Dundee Hurricanes
Encyclopedia
The Dundee Hurricanes are an American football
team based in Dundee
, Scotland
. They are members of Division 1 North of the BAFA Community Leagues
(BAFACL) after winning promotion through the 2007 BAFL Division 2 playoffs. Since joining the league in 2003, the Hurricanes have qualified for the playoffs in four out of their five seasons and won two conference championships.
team known as the Dundee Storm was created after its dissolution. They quickly progressed into 9-on-9 youth kitted football and met with great success, winning four consecutive 9-on-9 Scottish Youth Flag Football championships, 1 Scottish Youth Kitted Championship and reaching the semi-finals of the British Youth championship.
Following these years of success many of the youth players became old enough to play senior football, and so the Dundee Hurricanes were formed in 2002. They immediately applied to enter the BAFL and were admitted into Division 2 North for the 2003 season. They met with initial success, recording consecutive shutout
s in their first two matches against the Tees Valley Cougars and Edinburgh Wolves
. After that their form was less consistent but they still finished an impressive fourth out of eleven teams in their debut season, recording a 6-4 record.
The club went on to build on that success during 2004, starting off in the best possible way by recording another shutout in their first match away to East Midland Saxons
. They lost just twice during the regular season as they finished clear winners of the Scottish Conference. Their good form continued as they beat the Merseyside Nighthawks in their first playoff match, but they were eventually beaten in the semi-final by a single point by the eventual divisional champions Doncaster Mustangs
.
In contrast to the previous year, the 2005 season was an inconsistent one. The team began badly, losing their first three games, but that bad start was followed up by five consecutive wins. They eventually finished with a 5-5 record, which was good enough to clinch second place in the Scottish Conference and ensure they qualified for the playoffs again. Unfortunately, they failed to register any points in their quarter-final, going down 0–35 to the Coventry Jets.
2006 was a fairly mediocre one for the Hurricanes as they finished with a 3-4 record. However, there were two positives that team were able to take - during their seven games, the team only conceded 38 points, and by virtue of there only being three teams in their conference, they finished second and therefore qualified for the playoffs again. Unfortunately, just as in the previous year they fell at the quarter-final stage again without scoring a single point, losing 0–6 to the Redditch Arrows.
The Hurricanes finally enjoyed real success in the 2007 season. As part of the divisional reshuffled, the Scottish and Northern conferences were combined into a single six-team conference. After recording a number of heavy wins and finishing with nine wins and just a single defeat, they finished clear winners of their group and so gained a home draw in the playoffs. They made that home advantage count, first defeating East Midland Saxons
in the quarter-finals, then thrashing the Manchester Titans in the semi-final to book a place at the divisional final against the Norwich Devils
, a team who had gone through the entire season unbeaten and were strongly fancied to win. In a match played at the Don Valley Stadium
in Sheffield
and broadcast on Five, their opponents scored early and raced into a 20–0 lead at half-time. Despite a second half fightback, the Hurricanes were unable to overturn this deficit. Even though they lost the final, they were still celebrating promotion for the first time in their history.
district of the city. The park was recently improved as part of a £140,000 renovation carried out by the city council, which included the installation of an all-weather pitch
.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
team based in Dundee
Dundee
Dundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and the 39th most populous settlement in the United Kingdom. It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. They are members of Division 1 North of the BAFA Community Leagues
BAFA Community Leagues
The BAFA National Leagues are the primary American football competition in England, Scotland and Wales. They were formed by the British American Football Association in 2010 to coordinate contact football and flag football across all age ranges...
(BAFACL) after winning promotion through the 2007 BAFL Division 2 playoffs. Since joining the league in 2003, the Hurricanes have qualified for the playoffs in four out of their five seasons and won two conference championships.
History
American football in Dundee dates back to the 1980s with the founding of the amateur team, the Dundee Whalers. Later a youth flag footballFlag football
Flag football is a version of Canadian football or American football that is popular worldwide. The basic rules of the game are similar to those of the mainstream game , but instead of tackling players to the ground, the defensive team must remove a flag or flag belt from the ball carrier to end...
team known as the Dundee Storm was created after its dissolution. They quickly progressed into 9-on-9 youth kitted football and met with great success, winning four consecutive 9-on-9 Scottish Youth Flag Football championships, 1 Scottish Youth Kitted Championship and reaching the semi-finals of the British Youth championship.
Following these years of success many of the youth players became old enough to play senior football, and so the Dundee Hurricanes were formed in 2002. They immediately applied to enter the BAFL and were admitted into Division 2 North for the 2003 season. They met with initial success, recording consecutive shutout
Shutout
In team sports, a shutout refers to a game in which one team prevents the opposing team from scoring. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball....
s in their first two matches against the Tees Valley Cougars and Edinburgh Wolves
Edinburgh Wolves
The Edinburgh Wolves are a Scottish American football team based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Their home ground is Meadowbank Stadium. They play in Division Two North of the BAFA Community Leagues .-History:...
. After that their form was less consistent but they still finished an impressive fourth out of eleven teams in their debut season, recording a 6-4 record.
The club went on to build on that success during 2004, starting off in the best possible way by recording another shutout in their first match away to East Midland Saxons
Peterborough Saxons
The Peterborough Saxons are an American football team competing in Division 1 South East of the BAFA Community Leagues , with their home games played at Stanground College in Peterborough. The senior team was first formed in 2001 and entered senior competition the following year...
. They lost just twice during the regular season as they finished clear winners of the Scottish Conference. Their good form continued as they beat the Merseyside Nighthawks in their first playoff match, but they were eventually beaten in the semi-final by a single point by the eventual divisional champions Doncaster Mustangs
South Yorkshire Mustangs (American football)
The Doncaster Mustangs are an American football team representing Doncaster, England. They currently play their home matches at the athletics stadium next to The Keepmoat Stadium, the home of Doncaster Rovers...
