quarter. Ireland’s good spell continued during the second quarter when Mark Helferty intercepted John Carroll’s Paul Troy at mid field to give Ireland back the ball. Again Ireland picked up some yardage, but failed to convert on 4th down in the John Carroll half. John Carroll finished the half well, when after picking up a couple of first downs on the ground through running back Nick Cerni, Matt Matteucci scored on a 16 yard touchdown pass from Paul Troy to go in 32-0 ahead at the half.

John Carroll came out strong in the third quarter, scoring on their first possession with a 9 yard pass from Spence to Pete Bernini. Ireland then began to move the ball through the air from deep inside their own half with 2 passes from Rob Olwill to Robert Popciobobartepelus and another to Patrick Ryan. After reaching the John Carroll 37 yard opted to punt on fourth down. John Carroll ran the ball out to the 20 yard line before Ireland’s Liam Ryan intercepted the Blue Streaks quarterback, Stephen Spence to give Ireland the ball on the John Carroll 38 yard line. Ireland moved the ball through Dave Wheeler and another catch from Patrick Ryan before again failing to convert a 4th down in scoring range. However, Ireland got on the scoreboard 2 plays later when a combination of Ken Hudson and Liam Ryan, assisted by Steve Harrison tackled John Carroll’s Matt Matteucci in his own endzone to score a 2 point safety. John Carroll got the ball back on Ireland’s next ensuing possession when Greg Deja intercepted Olwill on the 35 yard line. John Carroll scored shortly afterwards with a 5 yard bootleg by Stephen Spence.

Ireland came back into the game in the fourth quarter, moving the ball through fullback Adam Culvertey and passes from Olwill to Marcus Naylor and Dave Wheeler. However the John Carroll defense held strong and their offense scored the final touchdown of the game – a 1 yard run by running back Jeff Johnston to make the final score 52-2 in favour of John Carroll. John Carroll Head Coach Regis Scafe was then presented the Celtic Classic Trophy. After the game, Global Football representative Jim Lyall, happy with the organization and attendance at the fixture, asked the IAFL if he could bring another college team over in 2005 for a second Celtic Classic.

Game Photos

Photographer: Emer McLoughlin

Greystones Rugby Club, 30 May 2004, 2pm.

The Ireland squad for the Celtic Classic game against John Carroll University was announced this morning by Coach Phil DeMonte (13/5/04). The team chosen for the Celtic Classis is essentially an “allstar” team comprised of the best players playing in the Irish American Football League (IAFL). Players from all 6 league teams – Belfast Bulls, Carrickfergus Knights, Cork Admirals, Dublin Dragons, Dublin Rebels & Univ. Limerick Vikings – are included.

The Celtic Classic, which is the brainchild of the Global Football organization, will be played at Greystones Rugby Club, in Wicklow (just south of Dublin) on Sunday 30th May. Ireland will play against the John Carroll University Blue Streaks. John Carroll is one of the best small college teams in American, having finished with a 7-3 record in 2003 and having reached the NCAA National Championship Semi-Finals in 2002. They will be the best team ever to play against domestic opposition in Ireland. John Carroll has been coached by Regis Scaife since 1998 and play their home games in Don Shula Stadium, named in honour of the famous NFL Coach.

This game will be the first for the Ireland team under newly appointed Head Coach Phil DeMonte. Coach DeMonte, a native of New York, relocated to Ireland recently after having been Executive Director of the Great Britain Bulldogs and Head Coach Oxford University in the UK. The Ireland team is not without talent, but the game against John Carroll will present a very formidable challenge. When asked about the Irish prospects for victory in the game, Coach DeMonte replied –

“I expect it to be a tough game for the Irish. We are facing a team where players live, breathe and eat football……we may not be as successful as when David had slain Goliath, but we will be giving it our best effort and giving it all on the field. Will all the elements be there for an upset, we still need to see what happens on the day. But whatever happens, the winner will be the reemergence of Irish American Football on the International stage.”

Irish American football has been on the rise in recent years – membership has almost doubled (to c.300 players) in the past two years and six teams are contesting the championship. A further 2 teams are in development for 2005.

FURTHER INFORMATION:

John Carroll University – www.jcusports.com
Global Football – www.globalfootball.com

2004 IRELAND ROSTER

PLEASE NOTE THAT FINAL ROSTER OF 50 PLAYERS FOR CELTIC CLASSIC WILL BE ANNOUNCED ON SATURDAY 29TH MAY – JERSEY NUMBERS SUBJECT TO CHANGE.

