A GUERNSEY American footballer is off to the Great Britain trials, having never played a match in his life.

Matt Jackson, 19 (pictured), got involved in the sport when former England coach Steve Rains moved to the island last year and went about establishing a gridiron team.

Rains was so impressed with Jackson, who is a wide receiver, that he put him forward for the British team tryout at Loughborough University on Saturday 24 January.

‘I’m really excited about it,’ said Jackson. ‘It’s a good opportunity to go over and play more sport.

‘The [lack of] experience is a bit of a worry.

‘I’ve never played a proper game. We’ve had scrimmages in training, but it’s nothing like a match.’

A wide receiver’s job is to catch passes from the quarterback and try and score touchdowns.

During the morning of his trial, Jackson will be timed over a 40-yard dash plus undergo shuttle runs and agility tests.