In Today’s Programme

Page

3 Chairman’s Welcome

4 Meet The Visitors: Essex Spartans

5 Meet The Visitors: Bristol Aztecs

6 Match Photography: Farnham Knights vs. Blitz A

7 Meet The Players: Matt Meyer, OL #65

8 News Feature: Adrian Klemens - Legacy builder

10 Match Report: London Blitz B vs. Norwich Devils - 29/04

11 Meet the Partners: Fit Fab Therapy

12 London Blitz B: SFC 2 East Schedule and Standings

13 London Blitz B: Roster

14 Essex Spartans: Roster

15 London Blitz A: Premiership South Schedule and Standings

16 London Blitz A: Roster

17 Bristol Aztecs: Roster Chairman’s Welcome

We are very pleased to welcome you to Finsbury Park.

We have had a strong off-season recruitment with over 75 players registered with both the A and B Teams. We have also had several new coaches join the ranks, with Matt Smith and Jon Goddard joining the staff on the A team, and Derrell Jennings and Chad Austin joining the B team. We have also retained the majority of last season’s staff. We have also had the privilege of guest coaches come down to help at training, including Ed Morgan, Aaron Sanders and Jason Brisbane, which has been an inspiration to the players.

We have had a couple players depart to go and challenge themselves in Europe with Glen Toonga, last year’s offensive MVP going to the Dresden Monarchs in the GFL 1 and already making an impact helping the team to a 2-0 start. Kodjo Davis has gone out to play for the Helsinki Roosters in the Vaahteraliga in Finland. Kodjo helped them defeat one of Europe’s best teams, the Vienna Vikings, in a 41-37 thriller in the Charity Bowl. We have delightfully welcomed back Charlie Joseph, the former team captain, after he went out to play for the Marburg Mercenaries in the GFL 1 last year.

The season is underway and we have been successful across the board. The U19s have started their National title defence strongly and are sitting at 2-0, with two convincing wins over local rivals the (22-0) and Sussex Thunder (60-0), scoring points through Offense, Defense and Special Teams. The B team opened their season at home with a win against the newly re-formed Norwich Devils 38-20, with a big performance from QB Timothee Liechti, who had 307 yds passing and 4 TDs, and Rayann Thor with 2 rushing TDs. The A Team have also started well and are 2-0 with big wins against the Bury Saints (52-0) with Gabriel Quartey having a huge day on the ground. That was followed up with a 66-12 victory against Farnham Knights, seeing the return on Temi Oduyemi who had 3 rushing TDs on the day. Palmer Foster also returned his second fumble recovery touchdown of the year, and Eddie Cheadle notched up 2 interceptions.

Today the B team welcome the Essex Spartans and the A team welcome the Bristol Aztecs. The Essex Spartans sit at 2-1. After a narrow opening game defeat to Ipswich they rebounded against the Maidstone Pumas 40-0 and the won an extremely close game against their local rivals the East Essex Sabres 33-32. The Bristol Aztecs also sit 2-1. After an opening day defeat to the London Warriors, Bristol defeated the London Olympians 20-7 and then convincingly beat the Bury Saints 48-0. Both Blitz teams will be in high spirits coming into the games but we will look to remain undefeated and bring home the Ws.

Enjoy the day.

TPBF Meet The Visitors: Essex Spartans

Head Coach - Seán Benton Offensive Co-Ordinator - Chris Hunt Defensive Co-Ordinator - Graeme Saint

The Essex Spartans were originally formed back in 1989 as the Basildon Astros and have been playing under the Spartans name since 1998 following a merger with the Redbridge Fire. The Spartans are based in South Ockendon, Essex and the organisation comprises the senior team, u19 and u17 teams and plans are currently underway to start a women’s team in the very near future (Essex Hellcats).

The 2018 campaign saw us fall to a single point defeat against the Ipswich Cardinals in game one, a result we were very disappointed with before beating Maidstone 40-0 at Home in game two. Last weekend saw us travel to local rivals East Essex and pull off a thrilling 33-32 victory despite falling behind 0-18 in the first quarter. We are looking forward to the game today in what promises to be a key fixture in the division.

Meet The Visitors: Bristol Aztecs

Head Coach - Chris Powles

Since being promoted to the Premier leagues in 2006, the Bristol Aztecs have consistently finished as one of British 's top 5 teams. A large part of this achievement is down to the coaching programme instituted by former player Chris Powles, who has helmed the team since 2012.

Their season currently stands at 2-1, having lost the season opener away, and winning the two home games. They are looking to maintain their momentum with a good result from their second trip to London this season.

