THE SEASON may be over but Huddersfield university’s American Football team are primed for some tough spring training.

If you see the gang of student hardmen wandering across the moors above Meltham in their full kit including helmets and pads shouting ‘hut hut’, don’t worry.

They’re not lost, they’re raising money on The Examiner Charity Challenge.

About a dozen of the Huddersfield Hawks are set to take on the seven-mile-walk on Sunday, May 23, after a few of the team took on the challenge in 2009.

Coach, Ross Collins, said he and five others had done the shorter four-mile-walk last year.

He said: “There was only six of us last year and only me and one of the players did it in full kit.

“It was alright but we found negotiating the stiles a bit of a hurdle.”

Chairman, Ben Smith, 22, said the team had decided to continue the tradition in a bid to raise awareness of their team and do their bit for charity.

He said: “There should be at least a dozen of us plus a few coaches, we’re still trying to twist a few people’s arms.”

The defensive back said they were going to try and stay together for the whole walk and would not waste the chance to pass the ball about and do a bit of training.

He added: “There’s quite a few of us that are very unfit so we’ll see how it goes.

“But we’ll have some fun up there definitely.

“Hopefully it will help a few of the lads get fit. It will be nice to make sure as a team we do things together.”

The Huddersfield Hawks are currently recruiting players for next season.

Info: www.huddersfieldhawks.co.uk or find them on Facebook.

The Charity Challenge features walks of different lengths, bike rides of varying lengths, horse rides and a shorter walk for toddlers and wheelchairs.

The main events are at Meltham Sports and Community Centre, but the toddler and wheelchair walk is in Beaumont Park while the horse rides will be from The Crossroads inn between New Mill and Shepley.

Over the years the event has raised tens of thousands of pounds for charity.

Registration for The Examiner Charity Challenge is still open.