London Royals
London Royals | |||
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Current season | |||
Established 2036 First season: 2036 Play in and headquartered in Royal Wembley Stadium London, England | |||
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League/conference affiliations | |||
DSFL (2036–present)
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Current uniform
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Team colors | Gold, Black, White | ||
Mascot | Royal Lion | ||
Personnel | |||
General manager | Sebster Gordon Bombay | ||
Team history | |||
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Championships | |||
League championships (2) | |||
Conference championships (4) | |||
Division championships (3) | |||
Home fields | |||
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The London Royals are an American football franchise based in London, England. The Royals currently compete in the Developmental Simulation Football League (DSFL) as a member club of the league's North Football Conference (NFC) which currently only has one division. The franchise was established in 2036 (S21) by DeadlyPlayer. They won the North Football Conference in 2037 (S22), and again in 2039 (S24), winning an Ultimini in the latter year.
Contents
History of the London Royals
The franchise was originally founded in 2036 (S21) season by general managers, DeadlyPlayer and modern_duke as the London Royals. The Royals were part of a two team expansion along with Dallas Birddogs into the DSFL increasing the number of teams from 6 to 8.
2036 Season
The expansion teams were not given an expansion draft, but instead were given either the first or second pick of each round, trading the top pick of each round with Dallas. The Royals started the season off with a bang, winning their first game vs. the Dallas Birddogs 34-7. However, they quickly lost this momentum, dropping their next four games and falling to the bottom of the division. The Royals would struggle for much of the season, winning back-to-back games just once, vs. Tijuana Luchadores and @ Norfolk Seawolves, in weeks 9 and 10 respectively. They would end up losing their final game of the season @ Portland Pythons 24-7 to finish the season at 5W, 9L, last in the SFC. The inaugural Royals season featured a very run-heavy offense, showcasing Running Back Acura Skyline, who ran the ball 349 times for 1761 yards and 10 touchdowns. These numbers were the best on the team, A. Skyline had more yards than even his quarterback, Colby Jack, who threw the ball 343 times for 1661 yards and 6 touchdowns with a completion percentage of 49%. C. Jack's main target through the air was Sue Cash Jr., who had 652 receiving yards and two touchdowns on 52 receptions. Running Back Acura Skyline won Running Back of the year, Offensive Rookie of the Year, and Offensive Player of the year, while Linebacker Derred de Ville won Linebacker of the year, Defensive Rookie of the year, and Defensive Player of the year.
2037 Season
After a preseason without any wins, hopes were not running high for the Royals, but they got out to a flying start by winning 4 of 5, including wins against both teams that would end up with the best records in each conference. However, they followed that up with a 5 game losing streak, and went into the final third of the season 5-6, tied with the Coyotes and Pythons for second. In that three horse race, going 2-2 over the final 4 games with wins over the Birddogs and Pythons was enough to send them into the playoffs as the second best team in the conference with a 6-8 record. In the playoff game @ the Minnesota Grey Ducks, both offenses were stifled through halftime, before the Ducks jumped out to a 7 point lead halfway through the third quarter. After trading field goals, the Royals would tie up the game with a Colby Jack touchdown pass with 30 seconds left in the game. In overtime, the Royals would kick a field goal to advance to their first Ultimini. In the Ultimini, the offense could not get going and only scored 6 points on short field goals, while the Luchadores scored 10 to triumph over the Royals.
The Royals second season featured more success with the passing attack, with Colby Jack throwing for close to 2400 yards and 16 touchdowns with a completion percentage of 59%. His passer rating of 80.5 led the league. Their most prolific running back, J. Batista, rushed for 1038 yards and 6 touchdowns. Jack's favorite target was N. Kaepercolin, who caught 62 passes for 797 yards and 5 Touchdowns. The weak part of the Royals was probably their run defense, which was the third worst in the entire league.
The Royals most successful season thus far led to a fair number of positional awards, with Tight End Donatello Arrabiata, Linebacker Eric Richards, and Punter Datsum Phastbawls each winning awards for being the best at their position.
2038 Season
The London Royals got off to an extremely poor start in their third season, winning only 1 of their first 6 games. However, the Royals went 6-2 over their last 8 games as the hottest team in the league, ending up with their first .500 record, only losing homefield in the playoffs due to head to head against the Kansas City Coyotes. In the playoffs, the Royals went down early before scoring 10 unanswered points before halftime to take the lead. They added a field goal before the 4th quarter to stretch the lead to 6. However, in the 4th quarter, the Coyotes scored a touchdown and the Royals were unable to score back, squandering their best chance when a drive that resulted from a picked off pass in Kansas City territory went backwards out of field goal range. The Royals lost, 14-13.
