**Hear what Adult Head Coach Ju****nior Hayden had to say about the Adult team’s 2024 season…**
A Year of Resilience and Growth
As the 2024 American football season came to a close, our team finished with a 4- 4 record, narrowly missing the playoffs. While it may seem like an average season on paper, this year was anything but ordinary. What began as a season plagued by adversity ended as a story of resilience, growth, and promise for the future. At the start of the season, challenges loomed large. With a limited roster and a coaching staff stretched thin, however, with the end of the university season and a number of key players joining from the Squadron, the team quickly gathered pace and went into the first game of the season with some optimism.
The first game of the season was against division favourites, the East Kent Mavericks. Even with a loss, we showed that we could compete with the best teams in our division, we just needed time to develop and progress.
Despite the rough start of the year with preseason and the loss in the first game, something changed around the team, we had belief. The buy-in from players and coaches was evident as the season progressed. Our small group of coaches, worked tirelessly to adjust game plans. New leaders emerged on both sides of the ball, and the team began to find its rhythm. The team put in dominant performances against London Blitz B and Norwich Devils.
After evening our record at 3-3, the team entered the final stretch of the season with playoff hopes alive. They split their last two games, finishing with a hardfought 4-4 record. However, due to tiebreakers and other results around the league, the playoffs remained just out of reach. While missing the postseason was heartbreaking, this team showed they have the talent, grit, and determination to succeed. More importantly, they laid a foundation for a bright future.
The 2024 season may not have ended with a playoff berth, but it ended with something even more valuable—hope. The young core of players who stepped up during difficult times will only continue to develop, and with the right offseason moves, bolstered by incoming recruits and returning coaches, this team is poised for a major breakthrough next season. With the lessons learned from a season of perseverance, there’s no doubt this team has what it takes to compete at the highest level moving forward. The journey may not have been easy, but it’s clear that the future is bright for this group.