JOHN CARROLL UNIV. ROSTER FOR 2004 CELTIC CLASSIC

Venue: Greystones Rugby Club, Greystones, Co. Wicklow.
Kick-Off: 2pm.

Ireland will be playing U.S. college football side, John Carroll University of Ohio at Greystones Rugby Club on Sunday 30th May in the Celtic Classic American football game. This will be the first visit of a U.S. college football team to Ireland since Notre Dame played Navy in the Shamrock Classic in 1996. There have been 6 competitive games in Ireland involving visiting U.S. college teams since Boston College and Army played in the first Emerald Isle Classic in the 1980s. However, unlike the previous games, the Celtic Classic will be the first time that the visitors have played against an Ireland team entirely composed of players playing domestically in the Irish American Football League (IAFL). The game is being organised by the IAFL in conjunction with the Global Football organisation.

John Carroll Univ. (JCU) Blue Streaks:

The John Carroll Blue Streaks, who are based near Cleveland, Ohio will be travelling to Ireland with a squad of 45 players and 23 coaches and support staff. They are one of the top small colleges in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) having posted winning records in the past 16 years – they were National Championship semi-finalists 2002. The Head Coach of the Blue Streaks is Regis Scafe who has coached the squad since 1999. The most famous player to play for John Carroll in recent years is current NFL linebacker London Fletcher; who made that famous game saving tackle on the goal line as time expired to win the 2000 Superbowl for the St. Louis Rams against the Tennessee Titans.

John Carroll will be spending a week in Ireland, basing themselves in the west of Ireland for most of the week, before travelling to Dublin the day before the game.

Who to watch on the JCU team:
JCU will be bringing a squad of 45 players to play in the Celtic Classic. The players to watch on offence include linemen # 78 Aaron Taylor, #69 Victor DeBoer and #52 James Gluss. Taylor was All-Confernece in 2003. Also included in the squad are tight ends #8 Rob Pratus and #25 Bryan Beigie. #21 Nick Cerni will probably start at running back. #10 Stephen Spence and #18 Paul Troy are in a battle for the starting quarterbacks job and both are expected to play in the game. On defense, the players to watch are linemen #6 McPat McCoyne, #15 Jim Fink and #48 Mark Warren; linebacker #35 Joe Motley who was JCU’s leading tackler in 2003; and cornerbacks #93 Nick Nardini and #17 Anthony Fanelli. Fanelli can also return kicks.

Ireland:

This game will be the first for Ireland under new Head Coach Phil DeMonte. DeMonte, a New York native, recently moved to Ireland after having coached in the UK with Oxford University and serving as Executive Director for the Great Britain Bulldogs in recent years. DeMonte played in the U.S. Armed Forces Leagues before taking up coaching. The Ireland squad will be entirely composed of players who play in the Irish American Football League (IAFL). The IAFL is composed of six teams – Belfast Bulls, Carrickfergus Knights, Cork Admirals, Dublin Dragons, Dublin Rebels and Univ. of Limerick Vikings and has been on the rise in recent years. Membership has nearly doubled over the past 2 years to over 300 players and there are plans to add more teams in 2005 (Galway, Killarney and Craigavon are possible locations). The vast majority of the players in the IAFL are born and bred in Ireland, however, at present there are players from 19 different nationalities playing the league, some of whom will be on show in the Celtic Classic. The IAFL season runs from February to August and the Championship game is called the Shamrock Bowl.

Who to watch on the Ireland team:
The starting line-up for the Ireland team will not be named until after the team’s final training session on Saturday 29th, however, there are a number of players who are expected to make significant contributions to the game. This will be the first game that the Ireland team has played since the reformation of the Irish National Program earlier this year.