In the Royals third season, the passing attack was less heavily relied on, with Colby Jack throwing for 1921 yards and 8 touchdowns on 52% completion. This led to the worst passer rating in the league among those who qualified. However, due to rushing for almost as many yards per game as they threw, led by D. King with 1228 yards, 11 touchdowns, and a 5.2 ypc, the Royals ended up with the second most points per game in the DSFL only behind the Norfolk Seawolves. Jack's favored target was S. Cash Jr, who caught 63 passes for 796 yards and 3 Touchdowns. The defense was the third worst unit in yards in the entire league, although it was better at not giving up points.
2039 Season
After back to back playoff appearances, hopes were riding high for a London team that brought back a number of its best players from last year, including Juan Domine, Busch Light, and Gunner Thorbjornnson. However, things were very up and down for the Royals throughout the first half of the year, albeit in a NSFC where that could be said about every single team who was in contention that wasn't a death sentence. Going into the final third of the season, the Royals were 4-5, one game back from the playoff spots. They would win 4 of their last 5, including a statement 21-3 win at the Norfolk Seawolves in the second last game of the season to give them home field against them in the playoffs. With an 8-6 record, their first winning record ever, the Royals had home field advantage in their first game of the playoffs against the Pythons. There, they held the best quarterback in the league to a sub 50% completion percentage on 40 throws, 147 yards, and a pick. Along with a magnificent performance from their lead running back in Terry Yaki, including a 52 yard run to put the Royals up by 9 as the half expired, and a defensive performance that held the Pythons to 3 points, the Royals comfortably made it to the Ultimini for the second time in their existence. They would face the Seawolves with home field advantage.
The Seawolves did not make the Ultimini as easy as the conference championship. The Royals would quickly go down by 10, before driving down to the red zone, getting stopped, setting up a chip shot field goal for Jake Fencik. He missed. Thankfully for the Royals, the Seawolves did nothing with their next possession, and gave the Royals a very short field which they scored a touchdown from. The Royals got a bit more luck when their quarterback, Charlemagne Cortez, threw a pick in their own territory but the clock ran out on the half before Norfolk could get points. The second half opened with each team trading touchdowns, then the Royals drove down to the 1 yard line, kicked a field goal, and the forced a fumble to score a quick touchdown to take a lead they would not relinquish, getting their first Ultimini in only their 4th year of existence.
The Royals were led by the second best defense by points, along with great yardage totals. Thorbjornnson was also one of the best wide receivers in the league.
2040 Season
Despite losing their star LB duo to callups, as well as their star receiver, the Royals turned a team that had been hit badly by callups into a powerhouse almost immediately, including a 6 game winning streak that was sandwiched by losses to the Buccaneers. The Royals had the best quarterback play in the league, the best defense in the league, and had a new star linebacker take the reins: L'gazzy Burfict. They actually ended up undefeated in the conference, which was quite a feat with no cupcakes in the entire conference. They went to the playoffs handily. Then, despite some trouble after a 90 yard return by the Ducks set them up with an easy touchdown to take an early lead, the Royals scored 10 points in each of the next 3 quarters to handily win the game. Meanwhile, the Buccaneers got upset in overtime by the Luchadores, giving the Royals home field advantage in their quest to win back to back ultiminis.
Unfortunately for London, the Ultimini might have been their worst game of the season. Against vastly inferior opposition, the Royals did not even win a single quarter of the game. Thomas Speedman had a great game, but as a whole, the team got blown out in their quest to win the Ultimini and ended their playoff run in abject failure.
2041 Season
After back to back Ultimini appearances, London started out flat in season 26. Recording repeat losses in both weeks 1 and 2 to the Pythons and the Luchadores respectively, London turned it back around with a win in week 3 versus the Buccaneers. London was able to follow this win up with a solid 38-3 victory over Norfolk before falling to Minnesota. Another small winning bout gave London a pair of wins vs Dallas and KCC where they held both teams to a combined 27 points over both weeks. The Royals hit a bit of a rough patch, going 1-2 over the next 3 weeks with losses to the Pythons and Buccaneers, but were able to notch a victory against Tijuana. Something must have clicked in the locker room following the loss to Bondi Beach, as London looked like it finally had that fire lit under it. The Royals ended the season with 4 straight wins over Norfolk, Minnesota, Dallas, and Kansas City. This late season surge was enough to net London a playoff berth against the dastardly Portland Pythons.
