AN American football team has a new home after linking up with Greyhound Rugby Club.

Hereford Stampede will now by competing at the Hereford City Sports venue after starting out at Hereford Leisure Centre.

Having played flag football for the past two years, Hereford Stampede are to step up to full contact and will start a series of games next year to unable them to compete in Division Two South.

"We start our first game in January and have to have a minimum of five games to be eligible for inclusion in the league," said Hereford Stampede chairman Steve Hall.

"The associate process takes a year and we have to prove we are a club with the structure and sustainability to compete in the national league.

"We have been awarded a grant from Sport England to support our project and they have provided funds to help make the transition from flag football to contact.

"This is mainly used to buy equipment and provide training for coaches."

The Hereford Stampede team will be handing out fliers at the Old Market this Saturday from 10am to 2pm as they look to recruit more players, with their first taster session scheduled for September 3.

Greyhound chairman Chris Ricketts says having the Stampede at their home suits both parties and there may be scope for the rugby players to play American Football in the close season.

Greyhound are currently training for the new campaign having narrowly missed out on promotion from Midlands 5 West (North) last season.

Mark Austin replaces Ricketts as captain, while new signings include Kevin Murphy from Clee Hill and Alan Edwards from Ledbury.

However, Matt Eden has gone the other way by joining Ledbury, while Zack Thompson, who missed the decisive penalty kick against Market Drayton that would have sealed promotion, has gone back to Tenbury.