Sometimes my everyday takes the shape of watching or coaching a sport that can appear incongruous on a school field in Lancashire. I’ve been documenting the Chorley Buccaneers, quite inadvertently for nearly 12 years. They are one of the longest established youth American Football teams in the UK and they regularly attract over 100 young people to training, across the age ranges of 8-19. I’ve been involved with this club as a parent, coach, committee member and supporter and have documented its’ highs and lows for some time. This ‘Football’ is dynamic and involves speed and power, but it is also deeply strategic. It’s sometimes described as akin to a game of ‘violent chess’. In practice this means there are a wide range of specific roles, which enables mixed participation throughout the age ranges, irrespective of gender or body shape. I’ve watched and helped a number of young people fill their time training and playing for the club and it remains a joy to be part of the wider ‘family’ it represents, both on and off the field.
