BRIT TOWERS HERALD

  The Airdrie Kraken just missed out on a playoff spot last season, after flirting with the top two positions in the BFC North. The GM had traded in 2020 and restructured the roster but it was not meant to be. Heading into 2021 the news from Kraken HQ had been quiet, culminating in the announcement yesterday that the GM was stepping down for work commitments. He wished the league well and commented how much he enjoyed the league but believed Airdrie Kraken would benefit from a person who could step in and hit the ground running this year. Rich, the former GM of Havant Rebels in British Bulldog, submitted his interest for the position and was confirmed as the new GM of Airdrie Kraken. He had never visited Airdrie, we are not even sure if he has been beyond the English-Scottish border, but he has settled in straight away and the below trades confirm this. First up was a deal with Hartlepool Heathens, who had been in trade action previously. The Kraken sent their 8th round pick to the...

  The Glasgow Claymores were back in trade action today, in their hunt for a Bowl and promotion to the BFC. The 2020 BFA Bowl runners-up traded Jayon Brown, Micah Hyde and their 18.15 pick to the Jurassic Coast Jackrabbits and in exchange received Justin Simmons and the 19.05 and 20.05 pics from the Jackrabbits. Glasgow Claymores have been extremely busy during this off-season. Gary, the GM of the Claymores, hosted what is becoming a common press conference with reporters today. "Jayon is a player I'm sad to see go. He's a solid LB and a law abiding citizen, which seems hard to come by these days. Until Smith's arrival, he was a lock in as my keeper. However, the Smith trade sent shockwaves through my plans and opened up new opportunities to strengthen other aspects of my roster." Gary went on to talk about Hyde. "While Hyde is a solid enough player, my DB core is full of talented and mostly honest guys, a few of which I was happy to roll with as keepers into...

  Yesterday afternoon the Glasgow Claymores agreed a trade with the South Yorkshire Jaguars for linebacker Shaq Barrett. The Claymores are looking to go one better than just reaching a Bowl this year, they want to win it, whereas the Jaguars are rebuilding after a difficult season. The Jaguars received Shaq Barrett and sent their 13th round draft pick to the Claymores. To make room for Barrett the Jaguars released Mack Wilson. The Claymores GM, Gary, met with the press soon after the trade was confirmed. "Delighted to get a deal done for Shaq. I was concerned my lack of experience was going to catch up with me when I initially brought Shaq and Mike Evans to Glasgow. In hindsight this wasn't the best long term move."  Gary was referring to the trade with Deal Broncos which saw Barrett move to the Claymores in exchange for Tremaine Edmunds and the Claymores 15th round pick. "However, since being able to bring in Jaylon Smith in exchange for Evans last week and now a 13...

  The NFL Draft is nearly upon us, an entertaining time for all NFL fans and not least for the 96 GM's in the British Fantasy Football League. Our drafts are some months away but it is now when those GM's will start looking, planning, scouting and preparing their war rooms for what will occur come June. There are six staggered draft day starts for our leagues and every single 1st Round Draft will have a special programme to announce the picks. There will be a glitzy intro and The Commish will announce all 16 first round picks with a back-drop of graphics and specially designed draft cards. There will also be a draft day special host who will be joined by two analysts on the shows as they discuss the pick that was and the pick about to be made. Every team for the first round picks will be on a five minute clock. Two hours after the Draft Day special is aired, so around 2pm, the other rounds continue and each team will have a four clock between 8am and 11pm daily, though we expec...

  Croydon. Formely a large town (who has requested city status before) in Surrey and now a London Borough. The name derives from "crocus" and "denu" meaning valley. A market was established in the 13th century which is believed to have started the urban roots of Croydon. There is evidence of Roman settlements in the area and in the late Saxon period swathes of property and estate in Croydon was owned by the Archbishop of Canterbury. It used to be the location for London's main airport, closing in 1959. It was heavily bombed in World War Two, but in modern times it has become a hub for shopping centres, bars and restaurants. Croydon was the birthplace of The Commish, the place where his passion for NFL grew and he has many happy memories growing up in the area. In sporting terms, Crystal Palace F.C. are the only professional club in the area and though playing in an SE postcode, this area actually comes under the London Borough of Croydon.  Croydon F.C. were a ma...

