By Liam Grimley

On Sunday, your Craigavon Cowboys play Trinity College Dublin. It is a tough fixture for us and it will be a learning experience for sure. This Trinity side is completely different to what we have faced in the past. Head Coach Greg Loughran has acknowledged the threat of the students that will be “gagging for football”. He is feeling confident going into this week stating, "It will be nice to kick off our season at home". Also praising his offensive line and his defense’s progression, Loughran has confidence that his team can prevail at People’s Park in Portadown on Sunday, “Generally, If you are at home you have a better chance of winning.” This statement hopefully staking a claim to our opponents this weekend.

We are currently looking for videographers to join our media team. The roles would include filming training and matches. Footage captured would be used for team reviews and highlights - video editing is also an option if able to do so. Travel to away games will be provided as well as the opportunity to travel further afield with teams within the club having been to Copenhagen, Vienna, Glasgow and Salou in the past 3 years. The club will also pay for volunteer training such as first aid and child protection courses. The roles will require you to be available on most Sundays when there is training and matches on. See more information on volunteering within our club here.

This is a great opportunity to add quality experience to your CV or continue your passion in a new area. You don’t need to have any knowledge of American Football, just be willing to learn!

Please note: This is a volunteer position, not a paid position. The successful candidate will be required to undertake an AccessNI check, with the club covering the cost.

Interested candidates should fill out the below form, and we will be in touch with you in due course.

Calling all former Cowboys - This year’s Alumni Game will commemorate the Cowboys first chairman Marcell Seeley, who passed away recently. Marcell was a cornerstone of the club when it was first established in 1986: organising and running the club, raising money for equipment, travelling to London for the American Bowl games, as well as winning the very first Shamrock Bowl.
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A lunch is being organised pre-game at Bennetts, Portadown. This will be from 12 noon, of which we invite Marcell’s family and all Cowboys Alumni to attend. Please contact Jo Buchanan (j.buchanan1994@hotmail.co.uk) so we have an idea of numbers to book.

Bennetts is a 5 minute walk away from our home venue at Peoples Park, where the Cowboys will battle the Wexford Eagles for the Marcell Seeley Memorial Cup. Kick off is scheduled for 2pm.

The team will then be heading to the Parkside Bar after the game for drinks and food – all are welcome to share stories with old and new Cowboys.

The Cowboys flag team have returned safely from Glasgow, having competed at the Flagging New Year IV tournament. This was a tricky tournament for the team, who were missing a number of key players. Nevertheless, a lot was learned from the tournament with the highlight coming from a win over the Balerna Beasts from Switzerland.

The flag team will now take an extended break, with the next domestic season not due to start until September. If you wish to learn more about our flag team, please click here.

We are currently looking for an Events Co-Ordinator to join our club. This role will entail organising, promoting and managing various events throughout the year including fundraisers and match days. Such events include our Superbowl Party, Club Awards Evening, Alumni Game, Home Match Events, Quiz Night plus more.

Travel to away games will be provided as well as the opportunity to travel further afield with teams within the club having been to Copenhagen, Vienna, Glasgow and Salou in the past 3 years. The club will also pay for volunteer training such as first aid and child protection courses. More information on volunteering within our club is available here.

This is an exciting opportunity and a great opening to add quality experience to your CV or continue your passion in a sporting environment. You don’t need to have any knowledge of American Football, just be willing to learn!

Ahead of our senior teams first practice of 2019 this Sunday, we are pleased to announce our coaching staff for this upcoming season.

​Greg returns as head coach for his 12th year at the helm. Greg has been involved in American football in Ireland since the leagues inception in 1986 having been a player for a number of years before turning to coaching. His wealth of experience and knowledge has been, and continues to be, a huge benefit to the Cowboys. Two IAFL 1 Bowl losses in a row has only made Greg more determined to lead the team one step further this year.

Last night, the Cowboys delivered all the toys and sweets, that had been donated, to the Children's Centre at Craigavon Area Hospital. Thank you to everyone who donated and to the guys for delivering the toys and sweets - it was very well received and will no doubt put a smile on many kids faces.

​Craigavon Cowboys - A Community Club.

It’s time to spread Christmas cheer and share the festive spirit! The Cowboys are now collecting toys/sweets/donations, with all that we receive going directly to the Children’s Ward at the Craigavon Area Hospital.

You can donate toys/sweets by giving them to any Cowboys player/coach/member or donate money towards gifts via our PayPal (craigavoncowboys@outlook.com) before Monday 17th December. If you need any further information, please message this page. Thank you.
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Pictured below is the Cowboys delivering toys and sweets last year #cowboysfamily #communityclub

The Cowboys are once again Emerald Bowl Champions after an exhilarating day of flag football at the National Sports Campus in Dublin. The Cowboys are now the only team to be crowned All-Ireland Champions more than once having won Emerald Bowl II in 2016.

Having finished the regular season as 2nd seeds, the Cowboys attained a bye in the wildcard round and would have to wait until the outcome of the Eagles vs Trojans match-up to find out who they would face. The Eagles would beat the Trojans easily, setting up a rematch of last years semi final. The outcome would be different however as the Cowboys dominated the match, winning 39-16 and advancing to the Bowl game, where they would face the Louth Mavericks, who beat top seeds Trinity College 31-13 in the other semi-final.

Rain hampered play in the Bowl game, with many dropped passes and missed flags, but the Cowboys would end up edging out the Mavericks 18-12. Experience certainly came to the fore as the offense gained first downs and scored touchdowns at vital moments in the game, while the defense produced a superb display, backed up by some incredible blitzing by Emerald Bowl V MVP Matthew Kelly.

As the final whistle blew, the team celebrated wildly - having not only won the North Division and Emerald Bowl, but also finished the season unbeaten. Team captains Niall Quinn and Jo Buchanan received the trophy from IAFA President Orla McAleese.

That wraps up another successful year for the Craigavon Cowboys, stay tuned for your chance to join the club in 2019!

Thanks to Terry McCann for the photos.

The Cowboys flag team head to Dublin tomorrow to compete in the EBC V Playoffs after an undefeated regular season saw them crowned EBC North Champions. Having finished the overall league as 2nd seed, the team by-passes the wildcard round and are straight into the semi-finals, playing for a spot in the EBC Championship game. We caught up with flag team manager Jason Duddy to get his thoughts before the big day.