SAINTS ANNOUNCE MOVE
TO TILSLEY PARK
As the Oxford Saints
continue to grow, newly-elected Chairman
Andrew Peart announces that the team will be playing home games at Tilsley Park in 2016.
The well-situated venue in Abingdon is just a short journey from the club’s current home at Abingdon Rugby Club and will provide an
excellent opportunity to host American Football games in the upcoming season.
With a huge amount of renovations, Tilsley Park will become
a great home for our players and fans and allows us to keep building a stronger
club for Oxfordshire.
Guests will be able to take advantage of an easy-to-access
location, plenty of free parking, covered seating and a bar/kitchen area available
on match days.
With a brand new 4G pitch being installed and excellently
equipped changing rooms, players for the Saints and our visiting opponents will
be in store for a memorable season in our debut year at Tilsley Park.
Adding to the experience further, the availability of a PA
box and speaker system will allow us to provide in-game commentary and music,
with many more ideas in the pipeline.
Speaking on this breaking development, Chairman Andrew Peart
added:
“2016 is an enormously exciting year for the Saints, both on and off
the field. We have a talented roster that improves every year, a dedicated and
knowledgeable coaching staff, a dynamic committee & a rapidly expanding and
passionate fan base.
Our challenge is to build on our potential as an organisation and this
announcement is a key milestone in the continuing growth of American Football
in Oxford.”
As popularity for American Football in the UK continues to
rise with no sign of slowing down, the Saints have enjoyed a period of
increased player numbers, media interest and a growing fan base.
Under new management, the Oxford Saints committee are
overseeing a vast modernisation of the club and a new venue was at the top of
the list. Abingdon Rugby Club is expected to remain as the training venue for
the Saints and has been a great home over the last few years.
Andrew Peart continues:
“Our move to Tilsley Park represents exactly the kind of progress we’re
looking to make.
We want our supporters to have the best game-day experience possible, our
players to have the best playing facilities possible and the wider Oxfordshire
community to have the best opportunity to become part of the Saints family.
We firmly believe that our new facility will provide all of these
things & I’d encourage as many people as possible to come & experience
the excitement of a Saints games at Tilsley.”
With work on the new pitch expected to be completed on
schedule, the venue will be ready just in time for the start of the Oxford
Saints season.
Expect an announcement over the next two weeks with all our
2016 game dates.
The good news
continued this week…
Saints quarterback Ben
Denton, 26, began chemotherapy treatment at a specialist unit at the Churchill Hospital in Headington in September after being
diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.
The Saints had lost Denton from his regular role in the
weeks leading up to their crunch Division
II South West Conference play-offs last August in which they fell to a
50-13 defeat to Sussex Thunder at Brighton Rugby Ground.
However, despite only having undergone treatment four months
ago, Denton is set to return to the Saints’ roster this season, according to club
chairman, Andrew Peart.
Ben was having an outstanding career in his first season at
QB, leading the club to a 6-2 regular season record, with two spectacular
shoot-outs against the high powered Bristol
Apache.
Ben is also greatly admired for his own charity work, having
run several marathons for children with cancer over the past few years.
Andrew Peart said “Ben Denton has registered with us this year
and was undergoing light training with the squad in recent weeks. He
was diagnosed with a really serious condition so it’s absolutely fantastic that
he’s able to potentially start the season with the squad. He’s been so brave
that we’re thrilled to see him up and about. He should be in the team, he’s a
massive part of what the Saints are all about.”
Now in remission, it will be down to Ben to decide how much
he wants to do in his first season back with the Saints. He is keen to get back
and support quarterback David McCormack,
who took charge of the offense in Ben's absence.
With preseason training in full swing and over 80 registered
players, including a boost from some returning veterans missing in 2015, Ben
will be re-joining a powerful squad.
Andrew Peart added: "The championship is absolutely our aim
this season. We want to be matching our ability at the end of the season. We
know it’s a realistic aim.”
The squad’s star running back #7 James Walter has also made a big impression in the off-season after
securing a spot in the GB Lions
team.
The Saints fended off interest from other clubs in Walter
over the close season after he recorded 14 touchdowns and 1100 rushing yards in
eight games last season, as he took the Saints into the play-offs.
The Saints would like to thank all the messages of support
to Ben, his team and his family. Special mention to the Peterborough Saxons who put tremendous effort into raising money
for Bloodwise, the leukaemia
research charity.
The Saints will be donating half of all ticket sales to our Super Bowl Party this weekend to
Bloodwise, and it will be our nominated charity for 2016 with more fundraising
efforts being planned.
