Will White, General Manager of the Coventry Cassidy Jets, has announced that the reigning British Champions have accepted an invitation to play the USA Eagles in Las Vegas, Nevada in December this year.
"We're aiming to become the first British team to beat the Eagles" stated the ambitious White "It'll also show us where we're at over the off-season as we build for our 2010 European campaign".
USA Eagles Head Coach, Rudy Wyland, expressed great appreciation for the Jets commitment towards the event. "The Jets have been in the playoffs of the BAFL Premier Division each year since moving up from the Division I ranks and are viewed as one of the best run and most competitive teams in Britain. We look forward to both a high level of competition from the Jets as well as an opportunity to extend our friendship to their players, coaches and fans."
The USA Eagles are a representative team made up of players from across the US that haven't quite made it into the pro ranks so the match should provide a stiff test for the Jets. Previous squads have boasted alumni from such established football powerhouses as the University of Miami, USC, Florida State and Alabama.
The venue for the game will be the impressive 36,800 seat Sam Boyd Stadium, home of the University of Nevada Las Vegas Rebels.
Whilst they've never met the Jets before Wyland's team have twice hosted the Farnham Fast Lane Knights, most recently winning 52-0 in Mesquite last December. Their previous meeting was a much closer affair with the Knights on the wrong end of a 15-3 scoreline in 2006. The Eagles are no stranger to Coventry however, in 2004 they handed the Great Britain Bulldogs a 62-0 thrashing at the Butts Park Arena.
White is confident that his team will be ready for the challenge "2009 has been a tough year for us, we started a rebuilding process after taking the title last year but our efforts were somewhat derailed at the start of this season. Gerry's return has helped get us back on track and we're now making tremendous strides both on and off the field".