Jason Sanders - A Football Journey
Images courtesy of Svenja Sabatini and Dave Tidswell
Elite receiver Jason Sanders has just turned twenty-two, a little on the young side to be the subject of a Football Journey piece you might think, however, when you take into account that he started his journey at the age of fourteen, you’ll appreciate that he has had the opportunity to rack up plenty of miles on the Gridiron Highway over the last eight years. At 6’1” and 195lbs, he combines size and game breaking speed with an elusive running style, couple these with impressive leaping and downfield blocking abilities and he delivers the measurables that coaches covet in receivers.
Sanders is elusive in the open field
Born in Munich to a British father and Italian mother he was active in sports from a young age. A talented soccer player, he would practice at a major multi-sport venue close to his home, and it was there that he first encountered American Football. “I saw these guys with their pads and helmets and was intrigued, having watched them training, I was excited to give it a go”. Having persuaded his parents to let him get involved, he joined the Munich Cowboys youth programme and became a member of the under 17s team. It was obvious to the coaches that he was a stand-out talent and over time he became a starter, securing a spot on the Bavarian regional All-Stars team. He graduated to the under 19 programme where he was part of a Bavarian regional championship winning side.
A keen scholar, he wanted to pursue both his sporting and academic goals in further education, but with limited opportunities available in Germany, he looked to the UK. Having researched the British Universities League and assessed his options he applied to Sheffield Hallam University, who gladly accepted him. He was now a member of the Sheffield Hallam Warriors.
Unfortunately for Sanders, his arrival in the UK coincided with the covid pandemic, severely limiting his opportunity to play Football at the university level, but as the restrictions were eased after the uni season, he saw the opportunity to play some senior ball. “I was frustrated with the lack of game time we had at Hallam, so I reached out to the Sheffield Giants.”
He was now playing for the Giants senior team and also indulging his other passion of coaching, with the Giants academy sides. Playing in the BAFA North Premier division helped him develop his skills against veteran players which stood him in good stead when the universities resumed playing.
Sanders evades would be tacklers
In the 2021-2022 season he was a starter for the BUCS All-stars Northern representative side and he led the Warriors to a divisional title before they narrowly lost out to Newcastle in the play-offs final.
High pointing the ball for the Warriors
Sheffield’s veteran British coach Richard Batty has had the opportunity to work with Sanders at both the Giants and Warriors. “I first coached Jason three years ago. He had come to the Warriors with experience in the German league and had solid fundamentals. The first thing I noticed was how coachable he was. He listened to every instruction and detail and sought feedback on what he was doing to improve his game. He was always willing to show rookies the basics and be an example for me to use to highlight what I was wanting. Since then, I have come to hold Jason in the highest regard. I believe he is one of the very best receivers in the university league at any level. He is the best receiver I have coached and is an absolute joy to have around the team. His enthusiasm and support for his team-mates is second to none. He will play anywhere in any aspect of the game, receiver, punt/kick returner, DB. It is rare to have a player so committed to the game who is so humble and all about the team and not himself. He would happily be double teamed all day long allowing a team mate to score multiple times as his main goal is the team winning. Another example of his class is he was invited to Munich for a trial to play in their summer league, this was on a Saturday whilst we had a game the following day. Jason, travelled to Munich on the Friday, was successful at the trial and flew back early Sunday to make the game and help us win a tough match up. He really is a fantastic player but even more so a fantastic person”.
Sanders and Batty have enjoyed working with each other
He returned to play for the Giants for the 2022 season, before spending some time back in Germany with his family. At the start of the new academic year Sanders returned to the Hallam campus to play and coach with his fellow students. Mindful that this would be his last season before graduating he considered what the next step on his Football Journey could be. Having watched with interest the launch of the European League of Football, he was excited to see that for the 2023 season a new franchise would be based in his “hometown” of Munich. Encouraged by his Sheffield Football family he registered for the open try-outs for the “Munich Ravens” which were held in November. It went really well for him. “The whole experience was great, I caught all my targets and came away feeling really positive.”
Sanders made some spectacular catches at the Ravens try-out – Image courtesy of Svenja Sabatini
His positivity was well founded as shortly after he was offered a place on the Ravens roster! “I’m really looking forward to playing at the next level. I’ll get the chance to practice and play against some top-level talent.” Indeed he will, the Ravens have signed former Clemson and Buffalo Bills cornerback, Darius Robinson!
Sanders, who has a one-year contract, will be leaving the UK for Munich’s pre-season training camp which starts in April. They will be part of the Central Conference where they will battle it out with the Barcelona Dragons, Helvetic Guards, Milan Seamen, Stuttgart Surge and Tirol Raiders, they will also play the Rhein Fire in an interconference game. Interestingly there will be something of a Sheffield Giants re-union when the Ravens play the Dragons, as stand-out Offensive Lineman Ben Dixon has been signed by Barcelona.
Integrating into life in Germany won’t be a problem for Sanders who is fluent in German, English and Italian, however, I’d venture that his favourite language is the universal one of Football! I wouldn’t be surprised if a contingent from Sheffield make the trip out to Munich to catch a game, I’ll certainly be watching the progress he makes on this next step on his journey with interest, as the season unwinds.