Airdrie Irish named AFL Organization of the Year for 2021

There were plenty of things for the Airdrie Irish to celebrate in 2021.  

First, there was actually a season, albeit a shortened one, in the Alberta Football League (AFL) this year after the 2020 campaign was put on blocks because of the pandemic.  Secondly, in that four-game season, the Irish won their first game in three years and qualified for the playoffs.

But the biggest accolade for the Airdrie squad came from the AFL itself when the league council selected the Irish as the 2021 Organization of the Year.  

Irish running back Connor Lutz chalks the honour up to the transition Airdrie made as a team from 2019 to 2021.

"In 2019 it was a pretty skinny roster and there wasn't a lot of general organization within the team," explains Lutz.  "That was something we set out to correct in 2020 and obviously that carried over into 2021."

Lutz says the Irish's leadership group set out to do some heavy recruitment as well as automate some of their processes.  They also wanted to become more engaged on social media and to be more involved with the community.  It obviously worked.

"Our roster was twice the size and the general sense amongst the league was that the Irish took them by surprise this year and even though the games didn't necessarily go out way over the entire year, we were competitive in every game and the league definitely took notice," says Lutz.

The Irish plan to continue building on the success of 2021 going forward into next season.

The AFL also handed out recognition to the league's all-star team and seven members of the Irish were named to the square, including Lutz who was selected a first-team all-star at running back.  The Irish outrushed the rest of the league with the two leading rushers on the Airdrie side.  Lutz led the way, carrying the ball 68 times for 427 yards for a 6.3-yard average.  He also had four touchdowns.  Lutz's performance in 2021 made him the franchise's all time leading rusher with 1,111 yards in his career.  Quarterback Josh Williams was second in league rushing with 253 yards on 36 carries. 

Even though Lutz was named the all-star, he credits the entire team, particularly the offensive line for his success.

"Running back's one of those positions where you can't do it without the rest of the team around you.  It's really a recognition of the O-line more than anything and we had a really consistent group up front this year."

A pair of defensive linemen with the Irish also made the first all-star squad with Devon Brown and Nils Haemi being named.  Four Airdrie players were recognized with second-team all-star selections with linebacker Tim Larson, offensive guard Eric Friesen, wide receiver Sam Haeni and punter James Balsdon being named.

Several team awards were also given out at the Irish's own awards banquet.  Josh Williams was chosen the Offensive MVP with TJ Grabia being named as the top player on defense.

Centre Billy Duffy was chosen Lineman of the Year and defensive back Peter Enoka was picked as Special Teams Player of the Year.  Dante Brown was named Rookie of the Year.

The final award was a special honour known as the Shamrock Award.  It's presented to the Irish player who best embodies the team culture, heart, hustle, commitment and team pride on the Airdrie roster.  That award went to receiver Brandon McCallum.