The Bristol Packers was a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

team which existed during the late 1980s and early 1990s in the city of

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. They played the majority of their home games at Cribbs Causeway, the home of

Clifton Rugby Football Club Clifton Rugby Football Club is an England, English rugby union club founded in Clifton, Bristol. Over the years the club's home games have been played in a variety of locations in northern Bristol, though never in Clifton itself; since 1976 they ...

, and also played some home games at

Whitchurch Whitchurch may refer to: Places Canada *Whitchurch, Ontario, since 1971 part of Whitchurch-Stouffville, Ontario England *Whitchurch, Bristol *Whitchurch, Buckinghamshire *Whitchurch, Devon, in Tavistock **Whitchurch, Devon (parish), a civil ...

Sports Stadium, St Bernadette's Rugby Club and

Keynsham Keynsham ( ) is a town and civil parish located on the outskirts of the city of Bristol on the A4 that links the cities of Bristol and Bath, Somerset, Bath in Somerset, England. It had a population of 19,603 at the 2021 Census. It was listed i ...

Rugby Club. The team folded at the end of the 1991 season after failing to record a single win that year, and suffered the death of a player on the field.

History

The team were formed after the Bristol Bombers folded in 1986. The team was owned and initialised by the late Mike Wilkinson. The Packers ended their first season in 1987 with a 10-0 record in the

Budweiser League Budweiser () is an American-style pale lager, a brand of Belgian company AB InBev. Introduced in 1876 by Carl Conrad & Co. of St. Louis, Missouri, Budweiser has become a large selling beer company in the United States. Budweiser is a filtered ...

. only losing to Aston Oilers 7-6 in the semi finals, Division One South-Western Conference, taking the conference championship. Their first season was to be the highlight of the team's existence, and a rapid decline culminated in the team ending its fifth, and final, season without a single win. The Packers ended their brief existence after the 1991 season when the club folded. This final season was also marred by the death on the field of Fullback Ronnie Barnes during a game with the

London Ravens London is the capital and largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Western Europe, with a population of 14.9 million. London stands on the River Tha ...

. His shirt number, #33, has been

retired Retirement is the withdrawal from one's position or occupation or from one's active working life. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours or workload. Many people choose to retire when they are elderly or incapable of doing their j ...

by all American football teams in Bristol in his honour. The team's overall record in league and

playoff The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...

games was 26-27-1. This period of the late 1980s and early 1990s was the peak of popularity of American football in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, and in Bristol in particular. Over this time a total of six teams played in Bristol, each competing with the others for spectators and players, making it difficult for any of the teams to thrive. The six teams were the Packers and Bombers, as well as the

Bristol Pirates The Bristol Pirates were a Minor League Baseball team in Bristol, Virginia, United States. They were a Rookie-level team in the Appalachian League. The team played home games at DeVault Memorial Stadium. Opened in 1969, Devault Memorial Stadium ...

and Bristol Blackhawks which both folded in the early 90s. The

Bristol Aztecs The SGS Bristol Aztecs are an American football team based in Filton, South Gloucestershire, England. Competing in the BAFA National Leagues Premier South, the highest level of British American football, they are the south-west's only Premiers ...

and Bristol Bullets have lasted into the 21st century, and are both still active, along with the formation of the Bristol Barracuda who entered the

BUAFL The British Universities American Football League (BUAFL) is an American football league contested by university teams in the United Kingdom as part of the British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) organisation. The league was formed by the ...

in 2007-2008 season. There was a Bristol Packers club shop in the

St Pauls St Paul's Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Paul the Apostle, is an Anglican cathedral in London, England, the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London in the Church of Engl ...

area of Bristol, which sold club merchandise.

Colours

The team played in green and gold uniforms, the same colours as their namesakes the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...

League record

References

* {{British American Football Defunct American football teams in Europe American football teams established in 1987 American football teams disestablished in 1991 American football teams in England Sports clubs and teams in Bristol 1987 establishments in England 1991 disestablishments in England