American football teams in Egypt have been getting more media exposure recently as a result of the consolidation of the Egyptian Federation of American Football to seven teams: German University in Cairo (GUC) Eagles, Cairo Wolves, October University for Modern Sciences and Arts (MSA) Tigers, Hell Hounds, Cairo Bears and American University in Cairo (AUC) Titans. The most outstanding team this year is the GUC Eagles, which has won all its matches. The team was established in June 2011 by three main founders: Mohy Omar and brothers Andrew and John Gabra. It started as a project affiliated to a student club at the GUC called “Big Body” and aimed to introduce a new sport to the university. The Eagles later separated from the Big Body club and is currently an independent team with 80 players. The players are all students and graduates of the university, and head coach Richard Bonds is continuing into the next season with the Eagles team. Bonds came to Egypt specifically to coach the Eagles and help promote American football in the country. Omar, one of the founders and the team's defensive coach, was a player until an injury threatened his career and made him shift to coaching. Coach Terry Bates, the first American football coach to come to Egypt to train players, also works with the Eagles. Mohamed Sadek, the team's general manager, believes that Bates was one of the key factors behind its success over the last season. Sadek also believes in the capabilities of third coach Omar Ebeid, who as well as having played in the Eagles and the Egyptian National Team in the quarterback position is currently one of the team's coaches. “It is safe to say that he is the best quarterback in Egypt and has scored the most touchdown passes and yards,” said Sadek. The team committee has had to fight to overcome various obstacles, however. One of these was fears in the university administration that the sport was too aggressive and might cause injuries to students. The university did not want to take responsibility for student injuries, meaning that the students were required to sign consent forms absolving the university of responsibility should they be harm by their involvement in the sport. “We have also had the problem of not being approved as an official game by the Ministry of Youth and Sports,” Sadek said. The Egyptian Federation of American Football (EFAF), founded in 2014 under President Aly Rafik, has joined the International Federation of American Football (IFAF) which includes nearly 50 other international teams. However, Egypt is a member of the IFAF without having been granted recognition from the ministry concerned. There are only 10 American football teams that have official federations behind them in their countries and are recognised as an official sport by their governments. Such challenges have led to limitations on the funding of the game and pressure on the players to fund the game on their own. This contrasts to the situation with other games, where football and basketball players, for example, are provided with the equipment needed and the grounds to train on, as their games are recognised and affiliated with the Ministry of Youth and Sports. “We are considered a student activity by the university, but we don't have the advantages enjoyed by other teams. This is the case for all American football teams in Egypt,” Sadek said. Despite the challenges the team faces, it may get organisational help and exposure from the EFAF. The team is unlikely to receive funding, however, due to the cost of the equipment needed for the game, added to the fact that such equipment is not manufactured in Egypt and has to be imported from the US. “We have played for three years without the proper equipment due to the high prices and the lack of funding. But we have still been able to play according to the proper rules,” Sadek said. The GUC Eagles management team is now working to find sponsors to fund the team starting from the next season, especially after it played in the first official American Football League in Egypt. While the game is becoming more popular and better promoted, the Eagles team continues to combat stereotypes about the game in Egypt, where some people focus simply on its apparent violence. Sadek believes it is important to present the game in a civilised way, as a way of learning a new sport and culture. Players have a duty to be presentable, to make people love the game and understand its core meaning, he said. After winning the Cairo Hell Hounds tournament in the last official match in the Egyptian Bowl, similar to the Super Bowl in the United States, with a score of 26-12, the Eagles are now ready to move forward. The writer is a graduating senior, 5th year at AUC.
