The UEL Titans finished their second season competing in BUCS 3-3 and narrowly missed the playoffs. To be even better next year there are a few important things the team should improve and work on. Here are five keys which could lead to success next year.
1.Quarterback-Offense relationship: Those who followed the team news through the year will know that the starting quarterback who came in this season, JP Aragyriou, was injured in the game against Queen Mary, but even before that he could not find a rhythm in the offense. It was completely different when Daniel Hopkin was the QB, but now he leaves and the Titans must figure out how to click with Argyriou as the offensive leader.
2. Improve over the Summer: The easiest way for players to improve is to compete for senior ball teams over the summer. There are loads of sides in and around London and most of the Titans should find a team to train and maybe even play with. It is clear how important and helpful it is for the players. Both Ridge Avit and Jordon Bolessa played for the London Hornets last summer and came back to Titans as much better players.
3. Recruit Well: The Titans will lose some key players at important positions this year, which means it’s even more important to recruit well at the beginning of next season. The bigger the roster the better; a team should have between 30 and 40 players who consistently show up to train and play. The more players you have the better the competition will be for the starting line-ups.
4. More Coaches, Funding: At the beginning of the season there were five coaches but by the end it was almost down to three. Ideally a team should have one coach for each position, which would mean about six or seven coaches. This will give the players the best possible opportunity to teach and improve them. A team doesn’t just need coaches but also equipment, especially pads and helmets. Most of them are now three years old and some of them broken. It is important to get new equipment: never spare the costs of kit which protects players from bad injuries.
5. Consistency: This point is for every aspect. It begins with consistency at training, that enough students are willing to show up to almost every practice to put in the work and to get better. Only if the team can develop during the year can it get better and achieve all it is capable of. The result of this will be seen in games. The Titans were in every game this season and they could have won against any opponent, but small mistakes cost them points and ultimately the game in many cases.
If the Titans and their coaching staff even slightly work on any of these five key aspects, the team can make the playoffs next year and maybe even win the division. The talent is there – now it’s all about hard work and execution.