Belfast Trojans

The Belfast Trojans are an American Football team formed in 2006, and have competed in the AFI since 2007.^[1] The Belfast Trojans are among the most successful American Football teams in Ireland, having won the Shamrock Bowl five times.^[2]

The team currently train and play their home matches at Belfast Harlequins Rugby Club located at Deramore Park.^[2] The Belfast Trojans are the only Irish team to have a dedicated American Football field at their facility.

Formed in 2006 by players who split from the now defunct Belfast Bulls,^[3] the Trojans joined the IAFL in 2007.^[2][3]

Playing their games at Malone RFC, the fledgling Trojans ended their rookie year in the IAFL with a 3–3–2 record.

The Trojans second year began with a rough start. The Trojans started with back-to-back losses against the Dublin Rebels and UL Vikings, seeing the Belfast side going 0–2 at the start of the season. However, performance improved with their third game against the Belfast Bulls and the rest of the season remained successful as they battled for their first Northern Division Title. The division win set up a semi-final playoff against UL Vikings that seen a 52–8 defeat and the Trojans knocked out.

Playoffs

Devastated by the semi-final loss, the Trojans ranks withered and the 2009 season would prove to be a struggle. The IAFL was restructured into a single league after the dissolution of the Belfast Bulls and the remaining Belfast side suffered too, slumping to a 2–6 losing season, their worst since their formation.

The Trojans fourth season saw the dark times continue. The squad was depleted and ravaged by injury. The Trojans limped through 2009 ending with a 3–5 record, making it two consecutive losing seasons.

A proactive recruitment drive bolstered the Trojans squad with not only their largest roster to date. The dark days of 2010 gave way to brighter times as the Trojans recovered, finishing the season 6–2 and narrowly missing out on winning the Northern Division away from bitter rivals the Carrickfergus Knights. The playoffs would prove a bridge too far though, with the Trojans losing a wildcard playoff to the Craigavon Cowboys.

Playoffs

Buoyed by the progression in 2011, the Trojans again worked hard at recruiting, numbers again swelled and the Trojans could for the first time boast the largest playing squad in Ireland. Improvements to the playbook saw the Trojans approach the season with confidence. The Trojans topped the Northern Division for the first time since 2008, doing so unbeaten.

Shamrock Bowl Playoffs

The first team played a home semi-final against the 2011 Champions the Dublin Rebels proved to be a cagey affair in the first half, but the third quarter saw the Trojans come out ahead and set up a high scoring finale, winning 66–38.

Shamrock Bowl XXVI

For the first time in the competition's history, two unbeaten teams contested the Shamrock Bowl. Both the Trojans and the UL Vikings had dominated their respective divisions and had won their semi-finals in high-scoring style. The showpiece game in Irish American Football would once again return to Tallaght Stadium. The Trojans managed to edge in the first two-quarters before finally securing the 16–14 win with a field goal in the final two minutes.^[2]

DV8's League

For the first time in their history the Trojans had a squad so large that it became necessary to enter the IAFL's DV8's development league to ensure playing time for all their players. Typifying the resolve shown by the Belfast outfit in 2012 the Trojans DV8's went 4–0, capping off another unbeaten season.

The Trojans added experience to their ranks in the off-season after their first championship. Conor Leckey from the Carrickfergus Knights and Fu Faapito, Chris Bondi and Gary Carr from the Craigavon Cowboys, joined the team and brought experience of playing in the United States. Additionally, the Trojans brought in Veteran defensive lineman Marty Devlin from the Craigavon Cowboys, Callum Leckey from the Carrickfergus Knights along with Mohamed Ramadan who joined with BAFL experience. This emboldened lineup saw the Trojans begin their title defence with their strongest squad ever.

The Trojans carried on into 2013 as they had done in 2012. Going unbeaten in the league once more.

EFAF Atlantic Cup 2013

As Irish Champions, the Belfast Trojans were entered into the European Federation of American Football's Atlantic Cup, an annual competition contested by the smaller European federations, such as Ireland, Netherlands, Belgium & Luxembourg. The two-day tournament at Tallaght stadium was hosted as part of The Gathering event. With Luxembourg unable to send a representative, Trinity College were added to the tournament. The tournament saw Belgian champions, The Brussels Tigers, and Dutch representatives, Amersfoort Untouchables, travel to Dublin for the weekend of 29–30 June. The Trojans would play the Untouchables in the first game of the Tournament, coming out on top in a physical encounter that saw two Trojans in need of Hospital treatment. In the end the Irish champs prevailed, and with Trinity College narrowly seeing off the Brussels Tigers, there both Irish teams would face each other in the final. In what proved to be another physical affair, the Trojans defeated Trinity 26–0 to clinch their first ever European crown.

Shamrock Bowl Playoffs

Returning to domestic tournaments, an injury-hit Trojans faced the UL Vikings in the semi-final playoff, A re-run of the final in 2012. The game remained scoreless into the fourth quarter, but as the clock ran down the Trojans found a scoring touch and sealed the win that would send them to their second Shamrock Bowl.

Shamrock Bowl XXVII

The Trojans contested Shamrock Bowl XXVII against the Dublin Rebels, seven times winners of the trophy and most decorated team in Irish American Football history. Playing once more at Tallaght Stadium, the Trojans swept the Rebels aside, securing a 48–18 victory despite a late rally by the Rebels. The Trojans were back to back champions.

