- Source: Drogheda Lightning
Drogheda Lightning was an Irish American Football team based in the town of Drogheda, County Louth, Ireland. They played in the second tier of Ireland's American football league system. The team played their home games at St. Oliver's Community College in Rathmullen, Drogheda. Founded in 2010, Drogheda Lightning competed in the IAFL DV8s Division (now defunct) in 2011 and 2012. Following the restructuring of the Irish American Football League structure ahead of the 2013 season, they competed in the newly created IAFL-1 Division from March 2013.
The team disbanded after the 2014 season.
History
Drogheda Lightning was not the first American Football club to be founded in Drogheda. It superseded the Drogheda Vikings who were also based in the locality in the 1990s, however the Vikings failed to make it past the turn of the century.
The foundations for Drogheda Lightning A.F.C. were laid in 2010 when Russell Kerley (a former London Olympians and Dublin Dragons player) expressed an interest in forming an American Football team in the Drogheda area. A local American football enthusiast got in touch with and helped Kerley to recruit players and backroom staff. A small squad of players was assembled in time to enter the 2011 IAFL Development League. The club trained at Dominic's Park, in the Rathmullen area of Drogheda and played its home games at the nearby St. Olivers Community college.
= 2011 season
=Drogheda Lightning played its first competitive game on 15 May 2011, beating the newly formed Trim Bulldogs 32–6 in Trim.
Drogheda finished the 2011 season with a 2–3 record the other win coming in a 40-0 victory over the Trim Bulldogs in Drogheda.
2011 DV8 standings
= 2012 season
=Drogheda Lightning Entered the 2012 season with a much larger squad with many new rookies joining the ranks. They once again kicked off their season against division rivals Trim Bulldogs in Trim winning 32–26. Drogheda went on to win another three games beating Dublin Dragons 2nds twice in Drogheda and defeating Trim Bulldogs once more 31–21 to clinch the DV8s Division at Shorts S & R in Belfast on 19 August.
2012 DV8 standings
= 2013 season
=Coming off the team's winning 2012 season in the DV8's, the team stepped up to the new IAFL-1, an 11-per-team league. The new season started with a draw against Tullamore Phoenix and a victory against the Mullingar Minotaurs. However, as summertime rolled in, the team began a losing streak that inevitably progressed right until the end of the season, meaning the team finished the season at the bottom of the IAFL-1, tied on points with the Minotaurs.
2013 IAFL-1 standings
= 2014 season
=The Bolts begin the season With a reshuffling of the quarterback position along with an overhaul of the defense, the team hoped to be a contender in the new IAFL-1 5 team format.
2014 IAFL-1 standings
Rivalries
The Lightning's traditional rivals were seen to be the Trim based Meath Bulldogs (formerly Trim Bulldogs). Factors which contributed to the rivalry between the two sides included that both had entered the IAFL at the same time, and the pre-existing rivalry between sports teams from counties Louth and Meath.
Drogheda Lightning and Meath Bulldogs met nine times with the Lightning holding a 4–5 win–loss record. The first competitive meeting of the teams occurred on 15 May 2011 in Trim from which Drogheda emerging 32-6 victors. The Lightning would go on to do the double over their near neighbours when the teams met in Drogheda just two months later, running out 40-0 victors on this occasion.
In a repeat of their 2012 schedule, Drogheda began their 2012 DV8s campaign with a trip to Trim and came away with a victory; this time by a tighter 32–26 margin. Later in 2012, the sides met again in what has been the only exhibition game between the clubs. Another hard fought tie ensued, from which the Bulldogs picked up their first win against Drogheda on a 28–26 scoreline. Just a month later, the sides met for the third time in the calendar year, the return leg of their DV8s championship season, from which Drogheda once more emerged victorious by a 31–21 margin, clinching the division title in the process.