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Washington Redskins UK Supporters Club
Hail To The Redskins
by Mark Bielby
 The UK’s longest running American football fan club is about to see a change. Just as Joe Gibbs has stepped down from the head job in the nation’s capital, President Simon Webster of the Washington Redskins supporters club is about to do the same after ten years in the post.
The non-profit making club, officially recognised by Jack Kent Cooke and the Redskins back in 1983 reached a peak of about 400 members and over the years has benefited from the hard work of four reigning presidents in compiling the cornerstone of the club, the ‘Redskins Review.’
Inside the Review the ‘Redskins Chronicles’ are a daily diary of all the happenings at Redskins Park. Feature articles from America and club members range over a wide range of diverse topics such as the draft, players, salary cap and anything controversial that may be around the corner.
Club competitions are run in every edition giving away great prizes and the postbag section allows everyone to have their say on the Redskins fortunes or pass on any news. It’s seen a great many friendships develop over the years, many over a few pints of beer in various watering holes on both sides of the Atlantic. So how did it all start?
Nigel Shaw started the club back in 1983 printing a newsletter on A4 paper and continued this for four years. When his business began to take up more of his time, he advised club members the club would fold unless someone came forward. In stepped Nigel Vickerstaff who travelled down to the Midlands from his home in Manchester. At the end of that day Nigel was travelling back on the train with a box full of Redskins club gear having passed the commitment test Nigel Shaw had set him.
 Nigel set about changing the format of the Review making into an A5 magazine and that format hasn’t changed to this day. The Redskins on-field success saw the club grow and Nigel was even interviewed by the Virginia Pilot newspaper and appeared on a local Washington radio show. He still doesn’t know to this day how they found out about him. Other highlights included arranging a huge club meet down at the Wembley Bowl when the Redskins met the 49ers in 1992. As the Redskins reigned supreme as Super Bowl champs Nigel’s increased work commitments meant it was time for him to step aside.
Richard Arundale’s reign didn’t coincide with the most victorious period in Redskins history but certainly saw the club grow from strength to strength. The Review grew in volume and editions, going from eight to ten a year.
I helped Rich by doing the chronicles, just like Joe Jozko did in Nigel’s heyday but a special mention must go to Jeff Mitchell who did all the club promotion. Advertising began with the teletext channels, Sky TV, the Yorkshire Evening Post and finally the internet.
Club meetings spread from Manchester to Leeds, then to Birmingham and Derby. The website Richard set-up heavily featured photos, club competitions and on-line statistics.
In 1993 the Review started in-depth draft articles on Redskins draftees. Ties were forged with US-based draft services such as Ourlads, Draft Insiders and Mel Kiper’s providing second to none draft coverage for members. It was during this period the club’s fantasy league began and continues to this day with all the owners meeting in August for the annual draft meet.
Perhaps the biggest development was the start of the club trips to the States in 1993. Rich had attended the Redskins’ American Bowl practices after he flashed his Redskins club card and somehow got in. The exclusive photos he managed to take featured in following the Review.
 We repeated the trick in Tampa the following year. Contacting the club we secured press passes for the sideline for the Buccaneers game. The non-highlight of that game was us missing Reggie Brooks 78-yard scamper for a touchdown as we were still tucking in to the free grub and drinks in the press area.
Subsequent trips were based in Washington, normally around Thanksgiving and back-to-back home games for the Redskins. These trips coincided with the South Florida Redskins Fan Club annual visit north to Washington to present their Player of the Year Award at Redskins Park which meant members met the likes of Art Monk, Darrell Green, Monte Coleman and Joe Jacoby. Most nights were spent at the local Crystal City Sports bar which had about twenty TVs and plenty of ale.
Ask Richard what his highlights would be and they’ll range from: the slightly ridiculous, watching Gus Frerotte headbutting the end zone padding after scoring and knocking himself out of the game; the ridiculous, singing ‘Hail to the Redskins’ on local TV during a Thanksgiving game against Dallas (and praying they would edit it out); and the extremely ridiculous, getting knocked on his ass by Michael Westbrook on a sideline pass against the 49ers and getting carted to RFK’s medical room on a golf buggy!
Most trips were organised through Great Atlantic Travel, the most complicated being for twenty-one people, six different lengths of stay and from three different domestic airports.
By the end of his presidency Richard’s part-time job printing the Review led to a career in the industry. When he decided to ‘hang up his boots’, very much depressed after years of Norv, Simon Webster was voted into the hotseat at a club meet in Birmingham.
 Thanks to his background in the printing industry, Simon re-designed the Review front cover using action photo-shots and that’s stood the test of time until the present day. He’s also set-up a club forum for club members to chat online during game time.
Ten years at the helm for Simon has also provided him with some special highlights such as his visit to see the ‘Skins beat the Ravens during their Super Bowl season, arranging a meet and tickets for the most recent Wembley game between the Dolphins and Giants, a Super Bowl meet in Stratford where fifty club members met up with their respective partners and friends and of course the Reviews centenary edition.
So what is in the future now? As the torch is about to be passed meetings both north and south will continue (Mr Vickerstaff chief pub organiser still in the Manchester area); the forum is ongoing; unique writing all things Redskins from both sides of the Atlantic will be at the fore as usual; exclusive Redskins draft coverage; a revamp of the postbag and a return of club game trips is high on the agenda. Some club members are planning on going to the 2 August Hall of Fame game to see the ‘Skins and Colts play and former wide receiver Art Monk and cornerback Darrell Green get inducted into the Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.
No franchise in the NFL creates more headlines and news than the Washington Redskins and as the Jim Zorn era is ushered in, that is definitely not going to change.
If you’d like to be a part of the Washington Redskins UK Supporters Club contact Mark Bielby at:
enquiries@wruksc.co.uk
Washington Redskins UK Supporters Club
2 Rosevale View
Sowerby Bridge
HX6 2DW
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