London Ravens History

Based: Copthorne Stadium, Barnet (also played at Richmond Athletic Ground, Twickenham Road, Richmond)
Career Record: 75-22-1
Colours: Black & Gold
Honours: UK champions 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987

Team Notes: Like so many other British teams, the London Ravens were created out of the overwhelming enthusiasm for football created by the week Channel 4 NFL show, which began in 1982. Just a few weeks after the first show was screened, Rowland Pickering organised a group of would-be Ravens to gather at Speakers Corner inLondon’s Hyde Park. This small band of hopefuls swelled to over 200 after a story went out on a London radio station. Suddenly Hyde Park became as famous for spotting Ravens’ training sessions as it always has been for it’s Speakers’ Corner. It was 1983 before the first formal matches were played – two wins against Northwich Spartans (who later became the Manchester Spartans) and in November a 6-6 tie with the Paris Castors. That was the first ever international match involving a British team, with the Ravens WR Mark Delaney catching a 65 yard bomb to open the scores, while Paris equalised with a TD in the final 2 minutes. There were also two controlled scrimmages against US Air Force base team Chicksands. These last two encounters gave an indication of what was to come. In the first scrimmage, the Ravens held Chicksands to a very close score. In the second scrimmage, Chicksands took the honours much more comfortably. But the Ravens had made their mark. And so too had British football with a crowd at Stamford Bridge for the first game of 4,500.

Read Adam Less's account of the early days of the London Ravens

In 1984 the Black Shadow (as they were to become known) won all ten games they played as British teams began springing up all over the country. They were easily top of that year’s unofficial league table. They played and beat the French champion Paris Sparticus at Windsor 51-0 that year. The Ravens were now shaping up to dominate UK football. The first formal league season began in 1985 and the Londoners beat allcomers with an ease that suggested a long reign as No.1. A 45-7 victory in AFL Summer Bowl I over the Streatham Olympians (now the London O’s) was proof of their power. The game was played at Villa Park in front of a large crowd. In 1985 they also became the first British side to beat an all American team as they defeated USAF Chicksands Chicks 13-12 on the 4th July on their Independence Day festival with touchdowns through Victor Ebudideke and Mark Wynnick.

The Ravens allowed their first american to play for them in 1986, and it was University of Wisconsin QB Ron Roberts Jnr (who also had a try out at the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1986) that was picked after being on the coaching staff in 1985. It was a repeat performance in 1986 as the Ravens joined the Budweiser League and dumped Streatham 20-12 for the title. However, UK football politics robbed them of a place in Eurobowl I. A rival league and not Budweiser was still recognised by the European Football League at this time, so the Birmingham Bulls took the Raven’s place in Holland.