Entering the 4th quarter down 13-10, London needed to make some magic happen. To everyone's chagrin, Portland ended up outscoring London 10-3 in the final period to win the game 23-13. The Portland defense soundly shut down the London offense, holding star QB Charlemagne Cortez to just 186 yards on 14/35, and picking him off once. The future pro RB Terry Yaki was also stonewalled on the ground, only able to muster up 31 yards on 11 carries, but he did score the lone Royal touchdown of the game. London had high hopes for this season that were never able to materialize, and continues to find itself in a championship hangover.
2042 Season
London started season 27 off by losing their first game to the Portland Pythons in a shutout 20-0. But the Royals would begin to build some momentum, winning their next three preseason games 16-11 against the Tijuana Luchadores, 27-14 against the Kansas City Coyotes, and 23-13 against the Dallas Birddogs.
London carried this momentum into week 1 of the season, solidifying a beefy shutout against the Norfolk Seawolves 39-0. The royals made 3 picks in this game, resulting in two successful field goals and one 50 yard touchdown. This success was unfortunately short lived, as the Royals would lose their following 2 games at the hands of the Tijuana Luchadores 16-0 and the Dallas Birddogs 20-10. London continued on to win 5 of their remaining games and obtaining a loss streak of 5 game in weeks 8 through 12. The season ended for the Royals when they tied the Minnesota Grey Ducks for the bottom spot of the DSFL Northern Football Conference with a win-loss ratio of 6-8. This unfortunately meant that the Royals would not advance to the season 27 postseason.
2043 Season
Luck began to change for London in the 28th season. They would play as the away team for all 4 preseason games, scoring 2 wins: one against the Norfolk Seawolves 63-14 and the Tijuana Luchadores 31-24. The Royals would use this success to solidify their strategy in the season scoring not only a 3 win streak, but also a searing 6 week win streak from week 7 through week 12. London would beat many of their own stats from the previous season, including 245 pass completions and 2,806 passing yards made by Red Arrow Jr.. The Royals' running game would also see major improvements in the form of 1,134 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns. London finished the season with a win-loss ratio of 11-3, tying them with the Portland Pythons and sending them both to the playoffs.
London would maintain this momentum into the playoffs, scoring a narrow victory against the Portland Pythons 17-23, by breaking up 2 passes in the 4th quarter and forcing the Pythons to punt during their final push in the last 5 minutes of the game. In the Ultimini, the Royals quickly gained a lead against the Tijuana Luchadores and held it by making 2 interceptions in the last half of the game. The Ultimini cup was theirs for the 3rd time.
2044 Season
The preseason was rough this year, with London having 4 away games and losing all 4 of them. They would fortunately break this trend during the first half of the actual season. Season 29 was a wash for the Royals however, winning exactly half of their games. They would see a 4 game win streak in weeks 2 through 5, followed by a 3 week loss streak in weeks 8 through 10. This once again tied them for last place in the DSFL Northern Football Conference with the Portland Pythons, and meant that the Royals would not obtain the back to back championship they so desired.
But this season did see some notable improvements for the Royals. Dustin Parmelee would beat the previous season's pass completion record by 3 with a total of 248 completions and an astounding passing rating of 90.1%. Kiara Tenoh ensured that the Royals' running game improved over last season as well, beating the previous season's rush attempts and yards with a solid 272 attempts and impressive 1,370 yards.
2045 Season
Lucid replaced slate as GM.
The 30th DSFL preseason marked the beginning of the worst season yet for the Royals. Their win against the Portland Pythons 27-17 in their first preseason game would unfortunately very nearly be their only taste of victory this season. Their 1 win of the season was in week 4 against the Norfolk Seawolves, sandwiched in between 2 loss streaks: a 3 loss streak in weeks 1 through 3, and a devastating 10 loss streak in weeks 5 through 14. London finished this season with a win loss ratio of 1-13 and a winning percentage of 7.1% of their games.
Bradley Welch played his first and only season with the Royals this year and would provide them with the silver linings of setting some team records of 105 catches and 1,304 receiving yards. Dustin Parmelee would also set new team records this season with 625 passing attempts and 381 passing completions.
2046 Season
Seb replaced katarn as GM.
The bad luck would continue for the Royals in the DSFL's 31st season. London started with a series of 4 losses in the preseason followed by a 3 loss streak. Their luck seemed to be changing in week 4 when they scored a massive victory against the Bondi Beach Buccaneers 41-3, but the momentum once against shifted into a 4 loss streak in weeks 5 through 8. Fortunately for the Royals, this season was still better than last. They managed to score another 3 wins against the Minnesota Grey Ducks 29-17 in week 9, the Bondi Beach Buccaneers 41-16 in week 11, and the Dallas Birddogs 31-20 in week 14. London finished this season with a win percentage of 28.6%, having 4 wins and 10 losses. This would unfortunately put them back at the bottom of their conference and prevent them from making it to the 31st postseason.
