A team of athletic young pupils are jet-setting off from Ealing to the USA to represent the United Kingdom at a special sporting event this week.
A total of 10 children will be flying the thousands of miles to spend a week in Orlando, Florida, and take part in the NFL Pro Bowl Games.
The under-12s team are all members of the Fruit Bats – a local flag football team, and current or past pupils at Little Ealing Primary School, in Weymouth Avenue. NFL Flag is a non-contact form of American football, or ‘Gridiron’ as it’s often called.
The squad will play against teams from other competing countries, including Panama, Mexico and Australia.
The players secured their place on the trip after winning a series of competitions, ending with the 2024 NFL Flag International Championships in Loughborough last summer.
Jay Taylor, Fruit Bats founder and coach, said: “Each of our players have worked incredibly hard to earn this fantastic opportunity. They are very talented, and very excited to be going.
“Interest in the sport across Britain has exploded, it’s one of the fastest growing sports in the world.”
Mr Taylor, who runs the Fruit Bats as a volunteer, started the club about 2 years ago after his youngest son Ethan was keen to play the sport. The club started off with less than a dozen players and has since soared to 70. Its under-11s team was crowned British national champions in September, and the girls’ team has won the school’s championship 2 years in a row.
Joining forces
Ethan’s initial interest was sparked after being introduced to NFL Flag while he was a pupil at Little Ealing. The school’s head of PE, Bobby Behzadi, introduced the sport there as an extra-curricular activity just before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Soon after the Fruit Bats was established, Mr Taylor joined forces with Mr Behzadi to work alongside one another offering their coaching skills at both the club and school.
Prior to this, Mr Behzadi secured a place for his team at the school to go to Las Vegas in 2023 to compete in the annual competition. Two of these players have since gone on to represent Great Britain in the sport.
He said: “This time we’re going back, we know more, we’re more prepared and Jay has added a lot of knowledge. The Bats and I work well together and it’s paying dividends. This is an exciting time for all of us.”
Councillor Josh Blacker, Ealing Council’s cabinet member for a fairer start, said: “This is a tremendous achievement. It shows incredible commitment and determination from both coaches and players, and I wish them all the very best of luck on what will no doubt be a wonderful learning opportunity for everyone.”
NFL Flag will be recognised at the Olympic Games for the first time in 2028.
More information
Visit the Fruit Bats Instagram page, or email fruitbatsfootball@gmail.com
