Ayub & Fields Go Deep With the London Olympians
By Peter Mann
Despite an opening day defeat at East Kent Mavericks, the side who narrowly beat them in the play-offs last season, London Olympians have quickly got their season back on track with back-to-back wins.
Under the guidance of the vastly experienced, erstwhile Head Coach, Tariq ‘Riq’ Ayub, and by their gunslinging quarterback Brandon Fields, the O’s are looking to go better than last season, whilst aiming to push for promotion from the SFC1 East Division.
Ayub has seen it all though, this being his third spell at the helm having done so between 1995 and 2007, then again between 2020 and 2023, ahead of returning for a third time last season.
He’s also a former player, having been first 9involved when the franchise first saw the light of day, out of the old Streatham Gym, back in the early 1980s, they going on to lift 2 Eurobowl titles (1993 and 1994), and EFAF Cup (European Federation of American Football, 1999), as well as a dozen Britbowl championships – what they’d give for just a taste of those glory days.
“We’ve been very fortunate here,” admits Coach Ayub.
“This has been a program with a vision and, although it took a while, we were a dominant side for a good period.
“Without discrediting people involved in the game now though, back then there was a lot of grit and it was a different lifestyle.
“Lads seemed to enjoy the physical side a lot more, and a lot of individuals wanting to prove themselves.
“We then went through a period when the sport wasn’t as hard or physical, whilst today, the modern game sees them more as athletes, and it becomes a part of what they do, especially here over the past couple of seasons.”
Battles with the Mavericks have certainly come to the fore in recent seasons as well, an undefeated (8-0) Mavericks topping the division ahead of the Olympians (6-2) in 2024, followed by a role reversal of an undefeated Olympians (7-0-1) finished ahead of the second placed Mavericks (6-2) in 2025.
For their quarterback, Brandon Fields however, the sport on British solid has perhaps been a, shock to the system, and is certainly not like how things work Stateside.
From Louisianna, to going to college at Fordham University, Fields sporting life took a turn when injury put it on the backburner; so he focussed on a career in law, which brought him to British shores.
A far cry from Hawaii, his last port of call before arriving in Swansea, Fields arrived to study for an MSc in International Maritime Law at Swansea University, and it was whilst there he picked up the playing bug again, donning the jersey of the Swansea Titans, before moving to London.
“Football in America is a complex thing,” insisted the O’s quarterback, now in his second side with the London-based franchise.
“Middle School feeds into high school, then if you take sports serious enough you’ve got junior varsity and varsity.
“You’re then recruited using video clips and attending combines regionally, where you do half defense, half offence, then on to the national combine.
“I’ve been once, a summer in Florida, which was really good, and you’ve access to a lot of coaches.
“Personally, I’ve always wanted to play at quarterback (who doesn’t want the glitz and glamour attributed to the position), but I’ve also played as a wide receiver, and running back.”
Having stopped playing football around thirteen years ago, Fields’ career in law continued to flourish, moving from Washington, to Hawaii, before Swansea called for his run at a Masters degree.
Then the Titans came calling; “I can’t forget the Titans,” added Fields, “playing for them, it just happened organically.
“I did notice that the complexity and speed is different, but there’s plenty of athletes over here, just in America they’re perhaps more experienced.”
Bringing back Coach Ayub ahead of last season has, so far at least, been a stroke of genius, even if he’s part of the fixtures and fittings with the London franchise.
For Ayub though; “We needed to find our identity and, although heartbreaking (losing to the Mavericks in the play-offs), we’ve established something.
“Although we know it’s not guaranteed, we do want to go further this season, and can feel people here getting edgy and excited.
“Without being big-headed though, I want to stay humble here, but I’d like to see us go all the way.
“Maybe add 10-20% more than last year, but it’s a game at a time, and that game against the Mavericks (lost 14-12 in overtime) left a bitter taste, but I’m really pleased with what we’re doing here.”
Continuing, about his own journey now weaving it’s spearheading the O’s offense, Fields added that; “It feels really good being back.
“I didn’t know how things would go but I’m really happy with it.
“I heard about the Olympians whilst I was in Swansea and, after I’d completed my Masters degree, I headed to London to attend practice, and see what it was like, and I’ve not regretted a minute of it.
“The promotion and relegation concept here was all alien to me, but the expectations are still the same as was last season, to get the Championship Game and get that promotion.
“You should never say never to opportunities, but I’m just taking things one season at a time and I’m doing this because I love both the sport, and the social aspect of it.”
Ayub though, he’s seen it all through Olympians’ eyes, both on British soil, and on the continent. Be it as a player, or as a coach with the London franchise, they peaked between 1992 and 2004, even winning every contested in the last six years of that spell.
It was a time I which a Britbowl found it’s way back to London between 1002-94 and 1997-2003, alongside successfully winning the 1993 (in Belgium) and 1994 (in Germany) Eurobowls against Amsterdam Crusaders (42-21) and Bergamo Lions (26-23) respectively.
They fell agonisingly short of a three-peat in ’95, crashing to a 21-14 loss to Dusseldorf Panthers, in Germany; four years later they added the EFAF Cup to their Roll of Honours also, defeating the Oslo Vikings 12-6 in the final.
Ayub concluded though by adding a little insight into what makes him, as a coach of a successful British American Football franchise, tick.
“As coaches we have to educate players on how the game, physically, is played,” explained Ayub.
“You do have to be a physical individual to play the game, so you have to out them in those situations, from which they’ll gain the confidence.
“Practice sessions, they often have to be harder than the games themselves, and is something that needs implementing all the way through.
“I’ve often watched practices at rugby clubs, seeing how they utilise the bags say, early on, so yes, we’ve spent a lot of time on the physical side of things.
“But, at the end of the day though, it’s still all just a game of football.”
Three games down, five games to go, and sitting atop of the SFC1 East bodes well for the Olympians; next up, the first of three successive home fixtures when Ayub’s charges welcome Essex Tridents on Sunday (24 May).
The Tridents game is followed by the June visits of Kent Exiles (7 June) and Colchester Gladiators (21 June), before a trip to Colchester a week later (28 June); the regular season wraps up for the Olympians with the visit of rivals, East Kent Mavericks, in mid-July (Sunday 19), by which time they’ll hope to know whether there’ll be play-off football again….
All Images: Credit – Kyle Hemsley Photography. Check out his portfolio here:
PETER MANN
NFL ANALYST
PETER IS A LIFELONG SPORTS FAN, JOURNALIST AND AUTHOR BASED IN COUNTY DURHAM. HE HAS FOLLOWED THE NFL AND THE RAIDERS SINCE THE 1980s, AND LOVES BOTH SPORTS AND FAMILY HISTORY. PETER HAS A DEGREE IN SPORT & EXERCISE PSYCHOLOGY, AND CAN BE FOUND ON TWITTER @petermannwriter