Issue 1856
Sport & Societies

David Bates, President of Imperial’s American Football Club, Imperial Immortals, shares the thrill and strategy behind American football.

Our American football is very different to most other sports. The main difference is that the match is broken up into roughly 60 plays, with short breaks in between, which adds to the sport’s intensity. The gameplay in American football also quite complicated and should not be underestimated. 

It’s all about gaining distance, short and often; you have to move forwards 10 yards within four plays and then, if successful, you get another four plays to make another 10 yards. You keep going until you either get the ball in the opponents’ end zone and score a touchdown or, if you are unsuccessful, the other team takes over possession and they repeat the process, with the goal of getting to your endzone. 

American football is not just a game; it’s a beautifully intense and strategic sport that’s growing rapidly in popularity.

It’s a very technical sport heavily tied to many strategies, but that’s something we can teach most members who have never played before. I like to describe it as a game of chess – with real people as the pieces – making it the perfect sport for an Imperial student! We have both an offensive and defensive playbook which has all our strategies in. We learn them during “Chalk Talk” classroom sessions on Thursdays and implement them at training on Tuesdays (at Harlington) and Saturdays (at Lillie Rec) so that everyone is on the same page on game day. Chalk Talk sessions are crucial, especially for quarterbacks, as they teach the quarterback exactly where each receiver will be running.  This preparation allows for more precise throws to receivers, increasing the chances of a successful play. 

Our social secretary, Angelos Angelidis, who has been a big driver in recruiting, adds: “This year we’re doing more socials and we’re doing them bigger. We’re also partnering up with our sister society, Imperial Titans Cheerleading, more this year; Joint family mentoring scheme, Thorpe Park trips and, of course, our formal dinners are all in our plan. We attend every sports night, have regular Unlimited Wings socials all over London, and plan fun activities such as mini golf, bowling and more throughout the year. Of course, we also host regular watch parties at bars all over London to watch some good old football on Sundays.” 

Sadly, there’s a large amount of misinformation about the game – which is a shame as it’s such a beautifully intense and intellectual sport. I always tell people there’s a reason it’s the most popular sport in America – it’s only a matter of time before it’s one of the most popular sports globally, especially with its introduction to the 2028 Olympics. 

It has been a key focus of the committee, since the start of fresher’s week, to show the university and onboarding freshers that, among all the typical european sports practiced at Imperial, we exist, and to try and challenge people’s perceptions of the sport. Based on our recruitment, I think we have achieved this. If you want to try out one of the fastest growing sports in the UK, send us a message on Instagram @ImmortalsAFC.

Upcoming events

10th November

Home game against City in Harlington (the start of our regular season and pursuit for promotion).

9th February

Union’s Sunday Super Bowl viewing, one of the best Union nights of the year and one not to miss for both avid fans and strangers to the sport, so keep an eye out for tickets closer to the time.