.
In contrast to the previous year, the 2005 season was an inconsistent one. The team began badly, losing their first three games, but that bad start was followed up by five consecutive wins. They eventually finished with a 5-5 record, which was good enough to clinch second place in the Scottish Conference and ensure they qualified for the playoffs again. Unfortunately, they failed to register any points in their quarter-final, going down 0–35 to the Coventry Jets.
2006 was a fairly mediocre one for the Hurricanes as they finished with a 3-4 record. However, there were two positives that team were able to take - during their seven games, the team only conceded 38 points, and by virtue of there only being three teams in their conference, they finished second and therefore qualified for the playoffs again. Unfortunately, just as in the previous year they fell at the quarter-final stage again without scoring a single point, losing 0–6 to the Redditch Arrows.
The Hurricanes finally enjoyed real success in the 2007 season. As part of the divisional reshuffled, the Scottish and Northern conferences were combined into a single six-team conference. After recording a number of heavy wins and finishing with nine wins and just a single defeat, they finished clear winners of their group and so gained a home draw in the playoffs. They made that home advantage count, first defeating East Midland Saxons
Peterborough Saxons
The Peterborough Saxons are an American football team competing in Division 1 South East of the BAFA Community Leagues , with their home games played at Stanground College in Peterborough. The senior team was first formed in 2001 and entered senior competition the following year...
in the quarter-finals, then thrashing the Manchester Titans in the semi-final to book a place at the divisional final against the Norwich Devils
Norwich Devils
The Norwich Devils are a British American Football team based in Norwich, Norfolk.-Overview:The Devils currently field a senior team in Division 2 East of the BAFA Community Leagues...
, a team who had gone through the entire season unbeaten and were strongly fancied to win. In a match played at the Don Valley Stadium
Don Valley Stadium
The Don Valley Stadium is a stadium in Sheffield, England and is the home of Rotherham United F.C.. The stadium is an athletics stadium which has hosted major UK Athletic events and the 1991 World Student Games. Sheffield Eagles RLFC and Parramore Sports FC also use the stadium. It was designed by...
in Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
and broadcast on Five, their opponents scored early and raced into a 20–0 lead at half-time. Despite a second half fightback, the Hurricanes were unable to overturn this deficit. Even though they lost the final, they were still celebrating promotion for the first time in their history.
Season records
| Season | Division | Wins | Losses | Ties Tie (draw) To tie or draw is to finish a competition with identical or inconclusive results. The word "tie" is usually used in North America for sports such as American football. "Draw" is usually used in the United Kingdom, Ireland and the Commonwealth of Nations and it is usually used for sports such as... |
PF | PA | Final Position | Playoff Playoff The playoffs, postseason, or finals of a sports league are a game or series of games played after the regular season by the top competitors, usually but not always with a single-elimination system, to determine the league champion or a similar accolade.In the U.S... Record |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | BAFL Division 2 North | 6 | 4 | 0 | 258 | 128 | 4 / 11 | – | – |
| 2004 | BAFL Division 2 North | 6 | 2 | 1 | 243 | 81 | 1 / 3 | Beat Merseyside Nighthawks 71–0 in quarter-final. Lost 12–13 to Doncaster Mustangs South Yorkshire Mustangs (American football) The Doncaster Mustangs are an American football team representing Doncaster, England. They currently play their home matches at the athletics stadium next to The Keepmoat Stadium, the home of Doncaster Rovers... in semi-final. |
– |
| 2005 | BAFL Division 2 Scottish | 5 | 5 | 0 | 152 | 178 | 2 / 4 | Lost 0–35 to Coventry Jets in quarter-final. | – |
| 2006 | BAFL Division 2 Scottish | 3 | 4 | 0 | 170 | 38 | 2 / 3 | Lost 0–6 to Redditch Arrows in quarter-final. | – |
| 2007 | BAFL Division 2 North | 9 | 1 | 0 | 296 | 117 | 1 / 6 | Beat East Midland Saxons Peterborough Saxons The Peterborough Saxons are an American football team competing in Division 1 South East of the BAFA Community Leagues , with their home games played at Stanground College in Peterborough. The senior team was first formed in 2001 and entered senior competition the following year... 14–8 in quarter-final. Beat Manchester Titans 50–12 in semi-final. Lost 12–26 to Norwich Devils Norwich Devils The Norwich Devils are a British American Football team based in Norwich, Norfolk.-Overview:The Devils currently field a senior team in Division 2 East of the BAFA Community Leagues... in final. |
Promoted to Division 1 North |
| 2008 | BAFL Division 1 North | 5 | 2 | 3 | 227 | 91 | 3 / 6 | — | — |
| 2009 | BAFL Division 1 North | 2 | 6 | 1 | 133 | 209 | 5 / 7 | — | — |
Ground
The Hurricanes play their home matches at Dawson Park, located in the Broughty FerryBroughty Ferry
Broughty Ferry is a suburb on the eastern side of the City of Dundee, on the shore of the Firth of Tay in eastern Scotland...
district of the city. The park was recently improved as part of a £140,000 renovation carried out by the city council, which included the installation of an all-weather pitch
Artificial turf
Artificial turf is a surface manufactured from synthetic fibers made to look like natural grass. It is most often used in arenas for sports that were originally or are normally played on grass. However, it is now being used on residential lawns and commercial applications as well...
.
Current roster
| Dundee Hurricanes 2010 Roster | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Quarterbacks
Running Backs
Wide Receivers
Tight Ends
|
Offensive Linemen
Defensive Linemen
|
Linebackers
Defensive Backs
Special Teams
|
Reserve Lists
|
|||