Front And Centre – With GB Lion Matt Meyer
If We Wanted To Get A View On The Current State Of The British Game At Both Club And International Level, Who Better To Ask Than GB Lions Offensive Lineman, Matt Meyer, Who Recently Tied The Record For The Most GB Caps (At 16, Along With Sean Hopkins).
Like so many of todays’ top players in Britain, he started his football journey in the University League. In 2001 he was fortunate enough to join the elite level Hertfordshire Hurricanes programme. Initially he intended to play both Rugby and Football, but he was soon fully committed to the gridiron. The coaches were impressed with his dedication and talent and it didn’t take long for him to claim a starting spot. Within a year he was combining Uniball and senior ball, playing for the London Blitz, but a year later he made the switch to cross town rivals The Olympians, where he played for five years, he then had a spell with the Carinthian Lions in Austria, before returning to the Blitz in 2008. Staying on at university to complete a legal practice course, he managed to chalk up five seasons for the Hurricanes and then helped to coach the team.
Matt relishes the opportunity to play at the highest level and has featured on numerous championship-winning teams. Playing games in Europe at club and international level have been the highlights of his career so far (he doesn’t intend to hang up his pads just yet). The recent GB Lions success in the group B tournament against Russia and the Czech Republic, gave him the opportunity to showcase his versatility. With injuries within the squad, he ended up playing three different spots on the line. He feels the current squad is probably the most talented that we have had for some time, under the leadership of Mike Callan, who he knows from his time as head coach at the Blitz. “We are looking forward to playing Sweden, once the European authorities have resolved their differences. If we can keep the momentum going from the recent games, I don’t see why we can’t move up to group A”.
The bulk of the GB squad come from the Blitz and their great rivals, The London Warriors, augmented with players from the other top British teams. However, that doesn’t mean it’s a closed shop, there will be trials for potential new squad members in January 2017, and Matt will be offering veteran support to the latest recruits.
With The Warriors currently having the upper hand in the domestic league the Blitz are already in their off-season programme looking to find a way to gain back the national title they previously held. Meyer feels that despite the progress that other programmes have made (notably the Tamworth Phoenix) it’s hard to look beyond the two London teams for next year’s champions.
“When we played the Phoenix in the semi-final last season, it was one of the few times we had travelled outside of London for a play-off game in a long, long time. They were tough and very well coached, but as the game wore on, I think we won it in the trenches. It will be interesting to see how they come back next season”. He also has a tip for a surprise contender. “ Keep an eye out for Bury following their promotion, I hear they have some American talent”.
Given the current dominance of the two London teams, I asked Matt what his thoughts are regarding teams bringing in imports, would it make for a more competitive league. “I think it would, but there would need to be a limit for each team. I remember Leonard Valentine, the QB at the Olympians, he certainly raised the playing standard”.
When he does finish playing, it’s pretty certain that he will move into coaching, but not until he has had the chance to spend more time with his family. For now though, he’s preparing to help the Blitz as they look to renew their efforts to become British Champions again, and the GB Lions as they further their quest for promotion to European group A.