Pirates set to welcome North Central College

June 10th, 2016

The East Kilbride Pirates are set to welcome NCAA Div III team North Central College Cardinals to Scotland on 19 June for a friendly game.

The Cardinals are travelling to Scotland from Illinois as an extension of a wider educational and cultural tour of Ireland and will take on the Pirates at Burnbrae, home of West of Scotland Football Club in Milngavie, Glasgow.  It’s the second year in a row that the Pirates have hosted a US college team, having faced Hanover Panthers from Indiana last May.

“We’re re really looking forward to this game,” said Pirates head coach Ross Templeton. “Our encounter against Hanover College last year was a great learning experience for our organisation, and the chance to play against another top team from the U.S. is a huge opportunity to help us keep improving. I expect this to be a big challenge for our guys, and it’s exciting to be involved in games like this.”

“This game is also a chance to raise the profile of American Football and our team, and hopefully get some new fans along,” said Pirates Chairman Amanda McDonald. “Our usual home ground of Hamilton Rugby Club isn’t available due to maintenance work, but we’re delighted to be playing at Burnbrae, which offers excellent facilities for our supporters, including a 500 seat covered stand. We’re also going to be joined by former Scottish Claymores star Wide Receiver Scott Couper, who’s kindly agreed to do the coin toss. We hope he brings us luck!”

The game has the support of the British American Football Association, and has been approved by the International Federation of American Football and USA Football.

North Central College are travelling to Ireland and Scotland with Global Football, who provide opportunities for amateur football players to travel and compete internationally with similar organisations and experience different cultures.

Kick off is 4pm, and admission is £5. Under 16s go free.

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