Three Lions And A Bear Go Wild In Worcester!

Over the weekend of September 16 to 18 the GB Lions will be involved in a four-way struggle with their counterparts from Russia, Czechia and Holland to decide which country moves forward to the next stage in the journey towards the European Championship finals in 2018.

To say it is a protracted process to get to the Euro finals would be an understatement, not just for the competing nations but also for the players who would seek to represent them. In the past, there was a championship each year, and GB were relatively successful, last winning the whole thing in 1989. In the current format it will take up to three years for teams to get to the finals.

Back up to date, and the selection process for the latest GB Lions roster began in October 2015 with trials for all positions. The Head Coach is Mike Callan (formally of the London Blitz). Camps have been held about every three months with Coach Callan and his staff gradually filtering down the talent to a point where they now have 75 individuals. The squad includes players from 18 different teams, with the bulk coming from the Blitz, Warriors and Phoenix. There are 4 players who currently play in the European leagues, and another 4 who play for university sides. The rules for the tournament however, stipulate a 45 man squad can dress for each game (there are going to be 30 really disappointed people).There is one further camp to be held in early September, after which the final cuts will be made.

I spoke with Lions and Tamworth running back Adam Hope about the process and the feeling in the camp. “It’s been a long road, but it’s important we take the best players. Coach Callan moves around the groups adding value with his positional coaches. It’s well structured. A lot of the players come from the same teams, so the spirit is good, we all just want to progress”.

If GB win through they will move to the next stage of qualification in 2017 against the winners of a mirror 2016 qualification tournament being held in Italy.

So what about Russia, GB’s opponents on Friday the 16th. Hope added, “We don’t know a deal about them, other than they are a big physical team. The coaches have some film of them, and assure us they have a strategy to get the win”.

With the games all being played at Worcester’s Sixways stadium, its central location gives spectators the opportunity to travel, and get behind the team. It would be great if the whole Britball Nation could make the effort to get to the game, with Lions roaring in the stands as well as on the field!