England Tri-Nations

This Saturday - 24th March - The England flag football team will be taking part in a Tri-Nations tournament with a team from Ireland and the USA. The event takes place in Billingshurst and starts at 3.00pm, ends at 5.30pm. Both Neil and Pete will be competing.I will be going to film the games for the England team, does anyone else fancy going to watch? According to Multimap, it only takes 33 minutes to get there, so not too far away. The venue is the Weald Recreation Centre, Station Rd, Billingshurst RH14 9RY. The ground is hereLet me know here if you want a lift or will drive up yourself. Once i know if anyone else is going, I'll arrange a meeting place.
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New Year – New Name

A couple of seasons ago, when the team started to grow, we formed a 2nd team of rookies. We dubbed them the Thespians in 'honour' of our town's theatrical heritage (and no Billy, a Thespian is not a baby Shark). It was done in a jokey manner and is hardly a manly, fear-inducing moniker.Over the past year or so, our approach and attitude has changed. Last year the team developed some bite and began challenging the first teams of our rivals.With the drawing up of the new rosters and a new season nearly upon us, its time to give this team a new name.It has been suggested that as we are all Sharks (and wear the shirts to prove it!), it might be a good idea to keep the new…
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Team Rosters

The team rosters for 2007 were announced today at training. They are:Sharks A -Neil HendersonGary RobinsonPete SteelBen PulleybankAndy IfouldAshley GrantJames LambertShaun ParkerSharks B - Thierry SteinBilly BromleyEwan SutherlandMichael SutherlandRob LoveLuke NashToby ChopraSteven RobinsonGarfieldThere are a number of other players who yet to be assigned due to injury or absence.Well done to both Shaun and Lambo for their promotion to the first squad. They have demonstrated their ability, team play and positive attitude throughout 2006 and the beginning of this year, earning themselves a roster spot in the first team.Roster spots on both teams need to be earned and there will be a number of opportunities throughout the year for players to prove themselves and potentially change teams.It's worth noting that both Shaun and Lambo earned their first team place not…
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Training Next Week

Training on Sunday will be held on the playing fields at New Park in Chichester - the same place as last weekend for those who attended.To avoid any conflict with the sunday league soccer, we have decided to move the start time forward to10 amPlease do not be late, we're having good training sessions at the moment and their is plenty for us to do.Also, the team line ups will be announced this Sunday - so please make sure you attend.p.s. Sean and I have discussed this matter and should anyone mention the Superbowl result you'll get double laps
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Sunday Training

It would appear that our 'landlords' are not happy with us.We have been asked by the college to keep off the grass or face 'removal' by security. This is obviously annoying as we've been there for quite some time - and had permission to do so. Until now.So, this week we're going to train at Oaklands Park in Chichester - next to the Festival Theatre. The only problem is that the Festival car is likely to be in use for the Chichester 10K race.Therefore, lets all meet at 10.20am at our usual car park, pick up those that walk/get the train/bus and drive over to Oaklands and find somewhere to park.If anyone has suggestions to a location - preferably in Chichester - where we can train on a regular basis…
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Drills Times by Player

Here are the times for each player recorded on 28th January 2007.This is a good first showing from everyone, but with plenty of room to improve I'm sure. The next session will be held in 6-8 weeks time. So plenty of time to work on the speed and quickness.
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The Fastest Shark Known To Man

Thank you to Sean and Julian for organising the first Sharks Combine yesterday. It was good fun (if a little tiring) and nice to be able to compare ourselves to the numbers you see for the guys in the NFL. Suffice to say, I won't be able to chase down Reggie Bush either...Aside from the fun side of it, its going to useful to the coaches and team selectors in considerations for the teams this year. We're looking to put out two competitive teams this year and activities like this can only help us all get better.We'll run the tests on a frequent basis and I'll record the results on the site. Your competition is not with your teammates, but with yourself. Each time you run the 40 you're racing…
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NFL Regular Season Game in London 2007

Just in case you haven't heard, London has been awarded a regular season match up between two NFL teams during the 2007.The game is likely to be played at the new Wembley and early rumours suggest it could be the New York Giants vs Miami Dolphins.Here is the new website for the game.An announcement about the teams and how to get tickets should be made within the next few weeks.There has been some discussion about players from the Sharks getting together and heading to London to watch the game. If you're interested in principle let me know here or at training and I'll see if there is a way for us to get tickets.As a precaution, I would recommend you register with NFLUK.com - the NFL's british site - as…
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2006 Final Standings

Here are the final standings of the 2006 ESFL season:The top four teams qualified for the Final Four tournament, which saw the London Liberty victorious over the Barbarians for the League title.Chichester shared 3rd place honours with the Leicester Eagles.The Thespians had a good year, able to field a team for 4 tournaments and providing a strong finish, which shows promise for next year.
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Pete Steel in ESFL Hall of Fame

Yesterday, Pete Steel was inducted into the 2006 ESFL Hall of Fame class.Pete received 33% of the votes cast. Ty Metcalfe of Team Voodoo also received 33% of the vote and joins Pete as this year's inductees into the Hall of Fame.The Hall of Fame recognises players, coaches and team officials who have contributed significantly to the ESFL and flag football in the UK. Nominations are provided by ESFL players at the end of each season, followed by player voting on the shortlisted nominees.Pete is the 2nd Chichester player to be awarded the distinction, joining former Sharks QB Nick Watson (2005) in the Hall.Others receiving votes:Alan O'Sullivan (26%), Richard Cleveland (2%), Justin Handley (2%) and Dayle Kirby (2%)
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