Players and coaching staff at an American Football Club in Belfast have reached the end zone to secure six hundred pounds in support from Energia Group through its ‘Helping Hands’ initiative.
Currently playing in American Football Ireland’s (AFI) Division One, the funding has been used to purchase new training equipment to help players of all ages develop and hone their on-field skills.
American Football is currently one of the fastest-growing sports in Northern Ireland, with the rise in popularity fuelled by increased coverage of the National Football League (NFL) and Superbowl.
And last summer, the Jacksonville Jaguars visited the capital city as part of a UK-wide promotional tour, with star players Josh Allen, Jamal Agnew and Devin Lloyd making the trip over from the US.
Established in 2015, the NI Razorbacks is one of several amateur American football squads that play locally, with its squad made up of players who travel from across the region to pull on its top.
Energia Group employees Kevin Montague and Richard Higgins play for the NI Razorbacks and in a bid to improve the team’s training and match performances, they applied to Helping Hands.
‘’Helping hands has helped both myself and the rest of the NI Razorbacks members continue to improve our game,” said Kevin. “American football is a sport that has been played in Ireland for the past few decades – but it is only within the past decade it has really started to ramp up.
“I have no doubt we are currently paving the way for younger generations to participate in this amazing sport and Energia Group has now also played an important role,” continued Kevin.
Gareth Millar – the NI Razorbacks’ Head Coach – added: ‘’We are so thankful to Energia Group for their Helping Hands scheme, with the funding being used to help players progress in this sport.”
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