Raptors are ready to fly the flag for Paisley
Spartans are no more as new side targets fresh faces
American football looks set to roar back into town following the rebranding of Paisley’s only dedicated club.
Players and committee members of the Paisley Spartans have unanimously voted to overhaul the side, namely rebranding themselves as the Renfrewshire Raptors ahead of their third season in the HNC First Division.
The Raptors, a flag football side, will compete in the British American Football Association following a transitional campaign which seen them add a number of new players to the ranks in their most successful season to date.
Flag football is a simplified, non-contact version of the sport, with each side only fielding five players at a time.
The sport enjoys growing popularity both in the US and UK, much to do with the American Flag Football League which has attracted a host of former NFL stars, including Michael Vick and Chad Johnson.
Facing off against sides from across the country, next season will see the Renfrewshire outfit take on the likes of the Aberdeen Silvercats, Grangemouth Broncos and Midlothian Sabers as they bid to continue their progress both on and off the park.
And Raptors head coach Mark Peberdy is hoping the rebrand attracts a number of new players to come along and try out the sport for themselves.
He told Express Sport: “A lot of time and effort has gone into getting the club to this point where we felt it would be beneficial to change the name.
“The Spartans will always be part of the history of this club but that was the past and now we are looking to the future as the Raptors.
“It is an exciting time to be involved in flag football in the UK and it has been amazing to see just how much the sport has flourished in recent years.
“We have a great core of Paisley and Renfrewshire players at the club now and we are looking to push that even further.
“Ninety-nine per cent of the guys we have in our team had never experienced the sport firsthand, some didn’t even have an interest in American football but came along to give it a go in a bid to get fit and fell in love with the sport.
“We are currently recruiting playing and non-playing roles for the new season, so if anyone wants to get involved on the park or behind the scenes then all they have to do is get in touch.”
There a host of exciting plans in the pipeline for the side as they look to partner up with a number of clubs from across the area.
The Raptors first competitive action under their new banner will come early in the new year at the annual Flagging Iron Man, which will take place at Ravenscraig for the first time.
Training also looks set to gear back up in the coming weeks ahead of a proposed Rookie Day which will be open to anyone who wants to give the game a try.
Details are yet to be finalised for the try outs but Peberdy is excited about the year ahead.
He added: “We had been working hard on the rebrand for the last few months and we are delighted with the interest it has generated so far.
“But we aren’t ready to rest on our laurels and we have a number of plans in place to try and increase the popularity of the sport.
“We are also on the hunt for sponsors so there is endless ways to get involved if you have an interest in playing, watching, or simply supporting a local side.”
For further information visit the Renfrewshire Raptors Flag Football Facebook page, and message them via the page’s link.