Pirates recognise young stars

November 27th, 2016

befunky-collageFriday evening saw over 170 players, coaches, family, and friends gather together at the Ballerup Hall in East Kilbride to celebrate the successes of the three under 19s teams that are part of the East Kilbride Pirates American Football Club – East Kilbride Pirates Junior, Hamilton Buccaneers Youth, and East Kilbride Pirates Youth.

20 awards were handed out by the coaching staff across the three teams, recognising players from both sides of the ball and culminating in player of the year awards for each team to recognise their MVP – the most valuable player. This year the MVP awards went to Nick Kosic for East Kilbride Pirates junior, Struan Bailey for Hamilton Buccaneers and Ben Gallacher for East Kilbride Pirates youth.

In addition, the Buccaneers handed out their new ‘heart’ award’ – a head coach’s award designed to recognise the player who tried the hardest and gave their all for the team. The Pirates juniors also handed out their own special player award – the ‘spice rack,’ designed to recognise the spiciest player of the year!

Junior Head Coach and club committee member Matthew Davies was MC for the event, which included a buffet, refreshments, and a raffle which raised £400 to boost club funds.

Pirates chairman Amanda McDonald commented: “This was possibly our best youth and junior awards night yet. The Ballerup hall was a great venue and it was fantastic to see so many parents and family members along. It’s been an amazing year for all three teams. Our Hamilton Buccaneers had another strong year – growing in in size and ability throughout the season and continuing to be highly competitive. Our Pirates junior team were Scottish Champions and Northern Champions and made it all the way to a British National Final in Worcester. And our East Kilbride Pirates youth team went one step further, becoming Scottish Champions, qualifying for youth BritBowl in Sheffield and leaving as British under 17 champions. We had a huge amount to celebrate.”

All three teams return to pre-season practice for the 2017 season on Sunday 8 January, and new players are very welcome. Contact info@piratesfootball.co.uk to find out how to get involved.

Winners in full

The Hamilton Buccaneers youth team winners were:

  • Rookie of the year – Jack Anderson
  • Most improved player – Ross Garner
  • Offensive player of the year – Lewis Smith
  • Defensive player of the year – Youseff Betout
  • Players’ player of the year – Struan Bailey
  • Heart award – Christian Rubuga
  • Player of the Year – Struan Bailey

The East Kilbride Pirates youth team winners were:

  • Rookie of the year – Callum Connelly-Tennock and Fraser McDonald
  • Most improved player – Jack Cochrane
  • Offensive player of the year – Paul Ravey
  • Defensive player of the year – Declan Kelly
  • Players’ player of the year – Scott McKigen
  • Player of the year – Ben Gallacher

The East Kilbride Pirates junior team winners were:

  • Lineman of the year – Kyle Gold
  • Special teams player of the – Darren Robert
  • Rookie of the year – Craig Sanders
  • Most improved player – Jackson Christie
  • Offensive player of the year – Struan Bailey
  • Defensive player of the year – Mark Stewart
  • Players’ player of the year – Nick Kosic
  • Player of the Year – Nick Kosic

 

 

 

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