"Come and see something new": Sheffield Giants American Football team hope to draw a crowd vs Leeds
The Sheffield Giants will take on the Yorkshire Rams on Sunday.
The head coach of the Sheffield Giants American Football Team has urged families to “come and see something new” this weekend as the team take on Leeds’ Yorkshire Rams.
Matt Flynn has been leading the Giants for a number of seasons and believes the game on Sunday will make a great day out.
“If you're a fan of American Football already then this really is the closest you'll get to the NFL without travelling to London twice a year or flying to the States,” he told The Star.
“It's free and if you've never seen a game before, it's such a unique sport and one you can so easily enjoy just from watching a game or two.”
Giants’ center and one of the team’s four gameday captains, Ahmet Karlik, added: “It’s an opportunity to experience something brand new. The game day experience is brilliant at Giants, as a spectator you can really have an input in a game of american football. There’s always can’t miss action on all three phases of the game, a day out in the summer sun, and some great local vendors.
“It isn’t the fastest growing sport in the UK for nothing!”
It will be the Giants’ third home game of the season at the Norton Playing Fields, where they beat the Humber Warhawks 57-13 just two weeks ago.
The Giants are instantly recognisable in their bright blue uniforms, seen regularly around Sheffield in charity initiatives supporting foodbanks and St John Ambulance.
Most recently, the team led a food collection at Morrisons in Hillsborough for S6 Foodbank and Stannington Foodbank, pulling together a massive haul of food which was then donated.
Sunday’s game will be the first time the Giants have played the Yorkshire Rams this season. The Giants sit in second place in the British American Football Association’s NFC 1 North division with three wins and two losses.
The well-rested Yorkshire Rams have played three games fewer than the Giants and currently sit second from the bottom of the division at 1-1. The game will kick-off on the Norton Playing Fields at 2pm on Sunday.
Coach Flynn continued: “There's always a group of avid fans on hand to help explain any rules, and if you want to join our noise brigade and help the Giants unsettle the opposition then you really can become a key part of the team just by coming down.”
Giants coaches and players will be fundraising for St John Ambulance on June 22, 2024 - collecting donations in Crystal Peaks Shopping Centre.
Ahmet said: “As a club we are working towards something special, not just becoming a great team that happens to play in Sheffield, but a club that contributes and is proud of being in part of the local community.”
Last year, this same fundraiser was said to be a great success with lots of money raised and plenty of photos for young children and older new fans with the kitted-out Giants.