7 November 2008

Dundee Lions set for gridiron showdown

A Dundee University student and a staff member are donning their American Football pads to represent the UK against France on November 15th.

Mahamadou Niakate, who works in the School of Computing, and Fraser Thomson, a Mechanical Engineering student, will both be part of the GB Lions team which plays France in Paris.

Both men regularly turn out for the local Dundee Hurricanes team, Fraser as a cornerback and Mahamadou at running back. The team play fixtures against squads from across the UK.

'It's great to be selected for the national team and get the chance to play the game at a higher level,' said Fraser (26). 'I was involved with the Scotland under-19 squad a few years back but to be included in a UK-wide team is fantastic.'

For Mahamadou the game against the French is one that carries an extra edge - he holds dual nationality between the UK and France.

'That does make it a little more interesting but to be honest I'm just thrilled to be playing in an international,' said Mahamadou (29). 'I didn't play football when I lived in France, it was only when I came to Dundee to study that I became involved in the sport through a friend and flatmate, Dr Lars Larford, who was studying medicine at the University.'

Both the GB team and France are ranked in the European top-six 'A' group in advance of the European Championships in 2010.

For media enquiries contact:
Roddy Isles
Head, Press Office
University of Dundee
Nethergate Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384910
E-MAIL: r.isles@dundee.ac.uk