The Gwent Gators are delighted to announce the signing of rookie Jake Williams ahead of the 2021/22 season.
New signing Jake Williams had this to say:
"American football has always been a big interest for me since I was a kid. I particularly admire the dedication and hard work that the players put into their sport, so when a friend of mine who played for the Gators asked me to come down to a session, I was all for it.
Turning up, I was a bit nervous as I was the youngest player there but everybody made me feel so welcome from the moment I stepped on the pitch. Although I had an interest in the sport, I had never played football before but this wasn’t an issue. Matt Bourke in particular was a major help in showing me the ropes as well as everyone else. The team is always happy to answer any questions I may have.
As a team, obviously an unbeaten season goes without saying, but my personal goal this season is to distinguish myself as a threat in flag football and to become a key asset to the Gators.
In the long run, I would ideally like to play a big part in the gators promotion to Division 1 and making them the best flag football team in the UK!"
Head Coach Dale Davies told us his thoughts on the potential of the new addition:
"Jake has joined us very recently and has, to the best of my knowledge, not missed any of the 2-a-week training sessions thus far.
With a limited exposure to American Football in general, his speed was the first thing that stood out, hence why he was placed on the Orange League Squad for this season with the intent to play at Blitz.
However his hands and game knowledge is growing weekly and in a recent friendly made an impact by scoring 2 TDs, one an almost length of the field dash from a short pass, making at least 2 defenders miss.
This has given myself and OC Chris Bartlett-Legge some food for thought as we approach our first league Gameday and it wouldn’t surprise me to see Jake getting reps on offense and making an impact with them either!"
Offensive Co-ordinator Christopher Bartlett-Legge tells us Williams' first impressions:
"When he first started training with us, you could see he was eager to learn and get involved, since then he has improved an insane amount.
Every week he seems to make one wow play and has definitely forced his way into the conversation for starters on Offence, shaking things up a little and giving everyone who sees themselves as a receiver something to think about;
that's if I can keep Mark from trying to steal him over to the Blues."
Jake Williams will be part of the Orange squad looking to start their campaign Saturday the 19th of June.
Earlier this week, the Gwent Gators announced that all their MVG awards had been sponsored for the season.