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If you think Coventry is an underachieving city in terms of sport, then you seriously have been living in a bubble over recent years.

Although the Sky Blues and Coventry Rugby club have gone through some difficult times, there are a variety of other sports in which the city’s representatives excel at.

Only last season, we had a treble-championship-winning Speedway team, a double-cup winning ice hockey team, and now we have one of the strongest forces in American Football.

Our very own Coventry Jets have dominated the Premier League trophy in 2008, going undefeated to qualify for the championship playoff semi-finals. The contest against Bristol Aztecs takes place on Sunday, 7 September at Barkers Butts RFC.

Photo by Graham Beardsley

Since their formation in 2005, the Jets have won consecutive league titles to achieve promotions, but were unsuccessful in winning the inaugural Premier League trophy in 2007, after defeat to London Blitz at the Britbowl.

Jets captain Mark Cohen is one of the driving forces of the clubs recent rise. The former professional for NFL Europe’s London Monarchs, has high expectations for the playoffs after excellent early season form, but knows every other team will be out to beat them.

He said: “It doesn’t matter what you do in the season to an extent, it all comes down to the final game. We’ve gone a full perfect record this year, 8-0 unbeaten, but when you are playing the semi-finals, if Bristol beat us, even though they’ve lost four games this season – they go to the final dance.�

The Jets captain led the team into European competition in April, where they over-achieved winning a group containing strong established teams, before being eliminated.

Cohen said: “Playing in Europe this year, and getting to the quarter-finals, when nobody expected us to get through the first round, that’s added confidence, and the fact that we’ve beaten Bristol, who are our main rivals, and there’s no love loss there, it all adds up to a very exciting semi-final.�

Mark Cohen - Photo: Michelle Bridges

The wide-receiver holds the record for the most touchdowns and receptions for the Jets. He has lead the team in both categories in the past four seasons, and claims he’s feels he has achieved nearly all he can in the sport.

He said: “It’s been fantastic; I’m hoping to retire this year. The only thing I’d love to do is go to the final and get an MVP (most valuable player, or ‘man of the match’ to football fans!) I think that would just be the pinnacle of my career, even though playing for Great Britain also is one of them.�

The one thing which has illuded Cohen is well within his sights this season. With only Bristol Aztecs standing in the way of a final Britbowl appearance, he urged as many Coventrians to get along to Barkers Butts on 7 September for a 2.30pm kick off and give the Jets the support they need to earn themselves a place in the biggest match in British American Football.

Cohen said: “We need as many people there as possible, Bristol are a very well supported team and they will bring some. They are very loud, but this is our home game. It a future Britbowl final. Everyone needs to get down there on the 7th because there is going to be a war on that field, and it’s going to be a great game to watch.