The Journey of a GB Captain: Sam Fossey

Photo: Brandon Hattiloney @bjhmedia

What does it take to become a four-time British American Football National Champion and Team Captain for Great Britain? Few people in Britball can claim such honours but for Sam Fossey, the answer lies in a prolonged journey fuelled by sheer determination and the relentless pursuit to win.

Going into his 18th season of playing football this year, aged 31, the Manchester Titans and GB Lions Safety has forged his path from youth flag in Florida, US, to competing for a three-peat with the Titans in 2024, with multiple different stops along the way.

Fossey’s first experience of football wasn’t your typical introduction for someone raised in South London. It came in the form of a flag football P.E. lesson in Florida, US where he attended high school for a year staying with family in the Sunshine State. Immediately he found a sport that he was hooked on. Little did he know that there was a contact version waiting for him to discover.

At 15 years old Sam moved back to London and immediately started his search for a football team near him. Fortunately for him, the London Warriors were just 10 minutes away. “I just showed up on a random Sunday morning” Fossey explains “I never knew anybody, never met anyone before, and I didn’t know what position I wanted to play”. But there was a surprise waiting for Sam which led to an immediate love for the sport “I didn’t even know there was a contact version of the sport, I thought I was turning up to play flag football, so when I was given pads and a helmet it made it more fun”.

Following a two-year stint playing 5 v 5 contact football Fossey reflects on the big jump he had to take early on in his career playing in a tournament structure to playing 11 v 11 for the U19s at London Warriors. “It was a completely new game! Different setups, different combinations and a lot of things are happening that you have to figure out”. It’s during his first season with the U19s, in 2008, that Fossey gets his first taste of success as the London Warriors beat Gateshead 48-28 in the British American Football League (BAFL) Kitted Bowl XX. His first medal would spur him on to achieve even more in Britball.

Photo: Unknown, provided by Sam - Get in touch for credit

Fossey describes how the learning curve remained a steep one, going into his first adult contact season, and how growing physically now proved important “You’re an 18-year-old kid playing with grown men. They’re bigger than you, they’re faster than you. No longer can you depend on just understanding the game”. But being a rotational player was not enough for Fossey who describes someone being picked ahead of him as a loss. “I don’t want to give anyone a reason to not pick me. I don’t want someone to be better than me” Fossey explains “You don’t have fun when you lose!”.

This unbalanced equation of actively seeking as many personal victories as possible whilst trying to keep the losses to a minimum led Sam to become a starting safety for the London Warriors. Dedicated to physical development in the gym and becoming a student of the game in the film room Fossey would go on to be part of the London Warriors team who finally got over the hump in 2013 beating London Blitz in BritBowl XXVII.

Fossey attributes much of his development in the early part of his career to the plethora of highly talented and dedicated coaches that surrounded him at the London Warriors. He explained, “They wouldn’t accept anything but the correct way, they had a high standard, and you couldn’t let that drop”. A direct approach with “tough love” has always been Fossey’s preference. Still, he explains how his coaches at the Warriors helped his development “If you weren’t at the standard, you weren’t left behind, they would bring you up to it. They would progress you to be a better player and a better person” and in his mind, those early-years coaches are “untouchable” in his eyes.

For most, having a starting position on a championship team might have been enough, but for Fossey, what was going to be the next challenge, the next success in his development? He found an answer back in Florida, US, where it all began. Here he spent two seasons playing for the Treasure Coast Bengals in the United Football Federation League. Faced with an unfamiliar rule of maximum roster sizes Fossey was surprised to learn he had to complete a trial.

Having set his own 40-yard dash time, and completed the necessary drills, he made the team. “You learn so many different terminologies and techniques and reasons why things happen” he reflects “I only knew one system, the one at the London Warriors, so I had to learn another system”. However, Fossey didn’t see much difference in the game over in the US, compared to that back in the UK. “Organisationally they’re similar and so are the coaching staff but the game is played at a much faster speed and even the guys on the bench could play football, there’s minimal drop-off across the whole team”.