The silver linings were fewer for the Royals this season as well, but Dustin Parmelee would set new season records with a pass rating of 93.4% and an 85 yard pass. Bradley Welch would also set season records with a 78 yard punt return and a total of 261 punt return yards.
2047 Season
Things began to turn around for London in the 2047 preseason where they won 3 of their 4 games, losing only to the Minnesota Grey Ducks 21-7 in preseason week 2. Sadly, this momentum would again not carry into the season, where the Royals would see a 5 loss streak in weeks 3 through 7. London would see only 3 wins this season: 24-17 in week 2 vs the Minnesota Grey Ducks, 30-17 in week 8 vs the Kansas City Coyotes, and 39-21 in week 11 vs the Bondi Beach Buccaneers. This left the royals at the bottom of their conference again with 3 wins, 11 losses, and a win percentage of 21.4%. This would sadly mark the 4th season in a row where the Ultimini proved out of reach for London.
Rocky Rhoads Runny Boy would prevent this season from being a total loss for the Royals by setting season records with 393 rush attempts, 1,608 rushing yards, and 17 rushing touchdowns.
2048 Season
The 33rd season was an overall improvement for the Royals, however they would start this season off by losing all 4 preseason games and carrying that momentum forward into a 5 loss streak in the first 5 weeks of the season. The season proved to be a rollercoaster of emotions and streaks when hopes were raised starting in week 6 with a 3 win streak. The rollercoaster then dipped with a 3 loss streak in weeks 9 through 11, and rose again with a 3 win streak in the last 3 weeks of the season. This final push was unfortunately not enough, resulting in a 6-8 record for the team and putting them 1 win behind the Kansas City Coyotes who would proceed to the playoffs with the Minnesota Grey Ducks.
Despite their luck, the Royals would again continue to improve their game. Kaguya Shinomiya would set season records with 29 passing touchdowns and an 88 yard pass, and Louis Blondin ensured that their receiving game improved with season records of 1,437 receiving yards and 14 receiving touchdowns.
2049 Season
The Royals headed into 2049 (S34) with a renewed sense of belief, coming off the back of their best season since 2043 (S28), despite the loss of LucidDreams702, who had decided to stepdown from his position as GM to be replaced by Gordon Bombay. Early signs were positive for the British based organisation, as they put in strong preseason performances against the previous year's Ultimini participants, the Minnesota Grey Ducks and the DSFL powerhouse that is the Tijuana Luchadores. Unfortunately, the optimism in London soon began to fade as they managed to secure just one victory in their opening five games of the season, against the aforementioned Grey Ducks.
The Royals would go on to win five of their remaining nine regular season games, including standout victories again the Kansas City Coyotes and their bitter rivals, the Dallas Birddogs. However, due to their poor start to the season, this was not enough to secure a playoff birth in an incredibly competitive DSFL Northern Football Conference, of which the London Royals finished bottom with a 6-8 record for the second year running. There was also little to celebrate in terms of individual success, as the only single season record to be broken was interception return yards, which Fairy de Pengu broke with 163 yards. Rookie punter Swantavius King also managed to break a franchise record for the longest punt twice during the season, with a 64 yard effort against the Luchadores in week 10 and then again with a 65 yard punt against the Bondi Beach Buccaneers the following week.
2050 Season
2050 (S35) would once again be something of a mixed bag for the Royals, as they achieved their first .500 season in six years, a significant sign of improvement that was long overdue. However, it was far from plain sailing for London, despite an incredibly strong start to the season that saw them go 2-0 with wins over the Kansas City Coyotes and Minnesota Grey Ducks. However, a four game losing streak set the team back and left people wondering if the London Royals of old were about to re-emerge, undermining their early season promise. It took a week 7 meeting with their expansion rivals, the Dallas Birddogs to inspire the team back to their feet, a game which saw the Royals run out 38-23 victors as Lenny Lyons rushed for 139 yards and 2 touchdowns. Further wins over the Minnesota Grey Ducks, the Bondi Beach Buccaneers & Norfolk Seawolves left the Royals in a position to achieve their best year in more than half a decade, should they come out on top in Dallas on the final day of the season. A commanding performance ensured that this would be the case, as London dominated the opposition, 31-6.
Despite a seventh consecutive season without playoff football, a draught that had lasted for almost half of the organisation's entire existence, there was cautious optimism around the team, as London once again looked like they could be competitive within their conference.
