About our Youth Teams

The London Warriors American Football Club started as a single youth team, established in 2005 because several London-based junior teams were unable to compete that year. Coaches Tony Allen and Gerry Anderson, two of the most respected coaches in British football who at the time worked for the NFL, agreed to work with the young adults from those teams. This allowed them to continue to play football while the struggling teams got themselves back on track, and to help keep those Young people off the street, give them a focus and an alternative family to the gangs that many of them were at risk of being drawn into, or had previously been a part of.

The new London Warriors Junior Team very quickly established themselves, winning their first national championship in that first year. As well as going on to win a total of five Junior national championships, it has become the foundation for a programme that would quickly become one of the most successful dynasties in British American football.

The provision now caters for young people as young as 7 years old, with two non-contact youth flag teams (7 - 14 years old) and two contact teams (13 - 19 years old), providing opportunities to get involved in the sport.

We also provide plenty of progression opportunities, with players going on to represent GB, be selected for the NFL Academy, or going on to further their education through sport, for example going on to get scholarships to US High Schools, US Division 1 Colleges and to some of the top UK British University teams.

Our provision includes access to:

One of the most experienced coaching staff in the UK
Training sessions and competition opportunities
Playing equipment and uniforms
Qualified medical staff and physiotherapists
Game film and Hudl
Online classroom sessions
Regular athletic performance testing
Our Senior Team Development Programme (18+)

Get involved as a player

We always welcome new players regardless of experience – and we even have equipment you can borrow to try out the sport. Get in touch with us to find out more: hello@londonwarriors.org.uk.

All players must bring:

Suitable footwear (we train on AstroTurf, although some games will be on grass)
Water bottle
Mouthguard (mandatory)

All players must register to be eligible to train and play for the team, and be covered by insurance. Further information will be provided at your first training session.

Training, competition and games

Pre-season training starts each year in October/November, with training running up until the end of the season in early September.

Our youth teams train at Selhurst Sports Arena at the following times:

U19 and U16 Contact Teams: Sunday @ 09:30am – 12pm.
U14 and U11 Flag: Sunday @ 09:30am – 11am.
U17 Flag: Please note we are currently not running a U17 Flag Team temporarily – please get in touch to register interest.

Our Teams play in the BAFA Youth Leagues. Our U19 Contact Team play a 9-a-side format, with all other teams playing 5-a-side tournament format. The playing season usually runs from April until September.

Volunteer as a Coach or Support Staff

We are always looking for volunteer staff to join the warrior family.

If you want to get into coaching, experience is ideal but not always necessary as we are always looking for Assistant Coaches to help develop and learn the sport (we have helped over 70 coaches gain their Level 1 qualifications).
Don't fancy coaching but want to get involved on the sidelines? We are always looking for Team Managers, Assistant Team Managers, as well as other support roles to help within the Club, like statisticians, video crew, photographers and even medical staff.

Please contact hello@londonwarriors.org.uk for more information.