  The Perthshire Wild Things, probably the most active team in the off-season trading, were back in the arena this afternoon. As they prepare for 2021 they sent Antonio Gibson to the Birmingham Reapers for a 4th round 2021 draft pick. The Wild Things had previously traded their 4th round pick to the Weston Renegades, but now move up in that round to pick at 4.03. The Birmingham Reapers GM, Phil, immediately met with the press to confirm Gibson is their 2021 keeper at running back. "We would like to welcome Antonio Gibson to the Reapers as our latest horseman. Bringing youth and vitality to a tired RB room, he instantly cements his place as our keeper for the year. We feel he was a bargain for a 4th round pick in a revitalised Washington Football Team. Sadly, Darrynton Evans is released to create space. A solid prospect who never quite broke through. We wish him all the best in his future endeavours and have every confidence he will succeed. He will always be welcome in Birmingham....

  The BFA Bowl runners-up, Glasgow Claymores, today sent Mike Evans to the Sittingbourne Black Widows in exchange for Jaylon Smith. The Claymores have moved division this year, from the West to the North, and up until now had not been in trade action. Over in Sittingbourne, after a phenomenal start to the 2020 season they were unable to make it to the Bowl losing out to the eventual winners Derry Venom. They decided today that Evans would be the player to add further depth to what is already an impressive roster. Mike Evans ranked as the 10th best receiver in the BFFL last season, averaging 11.16 points per game. The man coming into the Claymores, Jaylon Smith, was the 5th best linebacker in the BFFL in 2020, averaging 15.81 points per game. Both teams had to make space on their rosters for both players coming in. The Claymores released Tahir Whitehead into the 2021 BFA Draft pool and the Black Widows released Scotty Miller. Glasgow Claymores GM, Gary, met with the press shortly af...

  South Yorkshire. It is the southern most county in the Yorkshire and Humber region and consists of four metropolitan boroughs, Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield. The county lies on the east side of the Pennines with Sheffield its largest settlement. The county itself was not created until 1974.  There are prehistoric remains dating back to 8000 BC and rock art has been discovered in caves. The region itself was a frontier during the Roman period. The main industries in the area were steel and mining. The towns of Barnsley, Doncaster and Rotherham all boast Football League teams, but it is the two teams from Sheffield which have seen the most success over the years, United and Wednesday. Of course Yorkshire is famed for its cricket with Yorkshire C.C.C. producing many England legends over the years. The Sheffield Steelers are members of the Elite Ice Hockey League and have won nine regular season titles. Rugby League is prevalent in the area. The South Yorkshire Ja...

  It was a trade which sparked a few talking points yesterday, but it is a confirmed trade nonetheless. Mike Evans, who was ranked WR10, on points-per-game, in the BFFL on our points format in 2020, was traded to the Merseyside Rhinos yesterday by the Suffolk Eagles. The Eagles also sent their 15th and 19th round picks as part of the deal and received the Rhinos 9th and 20th round picks in return. The Rhinos have confirmed that Evans will be their keeper in the wide receiver department for 2021. "The team is starting to come together now, assuming players come back from injury," said Mark, the GM of the Rhinos as he headed out of the office yesterday. "We are extremely excited to bring in players like Barkley and Evans and get Dak back, to build on a strong defense from last year," continued Mark. This then cemented the fact that the Rhinos were naming Evans, Barkley and Dak as their keepers for 2021, with five more spots still to be announced from Merseyside. With ...

  The Commish has reviewed the relegation process in the BFA ahead of the 2021 season and has decided to make an adjustment to the rules. The relegation process set out in the League Constitution for each league is as follows: BFFL & BFC (Level 1 & 2) 1 team relegated from BFFL with the worst regular season record and Bowl winner promoted from BFC BFC & BFA (Level 2 & 3) 1 team relegated from BFC with the worst regular season record and Bowl winner promoted from BFA BFA & BFU (Level 3 & 4) 2 teams relegated from BFA with the two worst regular season records and Bowl winner plus Bowl runner-up promoted from BFU BFU & BFO (Level 4 & 5) The bottom four teams in the BFU divisions (North, East, South, West) are relegated and the four teams who win their BFO divisions are promoted. However, if a team who was runner-up in their division wins the Bowl they trump the winner in their division for promotion. However, after looking at the structure in place for ...

