Touchdown for SERC’s Ryan

We are continually amazed at the talent amongst the SERC student and staff body, from publishing novels to creating fine art to world class electricians and patisserie perfection.  Now we can add American Football talent to the list as we find our own Marketing Intern, Ryan Flynn, is Head Coach the Downpatrick Saints and a founder member of the team, Ryan is also part of the coaching team for the Irish Wolfhounds, Ireland’s national team.

Ryan said, “We started putting a team together in 2019. At that time, there was strong interest in starting up a new American Football Flag League across the island of Ireland and we wanted to be part of it. We compete in flag football, which is a 5-a-side, quicker version of the sport. ”

American Football Ireland, the national governing body for all aspects of the sport - recognised by Sport Ireland and the Federation of Irish Sports – is in the process of becoming a member of the International Federation of American Football (IFAF).

Ryan added, “We were lucky enough to have the nucleus of a team at the start, a group of friends who were into the game and since then it has been a matter of pushing out the message that we are here and looking for new members.  Every year the team has expanded and now we have 20 players.

“Some of the players have come along from other more traditional sports, be it Gaelic Football, Rugby or Soccer and playing American Football hadn’t occurred to them.    We have had to take the initiative to attract new players.

Ryan added, “We were lucky enough to have the nucleus of a team at the start, a group of friends who were into the game and since then it has been a matter of pushing out the message that we are here and looking for new members.   Every year the team has expanded and now we have 20 players.

“Some of the players have come along from other more traditional sports, be it Gaelic Football, Rugby or Soccer and playing American Football hadn’t occurred to them.    We have had to take the initiative to attract new players.

“The American Football Flag Season runs from August to November but, like everything else, the pandemic had impacted on what we have been able to do this year."

He added, “I first got into the sport through the NFL around 2013.  I am a big fan of the San Francisco 49ers. Interest continues to grow and the NFL games that are played in London are evidence of the growth. People travelled from all over to get to those games and I was lucky enough to get to a few myself.  The atmosphere is amazing, and you soon see why people have ‘Superbowl’ parties."

Anyone interested in finding out more about the Downpatrick Saints, or to keep up with their activities, visit them on Facebook Downpatrick-Saints-American-Football-Team.   Watch this space.

Caption: Saints Players for their most recent matchday fixture in September 2020. Back row – (left to right) Barry Kearney, Ross O’Neill, Ryan Flynn, Patrick Carvill, Michael Flynn, Cathal Caldwell. Front row, Oisin McQuoid, Daniel McConnell, Callum Jones, and Eoin McMullan.