Bristol Aztecs offensive coordinator James Wilford, has revealed that the Bristol-based American football team are planning to turn semi-final heartbreak into Britbowl glory this season.
The Aztecs, led by head coach Pete Jones, have never won the top UK title, but have their eyes set on Britbowl XXXVI when their season begins in April.
Jones’ side have been knocked out at the semi-final stage the past two seasons by the teams that have contested the past two championship games, the London Warriors, and Manchester Titans.
Only eight of the 35 Britbowl championships have been won by teams outside of London and Manchester, but Wilford believes that the Aztecs have what it takes to compete with the big boys.
Congratulations to Manchester Titans as they book a place in the Britbowl Final with a 39v17 Home win over Bristol Aztecs in the Prem Semi Finals. pic.twitter.com/JshRZuyv88
— Sportank (@sportankmedia) September 3, 2023
“We’ve had two good years now, we’ve had competitive games over the last two seasons with the last two finalists.
“So for us, we need to take that next step, we have one goal this season, and that’s to win the Britbowl.
“That starts in the regular season, winning our regular season games, being the number one seed and hopefully having the opportunity to then host a playoff game,” said Wilford.
“That’s the goal for the year, to win the bowl and the best way to do that is to host a playoff game, be the number one seed and push on from there.”
In preparation for the upcoming season, the Aztecs will test themselves against European competition, travelling to the Netherlands to face the Amsterdam Crusaders on April 13. Wilford believes that the trip could shape their season.
“We actually start quite late compared to most of the other Premiership teams,” he told Park Life Sport.
“A lot of other Premiership teams start in January or early February, but we only start training this weekend.
“We felt that we weren’t quite ready for the London Blitz away game, which was our second game last year, and we lost that game, so it’s important for us to have a real testing preseason this season, and fortunately we’re able to get away for that.
“We want to play more fixtures in Europe, hopefully that will be something in the future that we can sustain.
“This game is against a team that has a lot of history, and has had a lot of success in Europe and in Dutch football.
“Hopefully that gives us the kind of the level of opposition that we need to be ready for game two this year, which is the London Warriors,” Walford said.
The Aztecs’ 2024 BAFA Premiership South season begins with a trip to play the Cambridgeshire Cats on April 21, before that tasty trip to London.
Their home opener against the Solent Thrashers, and inaugural game at Shaftesbury Park takes place on May 19, the third game week of the season.
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