Jason Scott

Following my early forced retirement, I took up coaching at Loughborough, and was made Defensive Line coach for the 2003 and 2004 seasons, then, when our Head Coach Andy Sweeney stepped down, I applied, and - two months later - was appointed as his successor.

At that point Coach Sweeney was the most successful coach in British Collegiate history, so I was understandably nervous at taking the helm of the Loughborough Aces. I had such a great time playing for the team, and wanted to make sure that the next generation of students the the opportunity to have as much fun as I had. I was careful to carefully consider the heritage of the program, whilst bringing aspects of the team up to date. Enjoyment was crucial to our success - I believed that student-athletes are much more likely to stick with the sport if they were having a good time. If they were happy, they'd practice more. If they practised more, we'd win more games. If we won more games, they team would be very happy, and the cycle would continue.

We won our first game 45-7 against the Nottingham Outlaws on the way to an undefeated regular season, before being edged out 21-14 in the Northern Conference by the Teesside Cougars. I was named as the British American Football Coaches Association 'Coach of the Year', and was chosen to lead the Northern Conference All Stars in the annual 'North vs. South' game. It was a busy summer, as I was also asked to help set up the Tamworth Phoenix - a fledgling senior league side based in the West Midlands (link to Tamworth Page)

The following year we went one better, and made the national final, after another undefeated season - one in which we beat three previous champions along the way. Unfortunately the Bristol Bullets were the better team on the final Sunday of the season and comfortably beat us 31-14. That year we had 15 Aces make the flight out to the United States, as the Great Britain Bulldogs played a series of exhibition games across the West Coast of America. I too received international honours, as I was given a chance to join the GB seniors staff, as they prepared for the European Championships (link to GB page). 

A 5-3 season followed, followed by a 6-2 record, in which Loughborough were beaten in the Northern Conference again - this time by the Newcastle Raiders who were the Nation's best ranked offense at the time. In 2010 Loughborough won the Northern Conference, but were beaten by the Birmingham Lions in the National Final, for their third consecutive title. It would be the Lions who would close out my Aces career, as an undefeated season was unceremoniously ended at the semi-final stage.

I also played a part in organising further opportunities for Loughborough students to expand their knowledge of the game, through outreach and volunteering opportunities. The most notable event was the 'Matt Hampson Bowl', in which the team was invited to compete in a one-off charity game against a reformed team from the Leicester Panthers - the 1996 National Champions. The game was played at Welford Road, home of the Leicester Tigers rugby team and featured Martin Johnson - England's Rugby World Cup winning captain - who used to play for the Panthers in his youth. The game attracted nearly 10,000 spectators as we raised over £40,000 for the Matt Hampson Trust. 

The following year, Loughborough University hosted a tri-nations tournament, with Great Britain, Sweden and Australia all taking part. As the host team, the Aces were asked to provide a warm-up game for Gridiron Australia before the tournament proper began. Against a bigger, more experienced opponent, the students held their own, even taking the lead at the beginning of the second half, but were unable to hold on, losing 27-22. 

I am extremely proud of my time at Loughborough, not only did we win a lot of games, but looking around the British Leagues now, there are still a lot of players playing and now coaching - continuing their football careers, and giving back to the game. When I got married last summer, I was delighted to have over 30 former players come along and share in our day. This cycle seems to continue, as every time there's an 'Aces wedding' - there's a throng of former players and coaches enjoying the celebrations.

I consider myself blessed and priviledged to have coached some fantastic players, and worked with great coaches - I learned something from each and every player I worked with, and acquired a new wrinkle, new thought or new style from every coach. I believe that I am the sum of my total experiences, and without the people I met at Loughborough, I would not be the coach I am today.