Great Britain U19 National American Football Team: A Historical Overview (1989–2024)

🏈 Origins as the “Crusaders” (1989–1999)

The Great Britain U19 national team began its international journey in 1989 under the name Crusaders. Their earliest fixtures, such as those against Milwaukee (USA), showcased the team’s ambition to compete at a high international level. Though many of these early games ended in defeat, the experience gained was invaluable for the program’s long-term development.

Key highlights during the Crusaders era include:

• A dominant 40–14 win over Milwaukee in 1991.
• Close-fought European Junior Championship (EJC) contests in Berlin, 1994, where the team registered a draw with Austria and a win over Denmark.
• The team competed regularly in both the Trans-Atlantic Challenge events and European tournaments, facing the best of Europe and North America.

Despite facing powerful opposition and experiencing more losses than wins, the Crusaders laid the foundation for what would become a more competitive and structured national program.

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Rebirth as the “Lions” (2000–Present)

In 2000, the team rebranded as the Great Britain Lions, marking a new era of identity and ambition. The name change coincided with renewed participation in the EJC and EJCQ competitions.

2000s: Growth and Testing

Under head coach Simon Newnham, the Lions faced tough competition in European tournaments:

• They recorded a massive 40–0 win over Holland in 2000.
• However, this decade was marked by heavy losses to elite teams like Germany, France, and Finland, demonstrating the gap between Britain and the continental powerhouses at the time.

2010s: Mixed Success and Promising Signs

The Lions saw significant fluctuations in performance:

• Under Steve Rains, the team had notable wins such as:
  • 42–2 against Poland (2009)
  • 18–0 against Czech Republic (2010)
• Damien Anderson guided the team to a 35–14 win over Italy in 2012 and a narrow loss to Serbia, reflecting growing competitiveness.
• The latter part of the decade saw difficult defeats to France, Norway, and Holland, indicating ongoing challenges at the elite European level.

2020s: Modernization and Recovery

Under current head coach Scott Rowe, the Lions appear to be gaining momentum:

• In 2022, they achieved a solid 28–14 win over Spain in the EJC.
• A competitive draw with Paderborn Dolphins (2024) and a 35–8 victory over the Irish Wolfhounds (2024) suggest renewed strength and depth in the squad.
• Despite a heavy 0–34 loss to Italy in 2023, the team’s development trajectory under Rowe is positive.