  Haverhill is a market town in Suffolk, bordering Essex and Cambridgeshire. The Stour Brook runs through the town and joins up with the River Stour. The town dates back to Anglo-Saxon times and the market within the town is recorded in the Doomsday Book. There is a Tudor House which was allegedly given to Anne of Cleves as part of her divorce from Henry VIII but most of the original buildings in Haverhill were destroyed by a great fire in 1667. Haverhill made a claim in 2004 for the first ever laser-lit sculpture on a roundabout, called the Spirit of Enterprise. In sporting terms the town has two non-league football clubs, Haverhill Rovers and Haverhill Borough, who both play in the Eastern Counties Football League. There is a thriving tennis club affiliated with the Lawn Tennis Association and is home to a golf course, cricket and rugby club. It also home to Suffolk's only baseball team, the Haverhill Blackjacks who compete in the British Baseball Federation Single-A South league...

  Cardiff is the capital city of Wales, known as the City and County of Cardiff. It is the location for the Senedd (Welsh Parliament). Archaeological evidence from various sites show that the area was used as a settlement at around 6000 BC. Four Iron Ages forts and enclosures have been identified within the boundaries of Cardiff. Prior to the Roman conquest, Cardiff was part of the territory of Silures, a Celtic British tribe in the Iron Age. A fort was established by the Romans near the River Taff in AD 75. It was a series of fortifications in the area which acted as border defences. William The Conqueror began work on the abandoned Roman fort during the Norman occupation and Cardiff Castle has been at the heart of the city ever since. Cardiff is a massive sporting centre. It was awarded the title of European City of Sport in 2009. Cardiff Arms Park is famous for Rugby Union, the scene of the Welsh Grand Slams in the 1970's, six 5 Nations titles and the venue for the 1991 Rugby Wo...

  Redditch is a town in Worcestershire, south of Birmingham. It was during the 19th century it became the international centre for the needle and fishing tackle industry. At one point 90% of the worlds needles were manufactured in Redditch. The name of the town allegedly derives from the term 'Red-Ditch', in reference to the red clay of the nearby River Arrow. Aside from the needle and fishing tackle industry, Redditch was a prominent industry location for motorcycles and springs. Halfords and GKN both have their headquarters in the town. There are several historical sites such as the National Needle Museum, Moons Moat and the ruins of Bordesley Abbey, a 12th century Cistercian abbey. Notable people born in Redditch were actor Charles Dance and former One Direction member Harry Styles. The Commish would also like it mentioned (through his love of motorsport) that British rally champion Russell Brookes was also born in Redditch. Redditch is twinned with Auxerre in France and Mtw...

  Southend, or Southend-on-Sea to give the town its correct title, is a borough in Essex. It lies on the north of the Thames estuary and is home to the longest leisure pier in the world. It became home to one of the UK's first electronic telephone exchanges and was home to an annual seafront air show until 2012. It was a renowned fishing location but after the visit of Princess Caroline of Brunswick, Southend grew into a seaside resort. It also home to financial services and HM Revenue & Customs are a big employer in the area. London Southend Airport is a converted military airfield. The town features in the novel Emma by Jane Austen and appears in The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy, in a distorted version and was used as a promo for David Hasselhoff's series, Hoff The Record. In sporting terms the only professional football club in the area are Southend United, it does have another club called Southend Manor who play in the Essex Senior League. It is home for two rug...

  Haydock is a large village within the Metropolitan Borough of St. Helens. It is, approximately, located halfway between Liverpool and Manchester. It was a place rich in coal and mining, with upto 13 collieries working at any one time. Despite being a 'village', in the 1900's Haydock in fact had three railway stations. The Haydock Brass Band was formed in 1861 and is still going, but it is best known for its racecourse. Haydock Park Racecourse opend in 1899, a left-handed track of 1 mile and 5 furlongs which hosts both Flat and National Hunt Racing.  It hosts many notable races including the Grand National Trial, the Betfair Chase, the Champion Hurdle Trial and the Group 1 Haydock Spring Cup. It was awarded Racecourse of the Year in 1998 and 2000. The Haydock Steelers are an expansion team for 2021. They will compete in the BFA North Division, replacing South Manchester Rockets who left the league at the end of the 2020 season. They have the 6th overall draft pick and due ...