GB LIONS U17 AMERICAN FOOTBALL SQUAD WIN CLOSE FOUGHT MATCH IN SPAIN 

We recently reported that Riley Read, Year 12 student at Richmond Sixth Form College, was to earn his third international American football cap by being selected for GB U17 Travelling Squad for their match in Spain in mid-November.  

News of the team’s 32-23 victory had already filtered through, but we wanted to know more! We caught up with Riley on his return to college to hear about the trip. 

RSFC: Congratulations! Earning your third international cap and coming back from Spain with a victory for the U17 GB Lions. That must feel OK! How was the game? 

RR: The game was good, thank you. It was tighter than we expected, especially at the start. They came within one score of us at one point. We changed our mood a bit in the second half, though, and went away with the game from then. 

RSFC: What about from your perspective – how was your game – any highlights? 

RR: I play in the defensive line and it’s my job to get through their blockers and try to get to their quarterback before he can play the ball. I was very close at one point – I had my hand on him but he just managed to escape. I also made quite a big ‘tackle for loss’ – that’s when a running back gets tackled with the ball and loses yards – the whole idea of American football is to gain yards, so that was a good play for us. 

RSFC: Sounds like you were involved in some important moments. I see the game was live-streamed on YouTube – the recording is three hours long! Can you explain how that works? 

RR: The game has four quarters of 15 minutes, but every time the ball is out of play, the clock stops. There’s also a squad of 45 players, but only 11 on the pitch at a time. There’s a constant change of players depending on what’s happening in the game. It’s the way the game works – it’s a full day out! 

RSFC: And not such a common sport, especially in the North – how did you get into it to start with? 

RR: I started playing rugby at Wensleydale, but quite a few players left so I decided to try something different. We researched online and found out how to get into American football – I’ve stuck at it since then – that was Year 9. 

RSFC: Ok, that’s a bit of history – let’s get back to the Spain trip. It wasn’t just the game – how did the travelling and the accommodation work? 

RR: We travelled out on a flight from Heathrow as a squad of 45, with the coaches and support team. I drove down to Heathrow with my mum, dad and sister Sophia, who had managed to get seats on the same flight. When we arrived in Madrid, it was half an hour on a coach to the hotel. The next day – Saturday, the day before the game – we had a big team meeting to discuss tactics, then a 2.5hr practice session, walking through the plays. That evening we had a team meal at the hotel and the coaches took us through the final game plan. Everyone was ready to go – there were quite a few eager people – ready to play. Unfortunately that was the next day – we had to go to our rooms at 9pm! 

RSFC: And match day? 

RR: Up at 7am, team breakfast, then a two hour coach drive to the venue. 

RSFC: And I’ve watched the start of proceedings on YouTube – team presentations and national anthems – quite a bit of ceremony for an international game? There were also a number of supporters over from the UK. Did many of the players’ families come over? 

RR: Yes, there was basically a whole stand full of our supporters including my family – I managed to spend a bit of time with them, but mostly I was with the team. The crowd was quite useful at the start when they played the wrong tune – they played Rule Brittania instead of the National Anthem. Our supporters all started singing the right tune and the players joined in, so it ended up OK. 

RSFC: An interesting start! Then the game – how were the Spanish team? 

RR: They were good, actually. They had some really stand-out players. We thought we were going to win quite easily as it was their first international game and we were much more experienced, but they put up a really strong fight. We came away with the win, though! 

RSFC: And then after the game? 

RR: Straight after was good. All the players from both teams were really friendly, talking about the game – although there was obviously a bit of a language barrier. After that we had a big meal at the ground with both teams, then drove back to the hotel and had an awards ceremony. That was good too – I was presented with an award for being one of only six U17 players who have managed to earn three international caps. The next day we spent some time in Madrid – we had an all-you-can-eat buffet for lunch – before flying back. The drive back from Heathrow was interesting as well – the snow stopped us getting back so we had to stay overnight in a random hotel near Lincoln. I managed to get into college for my lessons on Tuesday though! 

RSFC: It certainly sounds like you had a good trip! What about your future as an American football player? You’ll move up to the U19 squad soon? 

RR: I’ve got one more year at GB U17, then I’ll move up. I’ll get a place in the training squad, but I’ll still have to prove I’m good enough for the travelling squad – I have to earn my place. There’s a regional series as well now, because the game’s getting bigger and there are more players – I’ll hopefully be playing for Team North U19s next season. 

RSFC: You’re an A level student too, studying Geography, Business Studies and Economics – how are you finding the balance between the demands of playing American football at a high level and being a successful student? 

RR: It’s OK. I try to get all my work done in my studies at college, which I’m managing to do at the moment. 

RSFC: Ok – and what about the future? Are you thinking about university yet, or another path after your A Levels? And will American football figure? 

RR: I’m looking at two paths at the moment. University in the UK – lots of unis have American football teams and are interested in recruiting good players. Nottingham is the one I’m most interested in – they’ve got a really good setup. I’m going to a trial there in a couple of weeks – I was actually invited there last year as well, a year early. The other path is going to university in America and trying for a scholarship which will involve me going to visit potential US colleges for tryouts in 2025. They’re very focused on the physical size of players in America and each position has a set of ideal criteria – height and weight. I’ve got two more years to go until I’d start in the USA, so plenty of time and opportunity to hit the criteria! 

RSFC: Well, Riley, we wish you all the very best with your future, both academically and with your American football. Thank you for taking the time to give us an insight into your sport and your trip to Spain – make sure to keep us up to date with any other notable achievements and successes. 

Thanks to British American Football for making the Spain trip possible and for supporting Riley throughout the years he has played. Special thanks to Riley’s family for supporting him, especially with the extensive travelling that being a player at a high level in a relatively minor sport involves. 

We look forward to hearing what’s next for Riley! 

Thanks to Charlie Spear for the photos.