The Craigavon Cowboys have come to Enniskillen looking for new recruits for their American Football team.

The Portadown-based side that play in the top flight of Ireland’s American Football League welcomed new recruits to the Lakeland Forum at the weekend ahead of the start of a new season.

Founder member of the Craigavon Cowboys, Enniskillen resident Paul Trimble, went down to check out the trialists and was impressed with what he saw.

“They all seemed pretty enthusiastic,” he said. “There were some there who definitely could go on to make the team, with a bit of coaching. It is very different from anything they would have played before, and very different from rugby or Gaelic.

“It was quite a learning experience for a lot of them but they all seemed to really enjoy themselves and they were talking about trying to get up to Portadown.”

Paul was gripped by the American Football bug back in 1985 when the Cowboys were formed, and a year later he was a member of the Cowboys team that won the inaugural Shamrock Bowl – Ireland’s premier American Football competition.

“I played for about four years but eventually took one too many injuries,” Paul recalled.

“American football was quite a big thing at the time and the characters that played the game in America were very popular.

“We won the first Shamrock Bowl, the Irish championship, and we were beaten in the final in the second year.

“Back in the early 1980s, we had no idea of rules, and it was all flying by the seat of your pants! There was no internet to find out anything about the sport, and pads and helmets were like hen’s teeth back then.

“We played flag football at the beginning until we raised enough money through sponsorship and fundraising activities to get the kit. It’s a bit easier now to get information!”

Although Paul’s playing days are now behind him, he is still a big Cowboys fan and attends their matches to cheer on the team.

He firmly believes that anyone looking for a new hobby, or anyone with an interest in the game, should take the leap and get involved.

“It will be different to other sports people have tried,” he explained. “There is a lot more strategy to it. Rugby or soccer or Gaelic is all free-flowing, and you basically follow the ball, but in American football there is a lot more strategy, and it is a lot more mental than a lot of the other sports.

“Anybody that is interested should check it out on social media.

“If you contact the team through their Facebook or Instagram, and express an interest, they will always be keen to hear from you. Portadown is only an hour up the road, and you will see a spectacle that you probably haven’t seen before.”