Back in October 1987, the Echo reported on a new American football team starting up in Dorset named the Weymouth Warlords.
A story featured members of the team; Troy and Chris Green, Paul Rickard, Richard Dawson and cheerleading coach Helen Dawson, who braved wet weather to have a photograph taken on Weymouth Esplanade ahead of their contest against Breckland Bucks.
The Warlords played their friendly match at Weymouth Rugby Club’s then new ground in Monmouth Avenue. The Breckland Bucks brought a squad of 35, whilst the Warlords had a squad of 25.
When they played their first game away to Gosport Vikings the Warlords lost 42–0, but the Vikings’ coach Andy Cap, who was a line-backer with the Green Bay Packers in 1967 when they won the American Superbowl, said he was most impressed with Weymouth’s performance.
The Weymouth Warlords played in the British Gridiron Football League in the late 1980s, and were active in 1987-88.
Little is known about the side after that, with no clear record of when the team was disbanded, but it was most likely in the 1990s.
Before the Warlords, the county had the Dorset Broncos in the 1985 British American Football League, but they finished bottom of their respected division that year.
If you have any memories of the team comment down below.