Louth Mavericks rise from college beginnings to national contenders

In a county where soccer and GAA top the sporting popularity polls, you could be surprised to find a group of athletes putting on shoulder pads and helmets in Dundalk.

The Louth Mavericks are a member of the Irish American Football League (IAFA) and have built a reputation as one of Ireland’s most resilient American football teams.

They were founded over a decade ago and have faced their fair share of challenges but consistently came out the other side stronger.

In an interview with Mavericks President, Alex Simms, we looked back at the team's origins, rise, and place in the growing community of Irish American football.

The Mavericks' journey began in 2012 when a group of friends at Dundalk Institute of Technology (DKIT) followed their passion for American football and formed the team.

Simms told the Dundalk Democrat: “The Louth Mavericks were formed in 2012 (as the Dundalk Mavericks) by a group of DKIT students, many of whom are still involved to this day.

“Initially they formed as a college club within DKIT but soon found that college registration restrictions would see them struggle to attract enough players to form a team.

“So they became an independent team associated with DKIT. The college link remains strong with the team still training in DKIT.  

“The team spent the entirety of the year in 2013 just training before being accepted into the Irish American Football League Division 2 in 2014.

“In their inaugural season, they went 4 (wins) -2 (loses) finishing second and losing the Bowl game to the Tyrone Titans.

“Since then, the Mavs have grown into a well-established team within the league and even played one season in the Premier Division in 2018," said Simms.

"Currently, we ply our trade in Division 1 and hope to return to the Premier Division again soon.”

After the unfortunate disbanding of another local team, Drogheda Lightning, the Mavericks used this as an opportunity to expand their brand.

The team decided to rebrand themselves as the Louth Mavericks and represent the county as opposed to only the town of Dundalk.

Simms said: “The team has grown considerably since its inception. The Dundalk Mavericks were a small development club at its outset serving the local community interest in American football but after the Drogheda Lightning were disbanded in 2015.

“The club saw the opportunity to grow their player base and catchment area and so rebranded to the Louth Mavericks and thus opened themselves up to the wider Dundalk area.”

The move allowed the Mavericks to not only grow their roster but also expand their community involvement.

As the club continued to evolve they began drawing players from neighbouring counties Monaghan, Meath, Armagh, and north Dublin.

Simms said: “Since then we have branched out further and now draw players in from Monaghan, Meath, Armagh & even North Dublin.

“We have also grown in terms of community support, in the past maybe a handful of players' family members or girlfriends would be on the sidelines (shout-out to my wife Cathy, who was regularly our only fan in attendance).

“Now we typically have a core fan base of 30-50 fans who come down to Mill Road whenever we play to cheer us on and it's a great boost for us.”

American football is still considered a niche sport in Ireland. However, the popularity of the NFL has brought increasing awareness to teams like the Mavericks.

Simms reflected on how perceptions of the sport have changed over the years. 

He said: “While we're still very much in the minority, the rising popularity of the NFL has definitely given people more awareness of American football which I think makes people see us as a "real" team.

“Whereas in the early days, many people would ridicule us for playing American football in Ireland now when people learn about us they are still often surprised but ask questions out of interest rather than bemusement.”

Community support has been important for the Maverick's growth as they continue to try to establish a community presence. 

Simms said: “Our Community support is huge for us, we draw off the energy (and snacks) our fans bring on game days.

“The community is always there to support us and I think that is down to our own work in the community with local Charity events we've hosted and putting out content through local media such as Dundalk FM, who broadcasted a game of ours live or even this interview with the Dundalk Democrat so we'd like to thank those local outlets for their support.”

Local businesses have also been key to their success, with sponsorship from places like the Bayview Tavern, Blackrock, providing vital financial support.

The Mavericks also rely on smaller game-day sponsors and annual bucket collections to keep the team running throughout the season.

“We have our main sponsor, the Bayview Tavern, in Blackrock who provide us with vital financial support and also host our club events so we thank them for their contributions over the years.

“We also have smaller gameday sponsors who help fill in the gaps but by far our greatest support is the local community usually via our annual bucket collection.

“This is an integral part of our club fundraising but also acts as a great way to raise awareness of the clubs' existence within the local community too. We also draw support from the County Council via small club grants they make available to help grow the club.

Looking ahead, the Louth Mavericks are aiming high and recently made a big statement by hiring a new head coach, Ty Henry. 

Ty is a former college football linebacker from the U.S. who led the Dublin Rebels to a Shamrock Bowl championship as a quarterback in 2022.

Simms said: This season we have made a big addition at Head Coach, hiring Ty Henry who is a former college football linebacker in America and led the Dublin Rebels to the Shamrock bowl championship in 2022 as quarterback.

“Ty brings with him a wealth of experience and knowledge so we hope he can lead us to great things. Our immediate goal is to win the Harp Bowl this year and return to the Premier Division for the second time in our history.”

The Mavericks have had several standout moments throughout their history but one still stands out for Simms: the 2017 IAFL1 Bowl victory against the Craigavon Cowboys.

“The 2017 IAFL1 bowl win against the Craigavon Cowboys is a standout moment for any Maverick who was involved back then and probably the high point of the club's history,” he said.

“It was a game in which we were underdogs and we trailed in the 4th Quarter only to come back and win it late to win the first and only silverware in the club's history.”

Simms's role as president has been a rewarding but challenging one. He said: "I joined the Mavericks board in 2019 joining as PR Officer and enjoyed working together with the rest of the board and helping to run the club.

“However also in 2019 our then President, Aidan Maguire left the club to become AFI President and left a large hole to fill, during the COVID years we endured two cancelled seasons.

“After a succession of short-term presidents I became more and more active in the running of the club and facing the challenge of keeping the club alive after two dormant years I decided to run for president.

“It wasn't easy by any stretch, we had to voluntarily demote ourselves to the bottom division as we had low numbers due to a number of veteran players deciding not to return after two years off. With the help of the rest of the board, we recruited new blood and started fresh in Division Two.

“Our progress was encouraging and we even enticed some retirees back to the squad, we lost in the Division Two final that year but we had a very positive outlook for the health of the club and were also promoted that year.

“The following year we upset the odds to finish second in the league and were narrowly defeated in the bowl game by a strong UL team.”

Now, as the Mavericks look forward to the upcoming season, Simms has announced his decision to step down as president, though he will remain an active player.

“My work as president has been massively rewarding, taking the club from the brink of collapse to where we are now, which has been the highlight of my time with the Mavericks. The work put in to get us to this point has been hard but it made the successes all the sweeter.

“However I am stepping down as club president at the next AGM as my wife and I are welcoming a new addition to the family (hopefully a future Maverick in 18 years time) so I have made the difficult decision to move aside and focus more time on my family.

“I will continue to play for the Mavericks and support the board however I can. There are no requirements at all to join, just come down and join us at any training session (usually Sunday's at 10 am at DKIT) or reach out on social media where we are @LouthMavericks.

“We are always recruiting new players but if that isn't for you we always welcome coaches, volunteers and fans, again contact us on social media to see how you can help us reach our goals and always #BewareTheBull.