Head Coach Powles had this to say before the fixture:

“The Prem South is as competitive as always, with both the Blitz and Warriors having been very impressive in the early games. We know Sunday’s game is going to be a tough one. We feel we are improving as the year goes on, we have won the last two, so we hope to take some momentum in to the fixture. I feel the two games last year were close and we had chances to win both games. We hope to keep improving and look forward to competing on Sunday with a great team.” Match Photography Farnham Knights 12 - 64 London Blitz A

Images: Jody Demay-Davies Meet The Players: Matt Meyer, OL #65

Where did your Blitz journey begin? I previously played for the UH Hurricanes and London Olympians and then Carinthian Lions in Austria. When I came back from Austria in 2008 the Olympians had folded and many of my previous team mates and coaches were now at the Blitz, so it was a natural place to come when I got home.

What is your goal for this season? To win the Britbowl nothing else is good enough. I think everyone is focused on that goal.

What was the best game of your career and why? I’m not sure it was my best personal performance but it would be winning the EFAF Cup in 2011. We packed 2000 people into Finsbury Park including family and friends and are one of only a couple of British teams to win in Europe. It was a fantastic day and a great feeling.

If you could capture your career so far in one word, what would it be? Unfinished

What is your favourite pastime outside of football and why? Spending time with my young family. I have a 1 year old and 5 year old and they keep me pretty busy.

What is your favourite food and why? Probably a roast dinner. Who doesn’t love gravy?

Favourite football team and why ? Dallas Cowboys- when I first watched football they were good and they were exciting. They had all the personalities, Irvin, Sanders etc

Favourite Football Player and why? Right now it’s Zack Martin, he plays for the Cowboys and is probably the best guard in the NFL, smart, technical yet physical with it. All time: Michael Irvin. Adrian Klemens: Legacy builder

It’s a journey that started with a bang! After a broken collarbone forced him to change career path, Adrian has spent the last 20 years forging a sporting legacy up in Finsbury Park. It’s a legacy built on teamwork and community both on and off the field, and his story is not about what he has achieved for himself, but about what he has done for others. This is what defines him as a generous and a selfless gentleman.

A long way from his native Australia, Adrian (otherwise known also as Coach K) is in his 20th year coaching the London Blitz American Football Club. He first joined as a coach of the adult squad, there being no youth program at the time, and after just one season was promoted to Head Coach at the age of just 23. He has since been instrumental in building the club into the national powerhouse it is today, taking the team to their first National Championship win in 2007.

Adrian then moved to the U19s program, where he continued to make waves, taking the team from winning just a handful of games a year, to a team that has now won five of the last seven National Championships.

Adrian has had an unparalleled impact on the London Blitz, and on the British American Football community, and the achievements of the London Blitz U19s are a testament to his hard work and dedication. However, while most might might stop for a breather at that point, Coach K was just getting started, and every season he has continued to add to his dynasty.

Off the field, Adrian’s work in the wider community centres around the Dynamic Sports Academy(DSA). Adrian founded the DSA in 2007 as a way to engage predominantly young people through multi-sport training. The goal is to get young people to make more positive and productive life choices, and to give focus to their lives. Demonstrating their success, 97% of DSA members go onto further/higher education, compared to a local average of just 35%. The DSA’s Total Athlete Development Program includes speed, strength, performance vision, sport psychology, and workshops on a range of topics including nutrition, sleep & injury prevention. Furthermore, Adrian is helping young athletes in the community to reach new heights by helping them to secure places at US High Schools and Universities (ranging from Junior College to NCAA Division 1). He is helping others by giving them the tools to realize their dreams. Adrian Klemens: Legacy builder (cont.)

In addition to his roles at the London Blitz and Dynamic Sports Academy, he is also a trustee for the Finsbury Park Sports Partnership charity, of which he is a founding member. When Finsbury Park Stadium was due to be closed due to council cutbacks, Adrian and others from local clubs formed a charity and took a 35-year lease on the facility. This has allowed the facility to not only stay open for the local community, but they have also managed to raise over £1 million in funding, enabling them to renovate the gym, as well as having a new track and field installed.

Adrian’s incredible achievements were recognised on Thursday March 8th, where at he was selected from over 300 nominations to be awarded the Volunteer of the Year Award.

Adrian has high hopes and optimism for the future, stating that he hopes “receiving this award will bring the organisations I work with into the spotlight for the incredible work they do, and lead to further funding and connections with others who can help them achieve their goals”. However, Adrian is still not done, and he’s looking for “more funding, more volunteers and more connections” to grow these organisations to help “as many people as possible and have a positive impact on their lives”.

