The Warrior In The Pink

If I were assessing him for the NFL combine, I’d say London Warriors linebacker David Izinyon is a big time hitting machine with no passive traits. He stacks and sheds blockers, has great lateral pursuit and is an open field finisher with elite closing speed. He won’t be at this year’s combine, but you can witness all those qualities if you catch him playing for Trent University (where he is doing a post graduate course) in the BUCS Premier North division this season. He got into football as a freshman at the University of Surrey, where he initially featured for the Stingers at running back. A natural athlete who was eager to learn and improve, one of his coaches suggested he might want to get in the gym to improve his leg strength. He decided to take the advice, and found his body responded rapidly to the progressive weight-training regime, so much so, that if there were a Uniballers strongest man competition, I would not bet on anyone else coming close. Relishing the physical aspect of the sport, he switched to playing linebacker and hasn’t looked back since.

I asked him how playing at the top level in the British Senior league, compares with playing in Uniball’s top tier. “The main difference is the size and intensity in the senior league, we have some big units at the Warriors, and they are nasty on the field! In the Uni Prem there are some good athletes, but a lot of the players are fairly new to the sport, and physically underdeveloped”. One key difference in the Uniball Premier division is that some of the teams have numerous American “scholarship athletes”, something that Izinyon relishes, as unlike in the senior league, he gets to pit himself against ballers from the states. “Those guys have talent and lots of experience, but I don’t let the hype get to me, when the pads are on its just man on man”.

Off the field, he is mild mannered and humble, supporting his team-mates, but once he enters the field, it’s lights-out intensity. Having a player with his talent and experience in the programme has reaped benefits for the Trent Renegades. Fellow linebacker Jack Rice, “Being able to trust the LB you are playing next to is crucial. With David, I know that he will make a play if the ball goes to his side. This allows me to focus all of my energy on my assignments. David is a big hitter, who reads the game well and is one of the best players I have ever played with”. Defensive co-ordinator Karl Walkinshaw is equally appreciative of his efforts. "David's one of those players that you watch play and think "Thank the football Gods. We got lucky. I'm glad he's on our side." It's not always the case but the thing I often notice about really great players is how coachable they are, how they are always seeking to learn and grow and how their motivation comes from within. All this is true of David. He has the ability to lift the whole team with his play. He's smart, a fierce competitor, a devastating tackler and has that ability to always be around the ball. You can tell he's received some really great coaching from the Warriors programme and he's taken that and made himself the player he is - one of the best, if not the best in the country in my opinion."

One of his football highlights was when the Warriors played a couple of games against top European sides. “It was an awesome experience, those guys were tough” he reflected, but it gave him the ambition to play in the semi-pro European leagues, so that he can test himself at a higher level. David will only be with Trent for one season whilst he completes his studies, then he’s looking forward to another campaign with the Warriors this summer, who will be out to retain their British Champions status. I’d venture that once his “europlayers profile” is posted, his phone will be ringing off the hook!