The departure of Head Coach Drew Mikhael coupled with an inevitable sense of complacency saw the Trojans struggle to hit the high gears in the early stages of the season. Despite an early victory over the Craigavon Cowboys, the 26-game unbeaten streak came to an abrupt end with a 18–0 defeat to Trinity College. Shortly afterwards, Mark McGrath was installed as interim head coach. The Trojans bounced back and went on to win their remaining three league matches, with an astounding 50–0 victory over the Carrickfergus Knights at the 4th of July Friday Night Lights game.

Shamrock Bowl Playoffs

For the second consecutive year the Trojans would travel to Garda RFC in Dublin to face the UL Vikings. In a typically dogged affair the Trojans struggled to establish their offensive play and were held in the game by the defence. Eventually the Trojans offence rallied and the Trojans knocked the Vikings out at the playoff stage once again to reach their third Shamrock Bowl in three years.

Shamrock Bowl XXVIII

The Trojans opposition in the Shamrock Bowl would be Trinity College Dublin, the only team to have beaten them in the previous three years. The Trojans were classed as underdogs for the first time since 2012 due to Trinity's victory over the champions earlier in the season. Intense rain during the first half of the game forced a cessation for thirty minutes. Trojan linebacker, Connor Whitla, scored the only touchdown of the game. The Trojans had completed the "Threepeat" and could now take their place at the top table of Irish American Football.

EFAF Atlantic Cup 2014

Due to concerns about the ability of the club, the Belfast Trojans chose not to compete in the 2014 Atlantic Cup. The Dublin Rebels travelled to Belgium to represent Ireland with three Belfast Trojans players Neil Graham, Neil Montgomery and Stuart Leckey joining their squad for the tournament. Despite defeat to the eventual winners, Brussels Tigers, on the first day, the Rebels rallied to clinch third place with Belfast Trojan Neil Graham being named player of the tournament.

Delighted with the turn around in fortunes since the league defeat in 2014, the Trojans confirmed Mark McGrath as the permanent head coach. Within the Trojan camp the focus was placed on increasing competition both on the pitch and on the training field, with that in mind the Trojans secured a high-profile friendly match against the East Kilbride Pirates, one of the elite teams in BAFA. The Trojans made the trip to Glasgow on 11 April and held the Pirates close until the final minutes, narrowly missing the chance to level the game before the Pirates would go on to score a crucial touchdown after the two-minute warning, defeating the Trojans 24–14.

Domestically the Trojans continued their dominance. Eight league fixtures yielded eight wins and a fourth consecutive SBC Northern Division crown.

Shamrock Bowl Playoffs

For the first time SBC teams were allowed to apply to host the semi-final double header and the Trojans were granted the right to host the event. On a rain sodden day in Belfast, watched by hundreds of spectators, the Trojans once again faced the UL Vikings and typically of contests between these two teams it was a close affair with the Trojans coming out narrowly on top, notably Trojans top scorer WR David Richardson was ejected from the game and was duly suspended for the next two top flight games. A fourth Shamrock Bowl appearance was secured.

Shamrock Bowl XXIX

With Trinity College defeating the Dublin Rebels in the other playoff Shamrock Bowl XXIX would be a repeat of the previous years bowl. Trinity were a constant threat but the Trojans would rally and go on to win the game 28–14. The Trojans became only the second team to win four consecutive Shamrock Bowls in the modern era.

IAFL2

For the first time, IAFA allowed SBC teams to enter a second team into their IAFL2 development division. IAFL2 is a league that is in place to allow fledgling teams the opportunity to find their feet before graduating to a higher level of competition. The decision to allow seconds teams to enter was taken to allow the larger teams to develop rookie talent whilst simultaneously providing a higher calibre of competition for the newer teams. The Trojans eagerly accepted the invitation to participate. From the start it was clear that the Trojans 2nds were a class above their opposition even with restrictive rules on the use of veteran players. The predominantly rookie team set the same standards as the SBC team sweeping all before them in emphatic fashion led in the main by the dual threats of Matt Armstrong and Jonathan Siri.

IAFL2 Bowl

The IAFL2 Bowl was played on the second of August 2015 at Navan RFC in a double header with the IAFL1 Bowl. The Trojans faced the South Kildare Soldiers for the third time in 2015 and came out triumphant in a 48–0 blow out.

GFLI Atlantic Cup 2015

Returning from their withdrawal from the competition in 2014, the Trojans made participation in Europe a central part of their plans for 2015. Now under the banner of the GFLI, the Atlantic Cup would take place in Groningen, Netherlands. In the first game of the tournament the Belfast Trojans faced the 2014 Belgian Champions, the Ghent Gators,^[4] defeating the Gators 27–14. The second game of the day saw the hosts, the Groningen Giants, defeat the Luxembourg Steelers, securing a place against the Trojans in the final. On day two of the tournament the Ghent Gators defeated the Luxembourg Steelers to claim 3rd place. The Trojans took to the field wearing their new away uniforms, a throwback to the white shirts of their early days. Despite the two teams seeming evenly balanced in the early stages of the game, the Trojans ultimately pulled away to a healthy lead and despite a late Giants fightback the Irish champions won the game, and with it their second European trophy in three years.^[5]

The Belfast Trojans are sponsored by Dragon Claw Whiskey, MCS Group, The Pizza Co, RunDMG, Amarc Catering & Events, The Botanic Inn, MJ Kane Accountancy, and Strategic Power Projects.

• Belfast Trojans official website