Pirates crown young stars at youth and junior awards night

December 5th, 2019

Saturday evening saw over 170 players, coaches, family and friends gather together at the Ballerup Hall in East Kilbride to celebrate the successes of the four teams for young people that are part of the East Kilbride Pirates American Football Club – East Kilbride Pirates youth contact, East Kilbride Pirates junior contact, Hamilton Buccaneers youth contact and Hamilton Buccaneers cadet flag.

This was the first ever award presentation for the Hamilton Buccaneers cadet flag team, who are the newest addition to the club for players aged 9-13 Following a strong year playing friendly fixtures, they are also entered into league competition for the first time in 2020 too!

24 awards were handed out by the coaching staff from across the four teams, recognising players on both sides of the ball and culminating in player of the year awards for each team to recognise their MVPs – their most valuable players.

The Hamilton Buccaneers cadet flag winners were:
• Offensive player of the year – Greig Kean
• Defensive player of the year – Ethan West
• Player of the Year – Greig Kean

The Hamilton Buccaneers youth contact winners were:
• Offensive player of the year – Bryn Doherty
• Defensive player of the year – Sands Christie
• Heart award – Marshall McCutcheon
• Player of the Year – Marshall McCutcheon

The Pirates youth contact winners were:
• Rookie of the year – Arran McDonald
• Most improved player – Stephen Kelly and Haydon van Henten
• Offensive player of the year – Josh Martin
• Defensive player of the year – Adam Montgomery and Joseph Breslin
• Players’ player of the year – Logan Gallacher
• Player of the year – Logan Gallacher

The Pirates junior contact winners were:
• Lineman of the year – Michael Girvan
• Special teams player of the – Ben Hewitt
• Offensive rookie of the year – Mathew Black
• Defensive rookie of the year – Ronan Haddow
• Most improved player – Ssarien Liddell
• Offensive player of the year – Scott McKigen
• Defensive player of the year – Lewis Smith
• Players’ player of the year – Ben Gallacher
• Player of the Year – Ben Gallacher

Pirates chair Amanda McDonald commented: “Our youth and junior awards night is always a fantastic one for the club – it’s wonderful to see so many players, coaches and families together to celebrate what’s been achieved over the year. It’s a great reminder of how bright the future is for our organization, with so many talented and hard-working young people progressing through their football journey with us.”

The evening was also a chance to bid farewell to outgoing junior head coach and club committee member Matthew Davies, who also acted as MVP for the event. Following over 13 years with the club he’s decided to step away to take a well-earned break from football. Thanks and presentations culminated in a standing ovation.

All four teams return to pre-season practice for the 2020 in January, and new players are always very welcome. Contact info@piratesfootball.co.uk to find out how to get involved.

 

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