Manchester Titans
| Year Formed | 2003 |
|---|---|
| Team Colours | Blue Helmets Blue and Gold Jerseys Blue Pants White Socks |
| Home Field | Belle Vue Stadium, Manchester |
| Conference Alignment | British American Football Association National Leagues - Northern Conference 1 |
| Head Coach | Nigel Dias |
| General Manager | Jon Homer |
The Manchester Titans are a British American football team based in Manchester, England. They currently play they on ghe BAFA Northern Conference. The Titans were given British American Football League status in 2003, although they missed the following season in order to be restructured for the 2005 campaign. The original team the Northwhich Spartans were formed in 1983, and in 1984 the team was renamed the Manchester Spartans. During the 1990s the club folded but was reborn as the Titans in 2003. They Titans will play their home games at the Belle Vue Stadium from 2017.
History
American Football was first played in the Greater Manchester area in 1983 when the Northwich Spartans played the London Ravens. The following season the Spartans were renamed the Manchester Spartans. Other active clubs in the Manchester area at the time were the Allstars and Heroes. In the 1990s all of the Manchester sides folded and the city was without a Football team until 2003 when the Titans were born.
The formation of the club was inspired by the film "Remember the Titans", the club were founded by local players who until then had been travelling out of the City to play for other teams. The Titans were soon handed BAFA status and entered the year playing at Broughton Park F.C. Rugby Union Club, Manchester and finished with a 1-8-1 record before disbanding in 2004. The following year the club re-entered the league after being restructured with new coaching staff and players. They finished the season winning 5 games and losing. In 2007 they moved grounds and began playing their fixtures at Broughton Park RUFC. During this season they also advanced to the play-offs after a 7-2-1 record where they defeated the Nottingham Caesars only to be knocked out by the Dundee Hurricanes in the semi-final.
In the 2009 season, The Titans won all 10 of their regular season games but were defeated in the first round play-off game against the Leicester Falcons. The following season saw the form continue and yet again they wiped the floor with the competition by winning all of their games on the route to the play-offs. This time they swiftly dispatched the West Coast Trojans and Shropshire Revolution to book their place in the National Final at the Britbowl. However they were defeated 35-13 by the London Olympians.
The 2011 season was to be difficult as a large amount of players departed which saw the team swap a 100% winning record for a 100% losing record, and due to controversial restructuring of the leagues the Titans were relegated in 2012. In October 2014, the club played its first game inside the Salford City Stadium, where they notched up a 64-0 win over the Crewe Railroaders in front of a crowd of 1,349.[1]
Home Stadium
The club have previously operated from the AJ Bell Stadium in Salford but from 2017 they will play at the Belle Vue Stadium.
References
- ↑ [http://www.manchestertitans.co.uk/club/history> "History - The Club - Manchester Titans American Football Club"]. Manchester Titans American Football Club.