Changes in Latitudes: Pregaming the Eastern 18s

“There's somethin' about this Sunday, It's a most peculiar gray; strollin' down the avenue, that's known as A1A.” – Jimmy Buffett

Well the weather will hopefully not be gray and peculiar this weekend, despite some thunderstorms in the forecast, but some mighty fine football will be taking place not far from Florida Route A1A this Saturday.

Nearly 100 players from clubs up and down the East Coast will take to the lush and beautiful pitch at Central Broward Park Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, as the USAFL Regional Tournament Series begins with the Eastern 18’s.  In all, four teams will do battle in a round robin tournament, with players from other clubs filling out the rosters. 

This will be the first hit-out for the New York Magpies in their title defense, and they’ll be joined by five members from the Philadelphia Hawks to make up their side.  It will be an early challenge to see where their team is as they look to repeat, but captain Mike Murphy is confident his team will be up for it.

"Sunshine and footy, not much more one could ask for,” said Murphy, simply.

The ‘Pies won’t be the only reigning premiers in Florida this weekend, as the North Carolina Tigers come into the season fresh off a Divvy Four title, their club’s first.  Though the game against New York will arguably be the toughest, captain Nick Camilleri thinks they’ll match up well against the other teams.

“The Tigers have had a really solid first month of training with Coach Wes MacAllister putting the boys through their paces,” he said.  “We're travelling a very strong squad down to Florida and have a lot of confidence that we can put together some very good football against some of the best in the Eastern USAFL.”

Hosts Fort Lauderdale, meanwhile, are looking to make a statement of their own on home turf, and will be bringing a full squad and them some to the oval on Saturday.  Fighting Squids’ President Tom Hecker is hoping for a good performance on the field, but also for the tournament to be an overall success for everyone involved.

“The Squids are excited about the tournament as we’ve increasingly developed each year and we’re looking forward to starting off the 2015 season with a successful Eastern Regionals,” Hecker said.

Finally, the St. Petersburg Starfish, part of the Tampa Bay ARFC, look to get their first Regionals experience and are expected to bring a full squad of their own.  This is a developing season for Tampa, as they make their full debut in 2016, but this Saturday should be a good barometer of where their recruits are, and a good result should bring them confidence as they build for next season.

In addition to the full squads that will take place, the regionals will be a chance for the players coming in from other cities to get an early competitive run of their own, while gaining invaluable experience of playing with other clubs.

The action begins at 2pm with the field opening at 1.  Games will take place on the hour with the final match beginning under the lights at 8pm.  Each club plays three matches, with the best record taking home the title.  Maguire’s, club sponsor of the Squids, will host the awards ceremony beginning at 10pm, and is just a short drive from the ground.

Here is the complete schedule:

2pm – North Carolina v New York/Philly
3pm – Ft. Lauderdale v St. Petersburg
4pm – St. Petersburg v North Carolina
5pm – Break
6pm – Ft. Lauderdale v North Carolina
7pm – St. Petersburg v New York/Philly
8pm – Ft. Lauderdale v New York/Philly
10pm – Awards at Maguire’s, Ft. Lauderdale

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