Merseyside’s largest American Football Organisation are recruiting new players and coaches ahead of the 2021 season.
The Merseyside Nighthawks were founded in 1984 and they are currently playing in the BAFANL Premier North division – The highest level of the sport in this country.
The BAFA recently announced their return to play roadmap which highlights the key stages to enable a safe return for players and coaches alike.
In light of the latest development’s, the Nighthawks decided it was time to recruit more players and staff despite there still being doubts about the season going ahead.
From the Nighthawks official Facebook page, they are currently seeking recruits for the following coaching roles:
- Offensive coordinator
- Quarterback coach
- Wide receiver coach
- Defensive line coach
- Coaching assistants
In terms of players, the Merseyside based team are open to anybody expressing their interest, whether they have experience in the sport or not.
Social media officer Andy Taylor told MerseySportLive how the organisation is adapting to the lockdown restrictions and how Zoom has become an essential tool.
“When it comes to signing people on, we have been completely open and honest.
We have said it will change as regulations change.
We had our first Zoom meeting for Rookies on Sunday.
That has started the ball rolling, so we’re going to have one every Sunday and include some Thursday sessions.
That’s kind of helpful because we can start interacting with recruits without actually meeting them or getting them on the field.”
Taylor said he would expect the season to start two months later than usual in July and he outlines how this will affect the Nighthawks recruitment process.
“We need to be more flexible with our deadlines.
In a normal year, we would say that you need to be signed on by the end of your third practise with us.
This year, we don’t know when we’ll be on the field so that will need to be a moving deadline.”
The Social media officer said there have been over one hundred people interested so far and he explained to us how the Nighthawks teach new recruits the basics of a niche sport in the UK.
‘We could get you to a point where you understand the basics of your position.
We don’t expect you to know everything about everything within their first few years to be honest.
We reckon we could get you up to speed in four to six weeks.
One thing that we don’t know is that if virtual teaching works.
If it does work, we will absolutely adopt it going forward.’
A start date for the season is yet to be confirmed, but an official announcement is expected from the league in the coming months.
In order to register your interest with the Merseyside Nighthawks you can visit their official website at www.merseysidenighthawks.co.uk or alternatively visit their Facebook page.
