DCU Saints - now recruiting

jdivision

DCU Saints are to begin training for the forthcoming Irish American football season this coming Sunday, October 22. The team was set up last year and given that almost everybody was a rookie last year it's a good team to join if you're interested in taking up the sport. Seven of our players ended up making the Irish squad during their rookie season and several more would have except for work/injury issues.

The team is the only one based on the northside of Dublin and you do not have to be a student to join the team. We have players who are 5'3 and 10 stone all the way up to 6'4 and 22 stone and from ages 16 to 30+. There's a position for everybody.

Training is at the DCU Sports Grounds at St Clares on the Ballymun Road in Glasnevin. Buses from town that stop outside it (you get off at the petrol station) are the 4, 11, 11a, 13, 13a and 19a (the 19 doesn't).

Training begins at 11 so be there before that to ensure you're ready on time. Training runs until 2 and bring lots of water and football or rugby boots.

The first training sessions will be unkitted and will deal with fitness in the main. Training is not cancelled due to bad weather.

As you'd expect there's a strong social side to the club too, mostly centred around watching games on Sunday nights.

For further details on the Saints or the IAFL, pm me or visit www.dcusaints.com or watch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWqmgUpYaLk

Reganio 2

If anybody is thinking of taking up American Football I would advise you to go training at DCU. I met jdivision on this website and went to the last training session of the last season and the people were very friendly if you didn't know what to do (which most of the time I didn't) they wouldn't shout at you they would help you out and show you what to do and as jdivision says they have a very good time on their social nights some of the stories you hear are great. So get down to DCU and have fun.

tallaghtoutlaws

Same can be said for all the other teams in the league. Friendly coaches who are willing to teach their knowledge. Great bunch of players both on and off the field.

liverpoolkev

How come their was no training was down there at 11.00 till 12.00 and nobody showed up.

jdivision

liverpoolkev wrote:

How come their was no training was down there at 11.00 till 12.00 and nobody showed up.

Everyone was at training in DCU sports grounds, 46 people in total.

godtabh

Would be interested in doing this.

Is 46 players alot for a team or are you looking for more?

SteveTO3

Its really rich of a college with a massive poputlation and a squad of near 50 to look for more people. 48 is more than enough people to make a team. Most teams average in at 35-40 people

There are other teams in Dublin to consider also if interested in playing American football in Ireland.

The dragons in lucan www.dublindragons.com
The rebels not sure whre they will be this forthcoming season - www.dublinrebels.com
and the Tallaght Outlaws - www.tallaghtoutlaws.com

jdivision

People do decide it's not for them you know. We had 46 at training but a bunch of them will decide they don't like it and drop out or a few will stay in flag football and not play kitted. last year at the end of the season we had 21 kitted players for example, we had started with more than 50. Of the 21, around seven aren't available this season.

Anyhow, it's about getting as many people as possible involved in the game. A lot of people might think about playing but because the other teams are so far away decide against it. Better for them to join and play with us than not play at all.

Tallaght outlaws also have a notice up here looking to recruit players, the dragons have also recruited from here as have the Rebels.

SteveTO3

jdivision wrote:

People do decide it's not for them you know. We had 46 at training but a bunch of them will decide they don't like it and drop out or a few will stay in flag football and not play kitted. last year at the end of the season we had 21 kitted players for example, we had started with more than 50. Of the 21, around seven aren't available this season.

Anyhow, it's about getting as many people as possible involved in the game. A lot of people might think about playing but because the other teams are so far away decide against it. Better for them to join and play with us than not play at all.

Tallaght outlaws also have a notice up here looking to recruit players, the dragons have also recruited from here as have the Rebels.

From the 50 people that started. How many where from outside the college? and currently how many do you have who dont go to DCU?

jdivision

SteveTO3 wrote:

From the 50 people that started. How many where from outside the college? and currently how many do you have who dont go to DCU?

Of the 50 who joined the team last year about ten were from outside the college including myself. The lads in charge didn't even really try to recruit outside the university because the Dublin Marshals (now defunct - some of the people and players are involved with Tallaght Outlaws and am sure will do a great job this season) were based in the same area, but people came up to us in the pub expressing an interest or, like me, it was the closest team or they were 16-17 and wanted to play with younger guys.

We have 46 at the moment but have no idea how many we'll have come March when the season starts.

As for how many people from outside there are now, I don't know because as I said we only had one training session so far so didn't get to talk to everybody. I'm not a coach or even on the committee. However, like most comparatively new teams in the league finding linemen in particular is hard. Also, we played four games last season if memory serves without any of our wide receivers as well. we had to play cornerbacks and safeties there and they obviously didn't know routes and didn't have timing down with the QB etc.

geoff_nfl

well i went along yday to see what it like and im hooked already!!!!!! i not in the college still in school but every1 on the team are real friendly and helpful and the trainin isnt that hard really!!!! LOL. by the way the 120 euro fee for non student is the gear an extra 120 aswel????

jdivision

Yep, but e60 of that is a deposit that you get back at the end of the year. And believe me training will get a whole lot harder!!

SteveTO3

You may have me wrong i dont play with any team in the league. The TO stands for Terrel Owens not if your thinkin Tallaght Outlaws. I did play but i gave it up because of an injury. After playing with two teams who struggled year after year to keep numbers for whatever the reasons. I just think its wrong for a college to actively recruit outside considering if a team were to try get permission to take people from DCU they would be told were to go.

I know 4 people who have now left other teams as they attend DCU so they will be joining your team in the next few weeks or probably have.

Dont get me wrong i aint taking a pop at you or your team in fact i think you have a great setup i played against you in two great games when i played with the marshals. Its just my opinion thats all

good luck with your season by the way.

jdivision

Fair enough but as far as I could see there was nobody new there who had played before other than one American guy who is attending the university and hadn't played in Ireland before. I posted about recruiting prior to the turnout by the way. by the way at least two of our players have been approached about playing elsewhere.