AYR
BURNERS
Based:
Old Race Course, Ayr, Scotland
Career Record: 8-10-0
Colours: White/Orange/White
Honours: None
1986 BAFL Anglo League Scottish Conference
5-5-0
1987 Budweiser League Division One Scottish
Conference 3-5-0
Team notes: Formed out of the merger between
Ayr Arrows and Irvine Seagulls. Played two seasons in the mid 80's but
made little impression. Finished each season in the middle of their
conference. The following is their
story courtesy of Ryan Buick of Undercenter
Logo

"The Ayr Burners Story
by Jim McGaffney, Ayr Burners
founder
In
late 1984 there were only about three American football teams in
Scotland, These were based in Glasgow and Edinburgh. Always having had
a great interest in the sport I, along with a school friend, were keen
to get involved. Being only 17 and still in my last year of school I
could not afford the travelling costs, and besides which I would have
been to young to play with these teams as the league required that all
player must be 18 or over.
Faced
with these obstacles my friend and I decided that the only answer was
to establish a team locally. This would solve the problem of travel and
by the time the team was set up we would be old enough to play in the
national league. And so with some hard work and more than a few
disappointments Ayr on the west coat of Scotland got itself a football
team, the Ayr Burners (later to be now, and here after referred to as
"The Burners", note the very loose connection with the world-renowned
poet).
It
took all of 1985 to get the team ready for its first competitive
season. During this time the team played limited contact games against
around half a dozen other teams which were just getting started. 1985
was a landmark year for Football in Scotland many of the teams playing
football today were established around this time.
Rookie
Year
The Burners received a valuable injection of players from the Irvine
Seagulls after the team failed to make it to an organisation point that
would allow them to play in the league.
In
our first league game against the Johnstone Crusaders, we played a 4-4
and blitzed on every down. If the offence happened to run the ball, as
a mater of chance, then we were on a run blitz. If the offence were
passing then it was a pass blitz. Oh, how complicated it all was.
On
the offensive side of the ball things weren't much better with the
playbook being made up manly of simple runs and pass. While there is
nothing wrong with simple plays, they have to be well executed. Ours
were not.
This
scenario was repeated by most of the teams in Scotland at that time.
This resulted in scrappy games that weren't very interesting to watch
and not much better to take part in. Despite this, it was fun.
The
Burners disappeared from the face of football in January 1989 in a
merger with the Barrhead Red Hawks to produce the K.L. Rebels. A sad
time indeed.
I
know! Because I was there!!"
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