Great Britain Women’s Contact national team will look ahead to further opportunities for growth and development in 2026, following its withdrawal from the 2025/26 IFAF European Championship’s Bronze Medal Game against Spain.
Following close consultation with IFAF and the Spanish national programme, the tournament’s organisers have accepted that key player injuries and retirements have resulted in Great Britain being unable to safely field a roster for the fixture.
While this outcome is disappointing for the players, coaches and supporters of both teams, the priority of IFAF and the Great Britain national programme remains player safety and the competitive spirit of the Championship.
Speaking after the team’s withdrawal, Great Britain Head Coach Laura Moore highlighted the programme’s renewed ambition to drive participation in Women’s American football.
“It’s incredibly disappointing, but it was a decision we needed to make,” said Moore.
“The team were consulted around their availability and their status before we were able to make a decision as a management team.
“Moving forward, it gives us an opportunity to reset, to get under the skin of what we want to achieve over the next 18-24 months, and allow us to move forward positively.
“Whether that’s with developmental days, finding ways to make the sport more accessible for all, and hopefully working on events to grow participation numbers, we want to allow the national programme to support grassroots, to not just be the end of the pathway but be the start as well.”
