Sheffield sports club changes it's name to distance itself from unrelated sex abuse trials

The Sheffield Predators decided a new identity was needed in the wake of the Rotherham child sex abuse scandal. The club believes the cases, although entirely unconnected, still brought negative connotations.

The team, which trains at the Sheffield Hallam University Sports Park in Bawtry Road, asked fans to come up with a new name. And after 2,000 responses and more than 180 different suggestions, the name Giants emerged as a clear winner.

A new logo and colour scheme will now be created ready for the 2017 season.

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General manager Toby Chesters said: “We are delighted with the final choice. It was a highly democratic process, aided by some terrific coverage in the media and a swell of enthusiasm for the task from both the public and also our players, many of whom were highly active on social media encouraging people to make their suggestions.

“Giants will be our new name for the 2017 football season and beyond, and we are all looking forward to building an allegiance to the new brand.

“But first, we are determined to give the Predators name a good send-off in the current season, and all of our teams will be putting body and soul into winning as many of their remaining 2016 fixtures as possible under the current name.”

The club is among the UK’s top dozen American football teams. It competes in the BAFANL Northern Premier Division at Adult Contact level. It also has well-developed flag (non-contact) and Youth teams, with members as young as 14 years old playing contact football.