Known results

Date	Where	Game Location	Event	TeamA	ScoreA	ScoreB	TeamB	W/L	Head Coach	More Info
04-Nov-1989	UK	Derby	TA Challenge	Crusaders	8	28	Milwaukee	L	Bill Hartley	GAMEDAY
30-Oct-1990	USA	Milwaukee	TA Challenge	Crusaders	0	28	Milwaukee	L	Norm Killion	GAMEDAY
01-Sep-1991	UK	Lakenheath	Friendly	Crusaders	38	9	Lakenheath	W	Bill Hartley
10-Nov-1991	UK	Derby	TA Challenge	Crusaders	40	14	Milwaukee	W	Bill Hartley	GAMEDAY
14-Jun-1992	USA	Milwaukee	TA Challenge	Crusaders	0	28	Milwaukee	L	Gary Marshall
01-Sep-1992	France	Toulon	EJC	Crusaders	6	7	France	L	Gary Marshall
05-Sep-1992	France	Toulon	EJC	Crusaders	0	40	Italy	L	Gary Marshall
07-Nov-1993	UK	Leicester	TA Challenge	Crusaders	0	24	Milwaukee	L	Mike Reeves?
04-Aug-1994	Germany	Berlin	EJC	Crusaders	6	6	Austria	T	Mike Reeves
06-Aug-1994	Germany	Berlin	EJC	Crusaders	13	12	Denmark	W	Mike Reeves
10-Aug-1994	Germany	Berlin	EJC	Crusaders	28	44	France	L	Mike Reeves
12-Aug-1994	Germany	Berlin	EJC	Crusaders	20	0	Austria	W	Mike Reeves
02-Nov-1995	USA	Milwaukee	TA Challenge	Crusaders	tbc	tbc	Milwaukee	L	Mike Reeves ?
14-Apr-1996	UK	White Hart Lane	EJCQ	Crusaders	23	28	Switzerland	L	Mike Reeves
16-Jun-1996	UK	Crystal Palace	Friendly	Crusaders	14	57	Mount St Josephs	L	Jim Messenger
02-Nov-1996	UK	London	Friendly	Crusaders	12	42	Team USA	L	Graham Thorpe
31-May-1998	UK	London	EJCQ	Crusaders	54	0.0	Norway	W	Graham Jessett
04-Aug-1998	Germany	Dussledorf	EJC	Crusaders	0	52	France	L	Graham Jessett
06-Aug-1998	Germany	Wuppertal	EJC	Crusaders	7	49	Finland	L	Graham Jessett
09-Aug-1998	Germany	Dussledorf	EJC	Crusaders	0	18	Switzerland	L	Graham Jessett
??-???-1998	UK?		TAC	Crusaders			Team USA		Greg Crease
06-May-2000	UK	Leicester	EJCQ	Lions	40	0	Holland	W	Simon Newnham
30-Jul-2000	Germany	Berlin	EJC	Lions	7	53	Germany	L	Simon Newnham
01-Aug-2000	Germany	Berlin	EJC	Lions	0	31	Finland	L	Simon Newnham
05-Aug-2000	Germany	Berlin	EJC	Lions	27	32	France	L	Simon Newnham
29-Jul-2002	UK	Cumbernauld	EJC	Lions	14	21	France	L	Simon Newnham
01-Aug-2002	UK	Cumbernauld	EJC	Lions	6	34	Germany	L	Simon Newnham
03-Aug-2002	UK	Cumbernauld	EJC	Lions	26	29	Czech	L	Simon Newnham
17-Nov-2003	Holland		Friendly	Lions	0	17	Holland	L	Simon Newnham
30-Oct-2004	UK	London	Friendly	Lions	13	40	Germany	L	Simon Newnham
31-Oct-2009	Poland	Gdansk	Friendly	Lions	42	2	Poland	W	Steve Rains
05-Dec-2009	UK	Filton	Friendly	Lions	6	8	Filton	L	Steve Rains
29-May-2010	Holland	Utrecht	EJCQ	Lions	18	13	Holland	W	Steve Rains
20-Aug-2010	Serbia	Kragujavac	EJCQ	Lions	12	13	Serbia	L	Steve Rains
22-Aug-2010	Serbia	Kragujavac	EJCQ	Lions	18	0	Czech	W	Steve Rains
07-Sep-2012	Italy	Rome	EJCQ	Lions	3	31	Serbia	L	Damien Anderson
09-Oct-2012	Italy	Rome	EJCQ	Lions	35	14	Italy	W	Damien Anderson
26-Oct-2013	UK	Gateshead	Friendly	Lions	28	14	Holland	W	Damien Anderson
11-Apr-2015	UK	Filton	EJCQ	Lions	15	21	Finland	W	Damien Anderson
06-May-2015	Denmark	Vejle	EJCQ	Lions	21	0	Russia	L	Damien Anderson
08-May-2015	Denmark	Vejle	EJCQ	Lions	19	31	Denmark	L	Damien Anderson
17-Nov-2018	Holland	Arnhem	Friendly	Lions	6	29	Holland	L	Jason Henry
23-Feb-2019	France	Amiens	Friendly	Lions	7	60	France	L	Neil McMasters
30-Mar-2019	UK	Leeds	EJCQ	Lions	12	30	Norway	L	Neil McMasters
06-Jul-2022	Italy	Bologna	EJC	Lions	11	22	Finland	L	Scott Rowe
09-Jul-2022	Italy	Bologna	EJC	Lions	28	14	Spain	W	Scott Rowe
01-Apr-2023	Italy	Milan	EJC	Lions	0	34	Italy	L	Scott Rowe
01-Mar-2024	Germany	Paderborn	Friendly	Lions	16	16	Paderborn Dolphins	T	Scott Rowe
24-Aug-2024	Ireland	Dublin	Friendly	Lions	35	8	Irish Wolfhounds	W	Scott Rowe