Destroyers promote American football in the UK

After winning the BUAFL championship, it would be insane to think that the Portsmouth Destroyers would have a ‘quiet’ summer. In fact, the boys and their coach have been very busy in their ‘time off’ to help promote the sport of American Football in the UK.

Shortly after claiming the trophy, the Portsmouth Destroyers were approached by the NFL (pro- American Football League) to take part in a corporate sponsor with Best Buy UK and their partnership with the NFL international series, hosted in London on the 23rd October. Two players from the Destroyers were picked to take part in a photo-shoot and even help out Best Buy with deliveries. Ian Boyton, Sponsorship and Events Manager at Best Buy UK, said “it’s hugely exciting for all of us at Best Buy to be developing this new partnership with the NFL here in the UK.”

As well as getting their name out there through the power of advertising, the team also embraced the power of the internet and released a documentary. Chris Richards, a Southampton graduate and ex- Southampton Stags and Solent Redhawks player, approached Destroyers Head Coach, Russ Hewitt with the idea of creating his own version of HBO’s ‘Hard Knock’ documentaries, which look inside pre-season training camps. Chris went along to the Destroyers’ training for four days and filmed behind the scenes, highlighting the ups and downs of being the best university football team in the country. The end result was released in June 2011 and has since had 50,000 views from all over the globe.

But it wasn’t just the players who were busy keeping the Destroyer’s name fresh through the summer, Head Coach, Russ Hewitt was invited to the House of Commons to help the APPG (All-Party Parliamentary Group) raise awareness of the sport in the UK and get official recognition from the British government. Among those in attendance were also coaches from British teams such as the London Blitz and Exmouth Raptors and representatives of NFL teams the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Chicago Bears. The British American Football Association chairman, Gary Marshall, said “this is a fantastic initiative and for those of us involved in developing the sport here, it is great to know that we now have a voice in Parliament.”

Getting the sport more well-known over here is going to be an on-going challenge, but it seems that the Destroyers are doing more than their fair share to help.

Follow their journey on their Facebook Page. You can watch the team’s documentary at http://vimeo.com/24269307