LONDON – Prior to the Broncos’ game against the Jaguars at Wembley Stadium in London, they supported another group of Broncos: the Bury Broncos of Bury C of E Primary School, a team that plays in Britain’s NFL FLAG Football League.
On Wednesday morning, Pro Football Hall of Famer Steve Atwater, Miles the Mascot and the Denver Broncos Cheerleaders ventured out into the English countryside to surprise the Bury Broncos at their scrimmage. Miles and the cheerleaders performed warm-ups while Atwater coached the team during scrimmage and even worked out some plays.
“We’re so, so proud of you guys,” Atwater said at the start of the event. ‘Keep it up; We will have lots of fun.”
After a fun-filled afternoon showing off their football skills, the players received autographs from Miles and the cheerleaders while Atwater presented the team with brand new flag football gear for the upcoming season.
Whilst NFL FLAG is relatively new in the UK, it is growing rapidly. Afia Law, Head of Community and Grassroots Development at NFL FLAG UK, noted the game has spread to districts across the UK, with multiple divisions participating.
“We’ve had NFL FLAG in the UK for five years now,” Law said during the event. “We are in 26 regions in the UK which means we play NFL FLAG in 26 different parts of the country. This mainly affects primary schools, ie grades 5 and 6, and last year we tested our secondary programme. … We also tested our all-girls program; so we’re a mixed sport – we have as many girls as boys playing – but we also have a girls path specifically for girls if they want to play too.
The Bury Broncos are one of the top NFL FLAG teams in their region, having represented their district at the NFL FLAG UK National Championship earlier this year. Bury C of E Primary School games organizer Doug Finlayson noted that flag football is popular across the Huntingdonshire district and more children are taking part every year.
“In our area alone, Huntingdonshire, a small county in Cambridgeshire, more and more schools are getting involved every year,” Finlayson said. “It’s only going to grow. The good thing is it’s a growing sport so the appetite is there.”
By representing the Broncos in NFL FLAG, Law said the players have become big fans of the NFL and the Broncos in particular. Although the NFL is based in the United States, the NFL International Series allows children to interact with the team in their own country.
“It’s really special for the kids,” Law said. “Where we are today is a huge Broncos school, they’ve really invested in the Broncos. You love this team. So it’s so nice of them to have that point of contact, rather than the team being all in America, she can actually get in touch with the team when the games are here – watch it live or on TV and meet then some of the alumni players, cheerleaders [and] Mascot.”
Finlayson added that an afternoon with the Broncos could serve as inspiration for the team for years to come.
“We’re fortunate to be able to represent the Broncos,” Finlayson said. “And that’s going to inspire her even more — the fact that there’s Steve Atwater, cheerleaders, mascots, etc. They’re going to absolutely love it and hopefully they’ll get some inspiration because we haven’t launched our NFL FLAG [season] this year.”
When Denver take the field at Wembley Stadium on Sunday, they’ll be cheered on by a whole squad of young Broncos from Britain.
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