Adrian’s passion for the game of American Football and his hard work for the wider community exemplify his legacy. Anyone can see that he is a generous kind-hearted gentleman. He strives for the success of others, builds talent and helps others accomplish their dreams. He does all this with such humility, always praising the support he receives from his team at the London Blitz, Dynamic Sports Academy, Finsbury Park Sports Partnership, and most importantly from his wife, who takes the lead on raising their 3 children aged 2, 3 and 5.

Through all of the personal, professional and political hurdles that Adrian has has overcome to build his legacy, he has never backed down, choosing every time to face them head on. Has has cemented his place in the club’s history, earning the love and respect of the entire organisation - we will be forever grateful.

Match Report: Blitz B's vs. Norwich Devils 29/04/18

The London Blitz B's began the season with a solid 38 - 20 win over the Norwich Devils.

After scoring on the opening drive, the Blitz B's looked like the favourite, but they remained focused, knowing that Devils weren't going to give up without a fight.

Blitz QB Timothée Liechti had a great afternoon, always staying calm in the pocket, and often keeping drives alive with surgical passing or by weaving through the Defense to rush for a first down. He finished the day with 4 TDs, finding WRs Jacob Howard, Junior Juneweather, Henry Charlton-Weedy (pictured) and Simon Cruise in the end zone.

The Blitz also demonstrated versatility with a strong running-game, with solid rushing performances from both Rayann Thor, who finished with two TDs, and Adokla Adesona.

However, the Devils were never far behind, able to exploit favourable match-ups and finding success with long balls down the sideline, resulting in two TDs of their own. A fumble on a Blitz kick-return resulted in another Devils TD, demonstrating the difference that Special Teams can make to a score-line.

Commenting on the win, Blitz QB Timothée Liechti said: "Sunday's win was a perfect start to the season. Norwich came out fighting, and we were ready for them. Our O-Line was holding their blocks well, the WR helped drive the ball down the field, and the RBs had some strong carries. As an Offense, we have a lot to improve on and we'll keep working every day, but it's great to get that first W under our belt.”

Team Captain and ILB Alex Igoh said: "It was a good solid win today against a decent Norwich Devils team who look as if they will be able to compete very well this season. I thought we looked particularly impressive on Offense where, for the majority of the game, we were unstoppable. Also, aside from the two splash plays I thought we were in control defensively. We know what we're trying to achieve this season and now that the 'first game jitters' are out of the way we will be looking to push on against an Essex Spartans team who we've become very familiar with." Meet The Partners Fit Fab Therapy

Proud to be in partnership with both London Blitz American Football Team and American football team.

Our Team of qualified and experienced graduate Sports Therapists provide first class pitch side first aid as well as offering pre-game taping and massage.

If you are interested in us covering an event or working with your team please call company director Lara Inge on 01234 302619 or email [email protected] London Blitz B SFC 2 East Schedule

Date Opponent H/A Result Score 29th April Norwich Devils Home Win 38 - 20 20th May Essex Spartans Home - - 3rd June Ipswich Cardinals Home - - 10th June Essex Spartans Away - - 24th June East Essex Sabres Home - - 1st July Ipswich Cardinals Away - - 15th July Maidstone Pumas Away - - 5th August Norwich Devils Away - -

London Blitz B SFC 2 East Standings

Team Win Loss Tie PCT PF PA Ipswich Cardinals 1 0 0 15 14 1.000 London Blitz B 1 0 0 38 20 1.000 Essex Spartans 2 1 0 87 47 0.667 East Essex Sabres 1 1 0 92 39 0.500 Norwich Devils 0 1 0 20 38 0.000 Maidstone Pumas 0 2 0 6 100 0.000 London Blitz B Roster

