Steph Wyant update
Last year, we shared a story from American Football player, Steph Wyant, who received funding from our Elite Sponsorship Fund to help with the costs of training and equipment in this less than typical sport. Today, we’re pleased to update you with news of Steph’s journey in 2024.
When we last caught up with Steph, her GB Team were halfway through the European Championships, which was played over two years. They typically play one home game and one away game, each year. At the time of writing, last April, team GB were 1-1, having beaten Sweden 40-0, but losing narrowly to Germany away 26-27. Their next game was set to be against the undefeated side, Spain, and then against the current European Champions, Finland. Not an easy end to the Championship.
Photo by Geoff White: gw-images.com
We’re delighted to share with you, Team GB came second, bringing home a silver medal, having narrowly lost to the Spanish team.
So, what’s next for Steph and team GB? Steph tells us: “We are just about to enter another European Championships cycle with our first game at home at the end of August 2025 against Finland. It will be a rematch of the game we won almost exactly a year before to narrowly beat Finland to silver medal position, so it is sure to be a great contest!”
Steph took a few moments from her busy schedule to answer a few more questions for us.
How many teams are there in the UK’s women’s American Football league?
“My local team Solent Thrashers compete in the Premiership 9s league which is the highest level of women's American Football in the country. This league consists of 5 teams across the whole of the UK. There are a further 7 teams in the National 7s league and a number of up and coming associate teams hoping to join competitively in the
near future. The hope is to continue to grow the sport with more teams and larger squad sizes to eventually create 11 a side league (which is the full format similar to what you will see in the NFL) whilst maintaining accessible participation levels for all experience levels and abilities.”
When does the season run from and to and how often do you play?
“Contact season is the summer so games run from around April to July with playoffs and finals in August/September. This makes it a great off-season sport for rugby, soccer, hockey etc players to keep their fitness and contact training up over off season; there are lots of transferable skills. All whilst working on some questionable tan lines from the kit of course!”
Can you tell us more about the Solent Trashers?
“Last season was our first year competing in the highest league in the country and we proved that we can hold our own. We put points on all teams we played including some well-established clubs. Having played our first game of the new 2025/26 season recently and winning 44-0 against Manchester Titans, we are hoping to build on our success of last year and really make our mark on the league this year.”
Have you seen a growth in number of teams and the quality of players, in your time playing American Football?
“When I started, all teams were playing 5 a side which is a very limited format of the game. Although the growth has been gradual, it has been great to see the first fully established 9s league come to fruition. There is still a way to go to compete with the likes of USA and Finland who have full 11s leagues, but we are heading in the right direction. It is also brilliant to see the next generation of ballers coming through, some of whom have been playing mixed unders for years before I had even started the sport. The future is looking very bright!”
What was that like representing the UK?
“Incredible! Representing Team GB alongside a squad of powerful, inspirational women is amazing. It is not something I ever dreamed I would be able to do and it is such an honour to pull on that jersey every training camp, game or event we attend!”
You recently joined us at an event at the civil service Charities and Partners week. Can you tell us about that?
“It was a great privilege to be invited to join CSSC at Charities and Partners Week at the Cabinet Office. I was invited to speak about how CSSC’s support has helped me achieve my sporting goals whilst balancing it with full time work in the public sector. It
was wonderful to meet other organisations and find out more about the work they are doing to support Civil Servants in a wide variety of ways.”
Do you have any advice for anyone who may want to get into a physical sport like American Football?
“Don't overthink it, just go along to a session and see if you like it. American Football has such a community spirit, I guarantee whichever club you turn up to, there will be friendly faces and they will welcome you with open arms. There is never an expectation of you knowing anything or having any experience, so coaches will show you the basics and teach you how to participate safely. Just go for it you have nothing to lose and it might be the best decision you ever make!”
You can read our original story of Steph here. If you’d like more information on applying for funding from one of our sports funds, find out more on our dedicated webpage.
