The site has undergone a bit of a face-lift recently, and while we are still dedicated to bringing you the most up to date news, we thought we would make the site a little more welcoming for our audience now too.

The new site has all the information you need from us, from a history and alumni section all the way through to the 2011 schedule. On the right hand panel of our site you can also view all our news by recent post, by category or through our handy search function at the top of the page.

Our facebook page has been increasingly popular this year, so we have even tied that into the site, to make sure you never miss a thing.

www.BirminghamLions.co.uk has also now been optimised for the iPhone and iPod touch. Just log onto the site from your mobile device and you will get all the lions news, in an easy to read format without having to load all of our site graphics.

We hope you enjoy the site and please feel free to contact us from the contact page if we can be any assistance.

The plan is to host a BAFCA Midlands Coaching Forum every 3 months on the first Monday of the month.

Timetable:
September
December
March
June

The first forum will see Birmingham University Lions Head Coach Tony Athersmith talk on Quarterback Reads / Fundamentals

and Loughborough Aces Head Coach / Tamworth Phoenix DC Jason Scott discuss Game Film and Game Planning for Defence.

This will enable some time at the end of the night to gain coaches thoughts on any specific topics they would like to hear about at the future forums. This will enable us to hopefully source specific guest speakers. This will also act as a networking opportunity for all coaches.

We are already planning to utilise the BAFCA DVD Coaches Library at one of the forums as well as linking up through Skype with coaches i the US.

If you have any questions please contact me on whill58@yahoo.com

“It was a real honour to address the team last night and to be representing the Lions and Birmingham University here at the Seahawks” said an excited Coach Cooper. “I’m very grateful to Coach Carroll and his staff for giving me access to camp, letting me sit in on meetings, and ask questions to try and improve myself as a coach and the Lions as a program.”

The Lions and Pete Carroll have shared a bond since then USC head coach conducted a 30 minute video chat prior to the Lions 2009 Championship win over the Newcastle Raiders. Since then Carroll, now the head coach at the Seahawks, has kept upto date with the Lions progress via Twitter and Facebook with supportive messages before and after the Lions second straight championship win, 27-16 over the Loughborough Aces.

“The tempo and intensity of practice is the highest I ever experienced and the it’s inspiring to see the coaches working hard to improve each and every player on the roster – these are the big things I want to bring back to our upcoming season, as well as the Xs and Os and new drills I’ve seen here” said Coach Cooper, clearly looking forward to two more practices before heading home.

The game came a long time after the Lions’ clash against UWE Bullets, but it was the Lions that came out the blocks with a bang.

Herts won the toss and elected to receive, but with their very first play their QB was strip-sacked by Kyle Burrows with the ball collected by Dan Conroy and taken into the endzone for a touchdown. Herts had a little more luck on the next drive but eventually the ball made its was to the Birmingham offence. After making some good yards, some questionable penalty flags were thrown against the Lions’ who found themselves backed up near their own endzone. Then, on third down, Tristan Varney aired the ball out to Ben Brown who hauled in the catch to go the remainder of the pitch (72 yards) for the score. The second quarter didn’t go all Birmingham’s way though; Herts bagged 2 TD’s of their own when some big passes over the top and some strong running gave them momentum. There was still time before the break for Varney to hook up one more time with Ben Brown, this time for a 20-yard completion good for 6. The scores at the break were 21-12.

The second half was somewhat of an anticlimax compared to the first. One really impressive drive from the lions saw Ben Brown bag himself a hat trick of TD’s on the day – but on the whole both teams struggled to consistently move the ball on offence. Birmingham did manage to move the ball somewhat through Andy Watson both at slot receiver and from the backfield and this proved valuable as it kept the lions D off the field so they could catch their breath and make adjustments. By adapting schemes the Lions managed to largely stop Herts’ 1-2 running attack, and when the Herts QB went deep in the second half it resulted in an interception more often than a completion. The second half saw picks come for Kit Lawson, Dan Hampton and Dan Conroy who had a great game making plays on special teams and defence all over the field. With the Lions 4th TD making the score line that bit more comfortable the Lions ran the ball in the final quarter before taking a knee, with the final score of 28-12 to the Lions.

In truth it was a pretty rusty performance from Birmingham, who will have lots to work on this coming week. Most importantly though, it was a win and it sees them through to the BUAFL National Championship game at Northampton (Sixfields stadium) this Sunday 9th May. Even though it’s a busy time of the year all support at the final would be much appreciated. If the Lions can beat Loughborough (in a rematch of xpLosION earlier in the year) then they will become back-to-back national champions – an achievement no Lions team has ever managed before.