Number Player Name Position Number Player Name Position 2 Junior Savage Mcdonald WR 60 Sam West OL 3 Timothee Liechti QB 62 Robert Taylor OL 4 Shai Pilgrim DB 65 Ollie Stevenson OL 5 Keith Steel DB 66 Aaron Critchley OL 6 Ryan Mcloughlin QB 70 Henry John OL 7 Nii Anteson DB 71 Shayan AA Moti DL 8 Freddy Clapson QB 72 Ashney Chawla OL 9 Alex Pigg WR 77 Mohamed Lamine Amraoui OL 11 Timi Oyelaja WR 80 Henry Charlton-Weedy WR 12 Alex Hoffman QB 81 Phil Holker WR 13 Philip Robinson WR 84 Jacob Howard WR 15 Glenn Roberts WR/F 85 Noach Ben-Haim WR 18 Sandeep Rajput RB 86 Liam Sweeney WR 19 Paul Drillingcourt DB 88 Andre Gachette WR 20 Adesona Abdul-Mojeed RB 94 Joshua Spacey DL 21 Jack Morrissey DB 95 Matt Gillett DL 23 Simon Cruise WR 98 Leon Green DL 24 Ebenezer Akinkuybe DB 99 Chris Sandford DL 25 Gerard Thompson-Shaw DB IR Kelly Ukpetenan RB 26 Reece Gayle RB IR Adam Khan WR 27 David Zulu DB Jack Timmins QB 28 Felix Cornehl DB Benjamin Benhamou QB 29 Joe Boon DB Ryan Laver QB 30 Chad Walrond DB Tom Read QB 32 Jean-Pierre Tumi DB Lewis Taylor WR 33 Mario Dos Reis RB David Szalai WR 34 Richard Bevan LB Sergei Robinson WR 36 Rayann Tohr RB Tayyip Balci WR 37 Ben Scarisbrick RB 40 Jacob Smith LB Raj Yadav WR 41 Jordan Jones LB Giordy Diangienda WR 42 Matt Pywowar LB Patryk Gierczak WR 44 Antti Hyppola LB Giovanni Sanna WR 49 Marc McEachnie LB Muhammad Abdullah RB 50 Matthew Rose OL Liam Brennan OL 51 Charlie Morris LB Charlie Jackson OL 52 Sebastian Hubbard LB Charlie Hill DB 53 Matthew Kersey LB Andrew Richardson DB 54 Carl Rushe LB Matt Warrilow DB 55 Ion Teale DL Sean Narenthiran DB 56 Miles Hubbard LB Rafal Klos LB 57 Alex Igoh LB Krenar Rexhepi LB 58 Stephen Parry OL Jesse Williams DL Essex Spartans Roster

Number Player Name Position Number Player Name Position

1 Dwayne Ferdinand A Back 40 Scott George Smallman LB

2 Chris Button LB 42 Chidi Onochie TE / DL

4 Jarod Rathbone CB 44 Lewis Rawlinson DB

5 Sufyan Ali Akhtar LB 45 Alex Watt S

6 Bradley Marns CB 46 Chris Maddison S

8 Thomas Macfarlane QB 50 Jamie Hulse DT

9 Felix Olu A Back 52 Tom Kitchen LB 53 Alfie Sharman OT/OG 10 Jason Charnier A Back 55 Kieron Goymer C/OG 11 Junior Owusu A Back 58 Billie Shelton LB 12 Liam Telfer S 59 Harold Carew LB 13 Fest Olu DE 60 Jack Lawrence OT/OG 14 Steve Cox A Back 61 Chris Shawyer DT 15 Rob Jelly BSc QB 64 Dan Angel OT 16 Joe Trigg CB 65 Lee Millar OT/OG 18 Bill Guppy WR 66 Lewis Hall DE 20 Conor Fitzpatrick CB 68 Benjii Law OG 21 Nick Walter B Back 77 Steve Clements C/OG 22 James Wheeler B Back 79 Ben Rudd OT/OG 23 Ryan Lines A / Back 80 Hugo Yamaguchi WR 24 Elizabeth Walker A Back 81 Teddy Geddis WR 25 David Macpherson K/P 82 Mike Jeffery WR 27 Adem Adem CB 83 William Halton WR

29 Anthony Osaba CB 85 Ryan Squibb WR

32 George Henry Merry TE 86 Grant Mulcahy WR

33 Ollie Brookes S / CB 87 Joe Parsons WR

34 Ben Brown LB 88 Casra Abedian WR

36 Luke Rawlinson WR 89 Paul Cossu DE

37 Josh Morris DB 90 Aaron Millar DE/DT

39 Alex Clayton LB 99 Eugene Tangney DT London Blitz A Premiership South Schedule

Date Opponent H/A Result Score 22nd April Bury Saints Away Win 0 - 50 13th May Farnham Knights Away Win 12 - 64 20th May Bristol Aztecs Home - - 3rd June Farnham Knights Home - - 10th June Bristol Aztecs Away - - 24th June London Warriors Home - - 1st July London Olympians Away - - 15th July Bury Saints Home - - 22nd July London Olympians Home - - 19th August London Warriors Away - -