Unfortunately, an injury going into his third season meant he had to sit out and watch from the sidelines. But for Fossey, sitting around and waiting for something to happen didn’t sit well with him so he decided it would be best for his development to go looking for his next target, so he headed back to the UK, more specifically, Rotherham.

Photo: Jody Davies Sports Photography

He found a new home in 2017 with the Sheffield Giants, known as the Sheffield Predators back then, a stalwart in the Premier North Division. It was during this time that Fossey began his journey as a leader. “I grew in confidence as a player. I began to understand football and knew my ability and what I could do. I naturally went and tried to help people and be the person people can look to.” Being a leader came naturally to Fossey.

During this three-season stint with the Giants, the standout Safety had his first taste of the national programme. “I didn’t even know playing for Great Britain was a thing!” Fossey explains, that he was encouraged by Head Coach Tom Kharchi during his one season with Sheffield Hallam Warriors to apply for GB Trials. Having made the 75-man roster the first time asked, most would be proud of such an accomplishment, but Sam saw it as a loss not making the travelling squad, “I’ve always had the mindset that I’m the best safety in the country, so how have I not made it?”. What would he need to do to take that final step?

Fossey explains that the goals had changed. What did he need to do to win more national championships and make the GB squad? Unfortunately, having missed the GB squad, after three losing seasons, and missing the playoffs with the Giants, after the 2019 season Sam took stock of how he may be able to go on to achieve those goals.

Rather fortuitously Fossey found his new team and he immediately realised they were aligned with his own goals, the Manchester Titans. “I was choosing between the Tamworth Phoenix and being coached by Jason Scott, or the Manchester Titans who had already been to the playoffs twice and aiming for national championships. I wasn’t driving at the time, and it was two hours to Tamworth or one hour to Manchester, so the decision was made for me”.

Photo: All Sports Photography

Fossey continued to forge his path and in 2019 nobody could foresee the COVID-19 pandemic around the corner, but he remained patient and committed. Going into his first competitive season in 2022 with the Titans, the talk was national championship or bust. Fossey was reintroduced to the standards he was used to back at the London Warriors at the beginning of his career. He made an immediate impression becoming a starting Safety and translating all his hard work into a leadership role where he was named one of the team captains at the Titans.

The 2022 season was one of the highest achievements for Fossey: being crowned national champion with the Manchester Titans, their first since 1990 as the Manchester Spartans, being called up to the GB Lions and being named Team Captain for GB. Fossey hasn’t looked back since, going on to be a back-to-back champion, one of the first names on the team sheet for GB. Going into 2024 he is looking to three-peat, take his talents onto the European stage in the Central European Football League and lead GB to victories against Sweden and Germany.

Fossey admits that becoming captain for GB was a goal but he feels it’s come naturally. “My work ethic stands out and I expect the same from the players around me” Fossey explains “I wouldn’t ask anything of anyone if I wasn’t doing it myself”. He goes on to explain that he has learned that not everyone can be treated the same. “You have to approach everyone as an individual and I believe I am good at that. It’s a massive honour”.

Those standards set at an early age have had a strong influence on what he has achieved to date but there is still work to be done according to Fossey “I’m a student of the game and I don’t know it all. I still want to learn from my mistakes”. Undoubtedly, each stop along the way has had a significant impact on Fossey’s growth as a player but not without sheer dedication to ensuring there is always growth and very little status quo.

Sam Fossey's remarkable journey from a flag football P.E. lesson in Florida to being a four-time British American Football National Champion and GB Team Captain is not just a tale of victories, but a testament to unwavering dedication and continuous growth. As he looks ahead to new challenges in 2024, Fossey's advice echoes his path: "Take your role seriously, give it everything, learn from the senior players and your coaches, and take every opportunity." His story inspires not only with achievements but with the resilience to persist in the pursuit of excellence.