BRITISH UNIVERSITIES AMERICAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE OFFICIAL SITE

Essex Blades

The Essex Blades were formed in Late 2000 and have gone from strength to strength ever since.

They have competed in the university leagues since their creation with their most successful season being the 2006/07 season. In 06/07 the Blades finished with a perfect 8-0 regular season and played their first ever playoff games; reaching the second round and losing to the eventual winners. The Blades have a reputation for solid coaching and good football that has lead them to be well known throughout the league amongst players and coaches alike. They also have a strong relationship with the local community and the Colchester Gladiators (BAFL) where you will find many of the Blades during the off-season. They have a strong roster of keen individuals and always have a large number of new recruits at the beginning of every university year.

The University of Essex is one of the UK''''''''s leading academic institutions. Founded in 1964 when it opened its doors to a cohort of just 122 students at Wivenhoe Park in Colchester, the University has grown in both reputation and size, developing a worldwide reputation for top quality teaching and research.

There are now more than 8,000 students, studying at three campuses across Essex. Academic departments span the humanities, social sciences, science and engineering, and law and management. Essex is the UK''''''''s most internationally diverse campus university, with students drawn from 130 countries.

Students at the University of Essex study on one of three campuses: Colchester, Southend and Loughton.

In the most recent national assessment Essex was ranked tenth out of 136 institutions for the quality of its research while the quality of teaching was ranked eighth in the UK in the 2007 Sunday Times University Guide.