With up to forty players kitting up and getting their pads on for every gameday, the UEA Pirates have quickly become one of the fastest growing sports teams on campus and they’re helping to put American Football on the map. In their 2024/25 season, the Pirates not only ended their season with a trip to the playoffs after a season of demolishing wins and gut-wrenching losses, but they crucially took two dominant victories against rivals Essex to set up a tantalising Derby Day fixture at the end of April. 

Defensive Tackle and Treasurer Tom Watkins described the season as “one of two halves”, but he loved the comradery shown throughout the team at the end of the season, stating that “we really rallied and made ourselves proud by getting into the playoffs.” Similar sentiment was shared by President Eamon O’Doyle who emphasised that “when we were good, we were good”, and despite injuries and inconsistency riddling the team throughout the year he was impressed that, “we certainly had a positive year and made the best of a tough situation.” 

It was undeniably clear that despite a tough set of circumstances with injuries and games not always going there way, the fight shown by the players to reach the playoffs and perform at their best against their biggest rivals was a real tale of the passion each player had to be a part of the crew. This passion is passed on by defensive back Ryan Barton calling the Pirates, “a commitment that buys back into you” and emphasised the family-like nature that the team exhibits. First year running back Julian Esquivel Cuellar raved about his rookie year on the team calling his experience, “the most fun I’ve had in a team sport” and that, “as a first-year player, I’ve grown in confidence, skill, and understanding of the game, thanks to the guidance of my coaches and support from my teammates.” The Pirates not only succeeded under tough circumstances in 2024, but they provided opportunities for a team of forty-plus players to become incredibly close to each other both on and off the pitch. Creating a unique and special year for those who played a role, 2024 for the Pirates proved how they are clearly one of the most inviting teams on campus and a team that should be popular for students considering American Football in the next few years.

From talking to the team, it was hard for anyone to not mention the team’s demolition of rival Essex at Colney in the early weeks of January. Looking to bounce back after a shaky period before Christmas and improve their playoff hopes, the Pirates bulldozed their way to a 48-0 victory in front of their home crowd. Tom Watkins described the game as the “best team performance of the year” and “validation for all the hard work we put in so far during the season, it gave us a good platform for the rest of the season.” Tom’s enthusiasm was shared by President Eamon who told me that, “Scoring nearly 100 points on Essex over two games and scoring my first touchdown for the pirates away at Essex was arguably my greatest highlight on the pirates.” 

The Pirates used the successes against Essex to propel a season that turned a 2-3 team littered with injuries into a quickly resurrected 4-4 season and a spot in the all-important playoffs. Not only did the Essex results propel the teams’ season, but it rekindled the needle and rivalry felt between the two outfits. Defensive back Ryan took much pride in demoting Essex into the division below the Pirates and called it the “privilege to play against a team we proudly demoted.”

However, it wasn’t just the 48-0 demolition of Essex that many members of the team took the most pride in during the 2024/25 season. Rookie Julian took the most joy from the team’s crucial 20-0 victory against UCL in January, a victory that kept their playoff hopes alive in the penultimate game of their season. Julian scored his first touchdown for the Pirates on a scintillating 60-yard run describing the moment as a momentum changing moment that combined with their incredible team spirit, made the game an unforgettable one for the Norwich outfit. It was that spell at the end of the season despite an eventual loss to Brunel in the playoffs, a team that is on the cusp of winning a national title at the time of writing, that showed the huge progression that the Pirates made over the course of 2024. 

The team now turn their attentions to the 30^{th of} April and their fierce clash with the Essex Blades. Third-year player Tom calls the game an opportunity “to avenge the loss of last year for the third years who for many of them it will be their last game on the pirates.” President Eamon is buoyed by the opportunity to defeat their hated rivals stating that the game is “an amazing opportunity to have a last outing at home for some of our graduating players.” Such an emphasis on giving the final year standouts a good sendoff was a real marker into how close the team feel to each other. Vice President Ryan describes the team as “a family from day one” and rookie Julian describes the team as, “having an incredible sense of friendship and family” and that, “if you’re looking for a rewarding experience with an awesome group of people, the Pirates are the team to join!” As I’ve got to know the team, watched a host of their games and even been involved in chain crew for their game against Essex, the Pirates have grown into an incredibly tight-knit group. With Derby Day on the horizon and off the back of a very rewarding season, the Pirates deserve to be given the plaudits and appreciation they deserve. Without a doubt, despite a large section of the team graduating at the end of the year, the successes they gained in 2024 will provide much opportunity for the team to make a huge statement at Derby Day in April and with the support of the UEA crowd they will be huge favourites to bring home the glory. Therefore, the Pirates should not only be considered as one of the most inviting and close-knit groups on campus, but a group ready to build and send a message to our closest university rivals for the next few years to come.

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