| 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
http://istoricalallery.fotopic.net/p28624344.html
"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!!" |