Imperial Boloball League
The Imperial Bolo-Ball League (IBL) is an official sports league in the Galactic Empire. It oversees all aspects of the sport boloball in Imperial territory. It was the first official organisation in the sport's history. The current League Admin is Otto Mustard.
History of the League
Many variations of Boloball have existed for decades, often played by children in the streets or on empty grass fields. Organised local teams began appearing in the early years of the Galactic Empire, but no overarching structures existed until Year 6 Day 200 when the Imperial Gaming Commission announced the inception of the first Imperial Boloball League (IBL). Patrick Martin was appointed the first League Admin and succesfully professionalized the sport. Many planets formed their own official teams and funded the construction of stadiums, while corporations across the galaxy showed interest in sponsoring the League, allowing the organisation and sport to quickly grow. Following the League's inception a sponsorship deal was signed with Cloud City for four seasons. This deal gave the League a much needed boost in revenue during its infancy stage.
During the first two seasons, the IBL offered biweekly games in only one division. In season three, this system was abandoned in favour of only one League game per week. This freed up the second game day for the Emperor's Cup, the first official Boloball tournament ever hosted. Season three also saw the creation of a second level. The first level consisted of the Imperial Superior League division, while the second level was split in two divisions: Imperial Sub League A and Imperial Sub League B. In season four, this was altered once more, creating a seperate level for the two Sub Leagues, although this only lasted until season five, when Sub League B was eliminated.
When the sport became increasingly popular with the Imperial population and team revenues grew significantly, the sponsorship deal with Cloud City was deemed insufficient and was not renewed. Instead, a controversial deal was struck with Auvasa Corp, a newly formed corporation owned by the Martin family, of which the League Admin at the time was a prominent member. The deal was frowned upon by many as the new sponsor was not directly involved with the Empire. The controversy grew when Auvasa Corp bought one of the oldest and most succesful teams in the Imperial League, Vakkar BC. Others applauded the new sponsorship deal however, seeing it as an opportunity to expand the sport beyond Imperial borders and increasing the income of the League, which had been renamed the Auvasa Imperial League. A new version of the league trophy was also commissioned to reflect this.
In Year 11, Patrick Martin was removed as League Admin and the sponsorship deal with Auvasa, which was originally signed for two seasons with the option of being extended for at least another four, was discontinued. Nikolaus Ephranor was appointed as his successor, the League reverted to its original name and funds were provided by the Imperial Gaming Commission rather than a corporate sponsor. Two and a half years later, Ephranor chose to step down and was replaced by Otto Mustard, an Imperial industrial.
