Auvasa Imperial League

This article is about Auvasa Imperial League . You may be looking for Imperial Boloball or the current competition: The Imperial Union League

Auvasa Imperial League
Active Period	Year 6 - Year 11
Type	Recreational Sports
Profession	Bolo-Ball Players
Sponsored by	Auvasa Corp.

Prior to Year 11, elite boloball competition within the Galactic Empire was organised into the Auvasa Imperial League (AIL). The tournament initially bore the same as its eventual successor, the Imperial Boloball League, but was renamed for sponsorship reasons.

History

While many local tournaments had existed long before the League was established, boloball gained galactic recognition when the Imperial Gaming Commission announced the creation of the first Imperial Boloball League (IBL) on Year 6 Day 200. The new league structures elevated the sport, adding a regular, elite level of competition that went far beyond local planetary, system and sector tournaments.

With its new reach, boloball became one of the most popular sports played on various worlds throughout Imperial space. While increased interest in the marketability of the league allowed for rapid expansion of the sport, many planets formed their own official teams and funded the construction of stadiums. These initial efforts resulted in new grounds suchs as the Knights Stadium (Vakkar BC, Vakkar), St. Jina's Park (Kathol Saints, Merson), and Magnaguard Megadome (AC Coruscant, Coruscant).

Many planets had more than one team, however not all were at the level to compete in the league, which had no second tier. Teams that didn't fair well in the Premier Division (due to financial or sporting reasons) tended to drop out and return to their local league. As a result there were many "one season" teams, with 43 teams competing during this period. Few teams had the combination of support, skills and financial backing to mount multiple challenges to the title. In its fifth season the league was given a substantial boost in funding that it was hoped to stem the high team dropout rate and allow for a wider spectrum of teams to compete; however, during this season, the tournament abruptly abandoned.

Sponsorship and Controversy

Following its inception in Year 6, a sponsorship deal was signed with Cloud City for four seasons that boosted revenues and prize monies in the early campaigns. However, with the league becoming more popular and team revenues increasing from other areas, the deal with Cloud City was deemed too low and was not renewed. Instead a lucrative but controversial deal was agreed with Auvasa Corp., a newly formed communications company owned and backed by the Martin family; one prominent member of whom was an Imperial Officer and the current League Administrator. The deal was frowned upon by many as the company was an external corporation and its daily business was not directly accountable to Imperial authorities. Controversy grew when Auvasa Corp. took over one of the oldest teams in the league, Vakkar BC, and renamed it Auvasa BC. Despite this many other parties backed the deal, seeing it as an opportunity to expand the sport beyond Imperial borders and exploit the league's broadcasting potential to increase income. With the completion of the deal, the league was renamed the Auvasa Imperial League.

The deal with Auvasa Corp. was for an initial two season period with the option of being extend for at least another four. However, in Year 11 Patrick Martin was removed as League Admin and the sponsorship deal with Auvasa was discontinued, with the league season abandoned. The Auvasa Imperial League would be replaced by a new and revamped Imperial Boloball League later in Year 11, reverting to its original name. Nikolaus Ephranor was appointed as the new League Admin, with funding provided by the Imperial Gaming Commission rather than a corporate sponsor.

League Trophy

A new version of the league trophy was commissioned upon Auvasa Corp. being named the league's new sponsor. Auvasa Corp. designed the trophy itself but hired the experts at Magnagaurd to sculp and build it. The trophy was built from Durasteel and was heavily polished to get the reflective surface. The gold durasteel used in some parts of it come from the old trophy which was melted down, while its plinth is made of berubian, a semi-precious stone. The plinth has a durasteel band around its circumference, upon which the names of the title-winning clubs are engraved. Berubian's green colour is also representative of the green field of play.

At the end season the league champions were presented with the real trophy which they put on display at their homegrounds until a new champion is crowned. On the crowning of new league champions, past winners would receive a replica to display.

The trophy stands at 80cm tall, 45cm wide, 25cm deep and it weighs 27 Kg. With an estimated value of 2,350,000 credits.

Honours

Auvasa Imperial League Honours
Season	League Champions	Cup Winners
AIL 1: Y6/7	Vakkar BC	AC Coruscant (x2) Vakkar BC (x1) (Missing season data)
AIL 2: Y7/8	Vakkar BC
AIL 3: Y8/9	Urawa Reds
AIL 4: Y9/10	Corellian Hotspur
AIL 5: Y10/11	Season abandoned

"Big 4" Dominance

Ever since the league was established in Year 5/6, four teams have always maintained a strong grip on the league and cup trophies. The league was won by three of the four, with the cup also won by three of the four. The teams that made up the "Big 4" were: Vakkar BC (2 League, 1 Cup), AC Coruscant (0 League, 2 Cup), Urawa Reds (1 League, 0 Cup) and Corellian Hotspur (1 League, 0 Cup). Due to their success and large fan bases, these four teams had far great financial power than the others; a factor that guaranteed their longevity in a league where many teams faced administration and dissolution after a single season. Other verified teams from this period include Lecha Lions, Sublight Swoopers and Kathol Saints.

League Violence: Vakkar Incident

Crowd trouble and fan fighting was nothing new to the Imperial League, with minor scuffles a frequent occurrence at games and following them, but it reached its peak during the 8/9 season when reigning champions Vakkar BC - now renamed Auvasa BC post-takeover - were playing against the soon to be champions, Urawa Reds.

Vakkar BC had been the champions of the first two seasons and hopes had been high to achieve a third in a row. The fans had high expectations which were quickly crushed following the amazing performances of Urawa Reds that season. With the gap between the two teams 15 points with seven games to go, Auvasa BC knew this was a game they could not afford to lose; losing would mean they had lost the title. To make matters worse, the game was being played on Vakkar at the Knights Stadium. The game started well for Auvasa BC but quickly went downhill as Urawa took command. The final score was 4-2 for Urawa. When the final whistle blew the Vakkar fans went wild. The barriers separating the two groups were broken and fighting broke out across the stadium. This incident soon worsened as what started as fist fights in the stadium turned into a firefight outside as a small group of hardcore Auvasa BC fans had smuggled weapons to the game and began firing on the crowd of Urawa Red fans. They in turn began to hurl debris at the Auvasa fans. The situation was more than the local security could handle and the nearby Imperial Forces were called to provide assistance. Following two hours to fighting the crowd was brought under control and many arrests made. The final toll seen 1,379 injured with 167 dead including 3 Imperial troops.

This incident led to Auvasa BC being deducted 24 points in the following season, ruling the championship out once more, were fined 29,000,000 credits to cover the damage and were forced to play their home games with no fans present for 8 games. The total affect of which left Auvasa BC on the verge of collapse until they were bought by the current owners. Urawa Reds who had seen 133 fans die to this day refuse to play Auvasa BC on their home grounds and this game has been moved to a neutral location.

League Records

Most Wins in a Season: Urawa Reds
Most clean sheets in a season: Corellian Hotspur
Most goals (Team) in a season: Urawa Reds
Most goals (Player) in a season: Name Name (27) (Corellian Hotspur)
Most wins overall: Vakkar BC
Most goals overall (Team): Vakkar BC
Most goals overall (player): Drockia Teabi (83) (Vakkar BC)