BAFL: The Cassidy Jets No More...

By Adam Etheridge

Whatever happens in Doncaster on September the 27th, one thing is for sure, the name Coventry Cassidy Jets won’t appear on the Boston Trophy this year. In a surprise announcement Jets’ General Manager Will White revealed that the lucrative naming rights deal with the Cassidy Group had come to an end. The announcement ends a partnership that had lasted four years and seen the Jets rise through the ranks to become one of Europe’s premier teams.

“We’ve made some incredible strides and achieved our goal of becoming National Champions with the Cassidy Group onboard” explained White, “It’s a sad day that we announce the end of their association with the club but it’s also an exciting time as we move forward and look to retain our title on Sunday”. The change means that the Jets revert back to their old name, Coventry Jets, and have another new logo, their fifth in the club’s six year history.

White also announced that the Club are still actively seeking new backing but are currently in advanced negotiations with two potential sponsors. “It’s looking pretty promising” stated White “we’ve been talking to a couple of firms for a little while and have made some excellent progress. I’m optimistic that one will be our headline sponsor for some time to come and that the other will also become a strong partner for the club. We’re always looking for fresh sponsorship, be it a gameday sponsor or even a company looking to individually sponsor a player”.

The new logo sees the removal of the swoosh under the name as well as a move to a darker shade of blue, meaning that the colours of the Cassidy Group will no longer feature. “The majority of fans never really went for the yellow in the logo or on the jersey’s sleeves so I’m sure it will prove more popular amongst them. The focus groups that we’ve already consulted helped us make a few tweaks and I’m sure the merchandise will be flying off the sleeves thanks to it”.

Preparations for Britbowl XXIII continue apace for the Jets and Head Coach Gerry McManus. The Championship game sees the Jets face up to the London Blitz for the third straight year as the pair continue to dominate British American Football. In two match ups so far this season the Blitz have won easily 28-0 and 32-0, however, they’re yet to face a full strength Jets team and with Mark Connolly returning to the defensive line Coventry should match up well against the overwhelming favourites.

“We went into Britbowl XXII with a 100% record and were expected to win comfortably after a convincing victory over the Blitz in the regular season” stated departing Jets’ Secretary Adam Etheridge, “but we all know that it didn’t turn out to be that easy and we had to fight for every yard against a well prepared Blitz team. This year the roles are reversed and I’m confident that if we execute our gameplan to perfection we can cause the upset. Coach Moss will have his boys ready to play and it will be a fierce contest that should go right to the wire”.


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