Highland Wildcats head coach Ben Senior says he is delighted to have seen his squad secure an 11th Scottish Championship.

The Inverness-based American football club won the title for a third year in-a-row last weekend, registering victories against the Paisley Bears and East Kilbride Pirates in the Highland capital to give themselves an unassailable lead at the top of the table.

Wins of 28-0 and 30-8 represented strong performances from the Wildcats on home turf, where it is sometimes more difficult to find their rhythm, leaving Senior and the rest of the coaching staff over the moon.

“I’m so ecstatic for the guys – they were flawless at the weekend even though they had a huge task to achieve,” he commented.

“It was a home tournament, and statistically we don’t play quite as well at home as we do away. That is probably the gravity of having friends and family there, the distractions of the stalls and bouncy castles, not having those hours in the morning to wake up and get ready, but they performed wonderfully.

“Our philosophy this year is to improve one per cent each day, so all the guys are working to get one per cent better every day – whether that’s looking at film or the play book, going for a jog, eating and sleeping right or throwing the ball around with their friends.

“It’s a very manageable goal, and they have all bought into it and given it their all. The play-offs are in a couple of weeks, and if they do that they will be around 20 per cent better than they were at the home tournament.

“It’s a testament to their commitment to the sport. A lot of the guys are new to the sport this year, we’ve had a good uptake from Highland Rugby Club who have been really supportive of us this year, and they have just excelled.”

That connection with Highland Rugby Club may have been a somewhat unexpected one for 2024, given that historically there have been no links between the clubs.

There is something of a track record of one leading to the other in Inverness though, as Jamie Gillan currently turns out for the New York Giants in the NFL having started out in sport in Highland RFC’s youth set-up.

It is a bonus that has proven valuable this year though, culminating with Canal Park playing host to the Wildcats’ home tournament last weekend.

“They have always been very different sports, so I think rugby and American football have always had somewhat sour feelings towards each other,” Senior reasoned.

“There has never been that crossover before, but this year a couple of our guys used their off-season to go and play a little bit of rugby.

“Because our seasons run back-to-back, they decided to stay fit in the off-season by playing rugby at Highland, and in doing that they got speaking to a lot of their teammates and coaches.

“They were interested, so they came across and gave us a try in their off-season, so now we have guys who can play collision sports all year round.

“It’s working quite nicely, and off the back of that we were able to host our home tournament at Highland’s wonderful facility, so we have to say thanks to them for hosting us.”

The Wildcats can now look forward to play-off matches against the Chorley Buccaneers and the Manchester Titans next month, but as well as looking forward their latest title triumph provides an opportunity to reflect.

Having formed in 1999, it is appropriate that success has followed in the club’s 25th year.

Senior has been involved since the first few years of the Wildcats’ existence, and he says securing their latest title was the perfect way to celebrate.

“It was great for those who have been involved since the start to see these guys still going at it, and paying tribute to the fact we’re turning 25 years old,” Senior added.

“It’s no mean feat to reach 25 years, especially in a sport like American football which can be so expensive. Being able to get that funding and making the sport accessible for kids for so long is a huge achievement.

“All the former coaches and management who were absolutely committed to keeping it going has made sure that American football has a home in the Highlands for years to come.

“We are probably the most successful youth set-up in the country now. We have 11 Scottish titles, three national titles and hoping for a fourth this year, and that’s on top of the accolades we’ve had for various flag teams over the years.

“It really is quite a legacy that we’re beginning to hold on to.”

Do you want to respond to this article? If so, click here to submit your thoughts and they may be published in print.