Raptors aim to start the season in style
Renfrewshire Raptors are ready to roar into the new season as the HNC Division One kicks off tomorrow morning.
Paisley’s only dedicated flag American football side return to the field as the league campaign starts at Glasgow’s Crowpoint Sports Complex.
Flag football is a simplified, noncontact version of the sport, with each side only fielding five players at any given time.
The side, coached by Mark Peberdy, has high hopes for upcoming campaign following a summer of transition that has seen the side bolster the ranks to 22.
And as the team prepares for Sunday’s games against the Grangemouth Colts, West Lothian Chargers and the Aberdeen Silvercats, Peberdy has his eyes on a sharp start to the year.
He told Express Sport: “The boys are high in confidence and so they should be considering the amount of work they have put in over the off-season.
“Everything we have worked on has been geared towards these games and we want to do ourselves justice.
“Last season was a tough one, but thanks to a mountain of work off the field, we have bulked up our numbers that will allow us to combine some fresh talent with the experience of the players we have had over the last couple of years.
“It is an exciting stage of the year because we just want to get go out there and show how far we have come as a team.”
A busy off- season saw the club completely rebrand having originally been named the Paisley Spartans.
A recruitment drive at St Mirren’s Airdome also paid dividends, while a host of new sponsors have come on board to help and support the club.
The packed campaign will see the Raptors travel to the likes of Aberdeen, Livingston and Falkirk over the coming months. And success in the regular season will earn the division’s top two sides a place at the end of season play offs.
And Peberdy admits he couldn’t be prouder of just how far the team has come in such a short period of time.
He added: “If you had said to me six months ago that we have achieved everything we have off the field then it would have been hard to believe.
“But we have managed to get the word out there and we are only going to get stronger and stronger.
“We have seen that there is a real appetite for American football in Paisley and Renfrewshire.
“The club has never been in a better place and we are all excited about the direction the club is taking.”
The Renfrewshire Raptors would like to thank club sponsors Fraoch Scotland, Pro-Life Fitness Centre, and GKF PrintStudio for their ongoing support.