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| My London Monarchs jersey. |
Back in the late 1980s to early 1990s, Channel 4 showed a lot of sport, that the other channels (BBC and ITV) didn't show. This included Sumo (Chiyonofuji was one of the greatest exponents of the sport), Baseball and American Football. I would sit and watch the Sumo and American Football, with my mum, and soon I was hooked. My neighbour and friend, Colin, also started watching the baseball and American Football.
Later, we both had our own baseball mitts, bat and ball and would often be outside seeing who could make the best catch, best pitch and longest hit.
We then discovered that the National Football League (NFL) was going to start a World League of American Football (WLAF), and that London would have its own team. This was great news to us, so we followed the story with interest.Sure enough, in 1991, the World League launched with 10 teams; London Monarchs, Barcelona Dragons, Frankfurt Galaxy, New Jersey Knights, Orlando Thunder, Montreal Machine, Raleigh-Durham Skyhawks, Birmingham Fire, San Antonio Riders and the Sacramento Surge.
The London Monarchs would use the iconic Wembley Stadium as their home venue, while using the International University, Bushey, for their training. We were over the moon. We could easily cycle to Bushey to watch them train and Wembley was just a few stops along the Metropolitan line.
The London Monarchs were to play their home matches at the iconic Wembley Stadium, which would also be the venue for the first World Bowl at the end of the season. We then discovered that the London Monarchs would be using the International University, Bushey, as a training ground and that some of the players would occasionally pop into the Red Lion, Bushey, for the odd drink.
The International University and the Red Lion pub were close enough for us to walk or cycle to, while Wembley Stadium was just a few stops along the Metropolitan line.
We caught the odd glimpse of Stan 'The Man' Gelbaugh (quarterback) and Jeff Alexander (running back), along with others as they trained, by peering through the fence of the International University. We also saw the London Monarchs cheerleaders, known as the Crown Jewels, practising their moves. Every time we visited the Red Lion, we missed the players, but the walls were slowly being covered by signed photographs of the players. (I shall have to go and see if any of the photographs are still up.)