2051 Season
London maintained their tradition of a strong start, followed by a brief slump in 2051 (S36), as they looked to carry their momentum from the previous year into the current campaign. A solid 34-21 victory over the Kansas City Coyotes on the opening day of the season was swiftly followed by a three game losing stream delivered by the Minnesota Grey Ducks, the Tijuana Luchadores and the Bondi Beach Buccaneers. London's latest generation of talent responded well to the downturn in form, as they came from behind against the Norfolk Seawolves to take a 31-17 victory, with 22 points scored in the 4th quarter. After a tough home defeat to the dominant Portland Pythons, who would ultimately be Ultimini participants, the Royals went on a three game rampage, securing victories over the Dallas Birddogs, the Kansas City Coyotes and the Minnesota Grey Ducks in commanding fashion. A loss to the Tijuana Luchadores was then followed by another three game winning streak, prior to closing out the regular season with a 37-13 loss to Dallas.
The resurgence of the London Royals during the regular season and their ability to consistently put winning streaks together had won them their first playoff birth since the Ultimus winning team of 2043 (S28), 8 years earlier. Unfortunately, the jubilation was short lived, as the Royals were unable to replicate their performance in the penultimate game of the regular season, losing to the Portland Pythons 37-6.
2052 Season
Prior to the start of the season, Sebster stepped down as GM of the London Royals, after holding the position since 2046 (S31) - making him the longest serving General Manager in the team's history, at the time of his departure. This decision led to the recruitment of Alikh to serve as his replacement, alongside Gordon Bombay. The new partnership would get off to a bumpy start as a duo, winning only two of their first nine competitive games. However, towards the end of the regular season they began to find their feet, navigating a tricky final five games that included 3 trips to the homes of some of the best teams in the league, while adding two more wins to their victory column. The Royals would end the year with a 4-9 regular season record, as they unfortunately missed out on the playoffs.
Despite the slight regression in their performance across the year, there were many positives to be taken from the season, such as Outlaw Mode Sicko winning Defensive Performance of the Year for his contributions in Week 1. Additionally, the London roster looked to be maturing well, particularly in the case of veteran QB and DSFL star Nova Montagne.
Season-by-season records
Season | Regular Season Record | Post Season Record | ||||||
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W | L | T | PCT | W | L | |||
2036 | 5 | 9 | 0 | .357 | 0 | 0 | ||
2037 | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 1 | 1 | ||
2038 | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 0 | 1 | ||
2039 | 8 | 6 | 0 | .571 | 2 | 0 | ||
2040 | 11 | 3 | 0 | .786 | 1 | 1 | ||
2041 | 9 | 5 | 0 | .642 | 0 | 1 | ||
2042 | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 0 | 0 | ||
2043 | 11 | 3 | 0 | .786 | 2 | 0 | ||
2044 | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 0 | 0 | ||
2045 | 1 | 13 | 0 | .071 | 0 | 0 | ||
2046 | 4 | 10 | 0 | .286 | 0 | 0 | ||
2047 | 3 | 11 | 0 | .214 | 0 | 0 | ||
2048 | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 0 | 0 | ||
2049 | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 0 | 0 | ||
2050 | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 0 | 0 | ||
2051 | 8 | 6 | 0 | .571 | 0 | 1 | ||
2052 | 4 | 9 | 0 | .321 | 0 | 0 | ||
Total | 111 | 127 | 0 | .467 | 6 | 5 |
Current roster
London Royals roster
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Quarterbacks
Running backs Wide receivers
Tight ends
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Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
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Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
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Current staff
London Royals staff
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General Managers
GM | Co-GM | Tenure | Regular Season Record | Post Season Record | |||||
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W | L | T | W | L | |||||
DeadlyPlayer | modern_duke | 2036 (S21)-2037 (S22) | 9 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
DeadlyPlayer | Highhaschdi | 2037 (S22) | 2 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
Sylphreni | Highhaschdi | 2038 (S23)-2039 (S24) | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
abh89 | Maglubiyet | 2039 (S24)-2041 (S26) | 25 | 11 | 0 | 3 | 2 | ||
katarn22 | slate | 2042 (S27)-2044 (S29) | 24 | 18 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
katarn22 | Luciddreams702 | 2045 (S30)-2045 (S30) | 1 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
Luciddreams702 | Sebster | 2045 (S30)-2049 (S34) | 19 | 37 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
Sebster | Gordon Bombay | 2050 (S35)-2051 (S36) | 15 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
Gordon Bombay | Alikh | 2052 (S37)-Present | 4 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 |