Vipers aiming to put gridiron on the map

The Black Country Academy of American Football, which is based at Ellowes Hall Sports College in Dudley.

They have launched youth and junior sides ahead of joining the British American Football League next year.

The teams are aimed at youngsters aged 14 to 16, and then up to 19, with around 40 aspiring American footballers already taking part in training, twice a week.

Stuart Potts-Perkins, chief executive officer of the academy, has been involved with the sport in this country for three decades and explained the need for the Black Country Vipers.

He said: "The two people involved in the coaching at the start were me and (director of coaching) Steve Hannington.

"We have both been involved with American football in this country for the past 30 years and one thing the game has always suffered from in this country is that everything is senior focused.

"When I first got involved in 1986, it was a boom period but just before the 2000s, around 1999, the interest had really cooled off and there were hardly any teams left.

"We thought we needed to start it at a younger age, to get them involved and to try and get the sport to where it should be.

"We wanted a team for those aged 14 to 16 and then up to 19 as well."

Being based at Ellowes Hall, the aim of the academy is to cement American football at the heart of the sporting curriculum in the Black Country.

It also offers teenagers a community team to be part of. Potts-Perkins said: "We are based at Ellowes Hall.

"Their headmaster is a fan of what we are doing so we want to get it into schools, in PE lessons.

"Get our coaches into schools, roll it out into the curriculum and with the Black Country Vipers, give them a community-based team to play for.

"It's all about progression for the youngsters, giving them a platform."

The academy is looking to cater for all ability levels, and even for those who may not wish to continue playing when they reach senior level.

The Vipers youth and junior sides will play the contact sport but flag football, which is a variation of the game and similar to tag rugby, is to be provided in the future for children as young as seven.

Potts-Perkins is also aiming to double the number of coaches at the academy in the next 12 months.

He said: "Even if they don't wish to play when they are a senior, there are opportunities to go into coaching, doing the flag course.

"We train twice a week, on Wednesdays from 7.30pm until 9pm and then on Sundays from 10.30am until 12.30pm.

"Of course, that is during the summer months and over the winter we just train on the Sunday mornings.

"We have got the two sides at the moment and we will enter the league next year.

"There are about 40 players at the moment, all aged 14 to 19, but in the long-term we're aiming to extend the age range from seven to 19.

"We have got six or seven coaches at the moment, but we are looking to double that.

"We want at least 12 coaches here by this time next year but the thing is, there are not many coaches in the country."

While American football may not be the most popular of sports in the UK, the annual Super Bowl is an unmissable event for many.

The glamour and money which surround the NFL are an attraction for many youngsters on these shores.

And Potts-Perkins would love to help someone achieve their dream by making it across the Atlantic.

He added: "I am sure there are kids who have seen American football on TV and want to play, but are not sure how to get involved.

"We welcome everybody, come down and give it a try because you don't know until you try it.

"We try and make it a real family atmosphere as well, we get the parents involved and there's a feel-good factor around the place.

"We have got the plans to move forward with it long-term, talking 10 to 15 years down the road.

"We want to be established as one of the prominent academies in the country. I know some players from the academy in Bristol have gone over to play in America.

"I would like to be involved with that, seeing somebody achieve their dreams and reach the NFL."