The Coventry Jets roster overhaul continues apace with the latest signing, Carl James, transferring from the London Olympians. Having enjoyed spells at youth level with the spherical football at clubs such as Wimbledon, Millwall and Gillingham an injury forced the wide receiver to give up his dream of becoming a professional footballer.
Soccer's loss has been American Football's gain as the Londoner has received rave reviews for his performances since first turning out for the Sussex Thunder in 2005. Winning the Rookie of the Year award in his first season James went on to claim Offensive Player of the Year in his sophomore season.
Following his Head Coach, Warren Smart, James moved on to star with his hometown Olympians "we're really pleased to see Carl move onto the Jets and have a chance to show his skills at the highest level" stated Smart. "He's always been a gifted player and a great guy to have in the locker room. Whenever a coach is looking to build a team he wants a character, someone who can fire up those around him, keep a perspective on the fun versus hard work in sport and someone with talent for players to look up to. Carl has always been that for us.
He started playing for me at the Thunder and when I moved to the Olympians, Carl was the first to call and show support and ask if there was a place for him. He can play both sides of the ball and contribute on Special Teams, he genuinely is an all round player. I wish him luck at the Jets and keep a copy of a transfer form in my pocket for him".
"For me, leaving my former club was a very tough decision" replied James "I was with Coach Smart for five years, my whole playing career, and of course even followed him when he left Sussex. There's a special relationship that had been formed with not only him but the rest of the coaches and players alike.
"Having said all of that, I'm really excited about the challenge ahead. Joining the Jets, who I've seen play at the last two Britbowls, they seem to play at a high level of football and pride themselves on being the best of the best. Watching them narrowly miss out last year I hope too push them that one step further and return them to National Champions where they rightfully belong as the best team in the Country".
The ambitious 23 year old has his sights set on a starting spot in the Jets' fiercely contested receiver core. Jeremy Simms and Courtney Pope are the only holdovers from last seasons Britbowl starters but they have already been joined by Great Britain squad members Benjamin Barker and David Saul. Dervan Alleyne will also contest for a spot along with Peter Cleaver and Si Mepstead. The group is rounded out with three rookie signings Chris Shorey, Sat Dhaliwal and Tom Brownlee.
Head Coach Gerry McManus is relishing the competition "we have a tremendously rich history at wide receiver within the Jets. Going back to the start we've had some incredible athletes, players like James Hossack, Joe Black and Mark Cohen. That's all in the past now though and we're not in the habit of sitting still, they've moved on and so have the Jets. The group that we've assembled now have speed to burn, they have hunger; they have desire and the will to win. More than that though, they have ability, they're going to give all of our opponents sleepness nights".
You can see how James and his team-mate's fare as the Jets kick off their season against the Bristol Aztecs at the Butts Park Arena on Saturday the 22nd of May. The game will be preceded by the Jets Youth facing the Birmingham Bulls. The action gets underway at 11:00 and entry prices are £5 for adults, £2 for Under 16s with a family ticket that covers 2 adults and 4 children for just £10. For further information on the Coventry Jets visit their website www.coventryjets.co.uk or follow them on Twitter www.twitter.com/CoventryJets.