Kevin Downs of the Belfast Bulls will probably start at quarterback. The 6ft 5in 23 year old Downs is one of the rising stars of the IAFL and has loads of potential. However, this will be his first ever start in a big game. Downs will have some good receivers to throw to including Paul McKillop of the Carrickfergus Knights, the leagues top receiver over the past two years. McKillop scored 10 touchdowns in 2003. Wide receiver Andreas Farnedi of the Dublin Dragons is also in the squad. The running back position is undecided at present due to the unavailability of last years Shamrock Bowl MVP, Brian Dennehy of the Dublin Rebels. A number of players, including Dave Wheeler of the Dublin Dragons will probably carry the ball for Ireland on Sunday. Two Dublin Rebels – veteran Fearghal O’Donnchu and 22 year old Simon Mackey will share time at tight end. The offensive line is expected to include Dubliner Eoghan Murphy (6-6, 20 stone) who now plays for the Belfast Bulls, Robert Smith of the Cork Admirals and Tobias Hansson of the Dublin Rebels. UL Vikings player, Adam Culvertey will see action at fullback.

The strength of the Ireland team is undoubtedly at linebacker. Alan O’Carroll of the Cork Admirals will start at middle linebacker. O’Carroll is currently attracting attention from at least one US college side. Sean Shanahan of the Dublin Rebels, who won the Most Valuable Player award in the Charleroi International Tournament last season, will start in one of the outside linebacker positions. The defensive line will feature a rotation of players including Simon Connellan of the Dublin Rebels, John Collins of the Dublin Dragons, Erin Wagner of the Belfast Bulls and upcoming rookie, Kieran Stack of the UL Vikings. The secondary will be anchored by experienced cornerback Steve Archibald of the Dublin Rebels and Finnish born Jari Kinnunen of the Cork Admirals who’s also played at college level in the US. Patrick Ryan of the UL Vikings will be the kicker.

Training Sessions open to the public:

THURSDAY 27th MAY – UL Sports Grounds, Limerick:
12:00 to 15:00 – John Carroll University.

SATURDAY 29th MAY – Greystones RFC:
13:00 to 16:00 – Ireland.
19:00 to 21:00 – John Carroll University.

Venue: Greystones RFC, Co. Wicklow (home venue of Dublin Rebels).

Main pitch with covered seating is being used for the JC game.

There will be a full bar at the game and food afterwards.

For Players:

Training/Player Selection:
All IAFL players who have already been selected are guaranteed to play (assuming they turn up on Saturday).

We anticipate that there are c.20-25 free spots remaining on the roster. Therefore ALL IAFL players are invited to attend the training session on Saturday 29th May and tryout for the team. There are a lot of spaces to fill, therefore everyone who makes the effort to attend will probably be included in the squad on Sunday. Everyone who kits up for the game will get game time.

The training session on Saturday 29th May will also be at Greystones RFC and will start at 13:00 sharp.

What to bring:
Bring your own helmet/pads. Even though the Saturday training will not be contact intensive, players should attend with full kit.

On Sunday, you’ll be supplied with an Ireland jersey (and hopefully pants – they’re in transit). You will wear your own helmet (as is customary for representative games). The jerseys come in a variety of sizes and jersey numbers will be decided after the Saturday session.

Please make sure your helmet is clean.

Socks are not provided, so please bring your own – preferably white.

If you intend to wear a long sleeved sweatshirt/undershirt during the game, please make sure it is a neutral colour or green. No bright colours that don’t match the Ireland uniform (green/white).

How to get there:
See links to map below –zoom in and out.

Greystones Map

Greystones Rugby Club is on the R762, just south of Greystones town centre. Greystones is just of the main N11 road (Dublin to Wexford) – south of Dublin/Bray, north of Wickow town.

The no. 84 Dublin Bus from Dublin City Centre stops directly outside the Rugby Club – click on the link below for details/timetable.

www.dublinbus.ie/your_journey/viewer.asp?route=84

Accommodation:
Cheap hotel accommodation has been arranged by Andy Flynn (Rebels manager) in Greystones:

LaTouche Hotel in Greystones – contact Andy Flynn 086 1028001 cost: €45 p.p.s.

If you do not want to stay at the hotel and have no accommodation in Dublin/Greystones – you can stay with a Dublin based player/coach (bring sleeping bag etc) – contact the National Team management – John Durrad, Paul Whelan – if you need accommodation to be arranged.

Cost:
You pay your own accommodation & travel costs.

Food will be provided after the game in the Rugby Club (burgers/chips sort of stuff) at a cost of no more than €5 per person. National Team management will probably ask for a €5 donation from all players as they’d like to pay for the JC players’ food as they are our guests.

Problems/Questions:

Contact the National Team assistant GMs if you’ve any problems/questions:

John Durrad – dublindragons@hotmail.com or 087-9291005

Paul Whelan – paul_whelan@dell.com