The UL Vikings Flag Football Team won big on November 8, 2025. The Vikings came into the day only guaranteed to play one match, but secured their way into the final after defeating Dublin City Wolves.
The Vikings’ defence was the first to take the field and forced the Wolves off by getting an early interception. The teams then proceeded to trade touchdowns for the duration of the first half. It led to an 18-18 tie at halftime. This, however, would not be the case for long as the Vikings handled the rest of the match with ease, ending in a 38-25 win for the UL football team.
The Vikings did not get much time to rest, however. They had to quickly get back on the pitch for a match against the Louth Mavericks. This match was hard-fought, partially due to some referee decisions (which went against them). The game was slow-moving due to the constant start and stop caused by penalties and what appeared to be general confusion about the sport on behalf of the referees. Nonetheless, the Vikings pushed forward and ended the half in a 12-12 tie.
The second half did not start great for the Vikings with back-to-back Mavericks touchdowns. Things did not get better for the UL footballers as Quarterback Billy Leenane was brought low by a hamstring injury. Blitzer Eoin McAvoy came out with an injured shoulder. The Vikings then put in Brett Switzer at Quarterback, who had been playing at both offensive and defensive positions.
An interception by the defense led to the Vikings getting a late touchdown and crucial extra point that saw them win by 25- 24 securing their promotion to the Emerald Bowl Division.
Having achieved what they came to do, the Vikings were told to have fun in the final. While the team did have fun, they lost by 12 points to the Ulster University Elks with a final score of 22-34. It seemed closer on paper then it was in real life. The tired Vikings made many mistakes in the second half. Still, the Vikings can take pride in securing promotion – a reward for their hard work this season.