United we stand, divided we fall, we shall not be denied.

The Lions have already defeated there Hertfordshire counterparts this year, but Herts will let no-one forget that they’re the only team to beat Birmingham in the last 3 years. This big match is the first game to be played on the new Birmingham 3G on Metchley playing fields, a playing-surface that will guarantee a quick, exciting matchup.

Head down to the 3G at Metchley for a 5pm kickoff on Sunday 2nd April, we will all see you there!

Bar the UWE’s second offensive drive, the Birmingham defense played an exceptional game of football. Few passes were completed by the UWE offense and very few runs achieved any significant yardage. Notable big plays in the back field came from Matt Binks and BB, although the D-line as a whole was resetting the line of scrimmage – allowing the rest of the defense to snuff out the plays. Birmingham’s offense played for 60 minutes and continued to score and drive – giving the Birmingham D well earned rest between series. Second touchdowns came for Matt Loxton, Sope Dirisu and Ben Brown. For the latter of those scores Varney had 7 seconds in the pocket to go through his reads and find the open receiver in the endzone – just rewards for the excellent protection provided all day long by the Lions’ O-line. The game in ended in the most fitting way, with a fumbled snap by the UWE offense falling victim to a scoop ‘n’ score by BB who ran it in for a touchdown – I don’t think anybody could argue anyone else to be any more deserving.

The final score read 61-7 after a great performance on all sides of the ball by the Lions. Herts defeated Solent which sets up another rematch with the Hurricanes for a spot in the final. Both teams have a month to wait as the conference final is to be played on 2nd May. Further details to come of location, we would love your support at what will be a tight game with a spot in the final to follow.

The Lions have been working with a large rookie contingent this year, due to many of the senior team members finishing university. These key leavers include 4-year linebacker and team captain Tim Mobbs and last years Vice president of sport Mark ‘Sparky’ Smith. Tristan Varney had returned this year though, as a second year quarterback, on the back of the BUAFL offensive league MVP trophy.

The first game following xpLosION was at home to Oxford and saw a disjointed performance from the Lions who were still finding their feet; Birmingham eventually won 26-6. The next game was a trip down the M40 to face a physical Reading team. This matchup proved a very one-sided affair, with Birmingham coming out 55-8 victors – building up precious momentum and confidence within the team. The Lions then beat a rookie Worcester team 83-0 to finish the first term at university. Post Christmas Birmingham saw off rivals UWE and Herts 54-18 and 44-12 respectively before putting 62 points on Warwick away from home. The BNU game got called off due to the snow and then got awarded to Birmingham when a date couldn’t be found for the matchup.

The Lions won their first playoff game against Bristol Barracuda on Sunday 14th March – by the margin of 52-6. This leaves three playoff games left to win for a second 12-0 perfect season. The next challenge for the Birmingham Lions is a home fixture against UWE Bullets on Sunday 28th March at 1pm at the Metchely playing fields. Please show up and offer your support.

(article submitted and adapted by the Redbrick)

Birmingham did eventually find their feet though, with a familiar pattern of Varney to Ben Brown in the endzone. Chika Kalu then broke a nice run to the outside to add another score in the first quarter. When the second quarter started up, Birmingham started to make it difficult for themselves, with a string of penalties backing them right up near their own endzone. Cue Varney who stepped up into a great pocket to deliver a pinpoint ball over the Barracuda Defense to Ben Brown who took it 92 yards for the score. Birmingham then scored again before the half, with a nice deep ball to John Zinkus for a 36 yard TD. The Birmingham Defense meanwhile were having a poor day at the office by their own impeccable standards. Not only was there the one big play but Bristol were managing to drive the ball, something which had not really happened all season. Credit to the coaching staff and players though, as second half Birmingham came out and stepped up to the level we are all used to – with Kit Lawson and BB (team captains) giving particularly great individual performances. For the Lions Offense, the second half saw much more of the same, with Andy Watson running in a screen pass, Chika Kalu breaking another one for a 65 yard score, a second for John Zinkus and even one TD for Tristan Varney on the ground – rumbling into the endzone with half the defense hanging off him.

So not a pretty win, but still a convincing 52-6 win to the Birmingham Lions all the same The Lions will host the UWE bullets on Sunday 28th March in essentially the quarterfinal. This matchup is always a fiery encounter, with extra spice added given the occasion. Can the UWE bullets pull off an upset… I’ll leave it up to you to decide!