London Blitz A Premiership South Standings

Team Win Loss Tie PCT PF PA London Warriors 2 0 0 109 6 1.000 London Blitz 2 0 0 114 12 1.000 Bristol Aztecs 2 1 0 66 62 0.666 Farnham Knights 1 1 0 38 80 0.500 London Olympians 0 2 0 13 74 0.000 Bury Saints 0 3 0 16 122 0.000 London Blitz A Roster

Number Player Name Position Number Player Name Position 2 Dominic Husbands WR 49 Fab Garguilo LB 3 Kyle Jervier WR 50 Dan Howard DL 4 Shane Afolabi DB 51 Justin Adenuga OL 5 Joe Thompson QB 52 Sky Modebe LB 6 Charlie Joseph WR 53 Joel Adjei OL 7 Gabriel Quartey RB 54 Eddie Cheadle LB 8 Luke Prendergast WR 55 Alex Davies OL 9 Sam Marshall WR 10 Jack Daley WR 56 James Connolly OL 11 Domomyc Steer DL/LB 57 James Wyatt K 12 Chris Walker QB 58 Sam Mintz OL 13 Mike Aboujaoude WR 60 Jonathan Binks OL 15 Aaron Linley WR 65 Matt Meyer OL 17 Stuart Franklin QB 66 Keith Riley OL 18 Oliver Bishop LB 70 Phil Cherry OL 19 Germain Pelie LB 71 Sonny Cohen OL 20 Dan Conroy RB 72 Majid Alsahani OL 21 Nathaniel Lee WR 23 Dwight Caulker RB 74 Ayodeji Ogunkolati DL 24 Enoch Hankombo DB 77 Olly Sunmola OL 25 Dotun Ademiju DB 78 Azmi Sbaiti OL 26 Lewis Owusu-Afriyie RB 80 Harry Brown WR 27 Tonye Dokubo DB 81 Nicholas Wilson WR 28 Temi Oduyemi RB 84 Sam Rodgers WR 29 Jason Selormey DB 85 Alex Salter WR 30 Birkan Parlar DB 86 Alex Laird WR 32 Jose Van Oosten DB 88 Bart Slomka WR 33 Tom Wilkinson DB 34 Sebastian Sansom DB 90 BL Ango DL 36 Jordan Bolessa DB 92 Idris Lawal DL 37 Aaron Olagegi DB 94 Conor Durham DL 38 Rodrigue Aligenes DB 95 Ari Halldorsson DL 40 Chris Elliot LB 98 Jamie Charles DL 41 Jai Jackson DL/LB 99 Simeon Okonta-Wariso DL 42 Nick Halfpenny DB IR Remmy Ezeabasili 44 Palmer Foster LB IR Jasper Van-Dooren 47 Alexander Engels DB IR Ronel Daley-Thomas 48 Panashe Chinembiri LB Bristol Aztecs Roster

# Player # Player # Player

1 34 67 2 Martin Steed 35 68 3 36 69

4 Eddie Onamede 37 Bradley Trott 70 5 38 71 Christian Sinnige 6 Ryan Morton 39 Callum Evans 72

7 Gareth Thomas 40 Jacob Spindler 73 Anderson Cohen 8 Chris Green 41 74 Frankie Pankhurst

9 Dan Vickery 42 75 Ade Simons

10 43 76 Steve Davey 11 44 Anthoney Kepple 77

12 Sean Cook 45 78 13 46 79 14 Leon Klosowicz 47 80 Murry Tait

15 Victor Ofoe 48 81 Tim Penny 16 49 82 Dom Ferdani 17 Simon George 50 83 Chris Hobbs

18 51 84 19 52 Rich Jones 85 Bikrant Maharjan

20 53 Gareth Reese 86 21 Tapi Munemo 54 Ben Pascoe 87 Harris Tzen 22 55 Alex Grey 88

23 Matt Tait 56 Sam Waterhouse-Morris 89 24 Mazon Majdoubi 57 90 25 Trafford Alli 58 91 Thomas Falvey

26 Oliver Morris 59 92 27 60 93 28 Shaun Vaughn 61 94

29 62 95 30 63 96 Nick long

31 64 Matt Ball 97 GET IN TOUCH CHAIRMAN jack daley [email protected] SECRETARY Jasper van dooren [email protected] A TEAM HEAD COACH damian anderson [email protected] B TEAM HEAD COACH anthony coverdale [email protected] JUNIOR HEAD COACH jason henry [email protected] london blitz afc www.LondonBlitz.com finsbury park n4 2nq