IRBC

[RevNet]

Remember my NARBA thread from several months back? Remember when I said I wasn't going to do a global league of this unique sport? Well, I lied. The reason is because since that thread, I started to remember all of the teams I had from when I had all those files before I deleted them off my old computer. So, I started to do those, along with adding new teams into new leagues and associations. Now I have 128 teams in 6 associations located all over the globe in the...

The breakdown of the IRBC:

Click here for the ERBA Map: http://i3.photobucke...BA/ERBA-Map.png

32 teams in 5 leagues (W. European, C. European, E. European, Scandinavian, British)

Here are the NARBA teams with the new template in slideshow form.

Click here for the PARBA Map: http://i3.photobucke...A/PARBA-Map.png

24 teams in 4 leagues (Middle East, South Asian, Southeast United, Far East)

Click here for the RBAALC Map: http://i3.photobucke.../RBAALC-Map.png

12 teams in 2 leagues (Liga Norte & Liga Sur/Liga Sul)

Click here for the RBAANZ Map: http://i3.photobucke.../RBAANZ-Map.png

16 teams in 4 leagues (Outback, Mountain, Coastline, Kiwi)

Click here for the RBARSA map: http://i3.photobucke.../RBARSA-Map.png

8 teams in 2 leagues (Coastal & Inland)

If you have seen the NARBA slideshow by this point, you would know that Puma is the official outfitter of the IRBC. The reason I chose Puma is to give the company more recognition throughout the globe (especially in the US and Canada). Bauer will be IRBC's official cap/hat outfitter, while ProTec will be the official helmet outfitter.

If you didn't see the slideshow, here's the template with which all 128 teams will be shown:

Here is where you come in: As with the NARBA thread, I will put up a poll to see which association you want to see first. The one with the most votes after 36 hours from the time of this post will have that honor. Then the association with the most votes after that will be shown, and so forth.

Let me know what you all think about this template and the IRBC!

[Whittier S]

I like the Edmonton Freeze and Nashville Night Owls logos, simple but clever.

[cohenj21]

Roller bowling sounds like a pretty awesome idea. No team in Paris? Either way, looking forward to seeing what you come up with here.

[RevNet]

Roller bowling sounds like a pretty awesome idea. No team in Paris? Either way, looking forward to seeing what you come up with here.

Funny thing that you mention Paris, because that is where the IRBC World Cup Quarterfinal, Semifinal, and Final matches will take place. Here's the tournament bracket:

The winner of the Final match of the World Cup will recieve this trophy and banner:

I'll tell you where each association's final matches will take place in their respective posts.

[Philsphan]

Definetly a cool idea! I'm excited to see the teams from around the world because there are very few global leagues around here on CCSLC. My favorite logo Ive seen has been the Edmonton Freeze. You should try to make team logos and scripts more related to the team name like the Freeze. Really looking forward to a huge project full of creativity here! Good Luck!

[RevNet]

It has been over 36 hours, and with 2 votes, the association with the most votes is...

Some info while viewing this slideshow of the teams:

Middle East League:

Amman Techsters - Amman, the capital of Jordan, is considered the Silicon Valley of the Middle East. That is the reason I went with "Techsters", and that is also the reason for the team colors of Islam Green, Motherboard Green, and Silicon (which is the metal used on motherboards).

Beirut Blades - Flint tools dating back to the Old Stone Age were discovered in the urban area of the Lebanese capital, and "blades" is sometimes used as a term for roller skates.

Damascus Settlers - This Syrian capital is one of the oldest cities in the world, if not the oldest.

Istanbul Sultans - The nickname is a reference to the Ottoman Empire, which ruled parts of Europe, Africa, and the Middle East for more than 600 years. Istanbul was the capital of the empire for most of this time. This team used to be called the "Bloodhounds", but never really had a uniform to call their own, although their colors were red, brown, and white.

Jerusalem Spirits - This "City of Peace" is where followers of three religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) come to pray. This mix of sometimes-clashing beliefs is the reason why I named the team "Spirits", because whether the name of the god in question is "God", 'Yahweh", or "Allah", the one unifying thing about these religions is that they have a "spirit" that guides them throughout their whole life. This team used to be called the "Blue Jays", and their colors were blue and white.

Tel Aviv Orange - One of this city's nicknames is "The Big Orange", like how New York City is called "The Big Apple".

South Asian League:

Colombo-SJK Roosters - The fowl is the national animal of Sri Lanka, and another name for fowl is "rooster". The SJK part of the name stands for Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the capital of Sri Lanka. This team used to be called the "Desperados", and it had the same colors as they do now.

Delhi Cubs - I ran into a little snafu when naming this team and the team below. You see, the national animal of both India and Bangladesh is the bengal tiger. Then I found out that India has another national animal (which will be shown in the Mumbai team), so I gave the "Cubs" name to this team...

Dhaka Bengals - ...and I gave the "Bengals" name to this team in the Bangladeshi capital. The green comes from the flag of Bangladesh.

Karachi Dolphins - Karachi, the largest city in Pakistan, is on the Arabian Sea, so I had to choose an aquatic mascot, and the dolphin fit the bill, because dolphins are smart and quick.

Kathmandu Bulls - The cow is the national animal of Nepal, so 'Bulls" was a natural choice for this Nepali team.

Mumbai Peacocks - The national bird of India is the Indian Peafowl, or peacock (peahen if it's a female). The color of sapphire comes from the Star of Bombay (former name of Mumbai), a large star sapphire on display in Washington, D.C. (and the inspiration for Bombay Sapphire gin), and is the color of a peacock's body. The color green comes from the Indian tricolor flag (The other Indian team, the Delhi Cubs, have the orange of the tricolor as one of their team colors).

Southeast United League:

(The league name is the Southeast United League because it unites teams from Southeast Asia and the teams on islands around Southeast Asia.)

Bangkok Blue - Before you ask, yes, that is Bangkok's full name in Thai on the home shirt. I decided to make this team the double-blue team. One blue comes from the center stripe in Thailand's flag, and the other blue comes from the lapis lazuli gem, an important gem in Buddhism, which is the major religion in Thailand.

Jakarta Lizards - Jakarta is very close to the equator and has a climate kind of like in the Amazon, so "Lizards" was a perfect fit, along with the colors of green (from the lizard skin) and red (from the Indonesian flag). This team used to be called the "Moon Raiders" and had the colors of black, red, and white.

Kuala Lumpur Hornbills - The national bird of Malaysia is the Rhinoceros Hornbill, which explains the team name and the colors of black, yellow, and white, all which come from this bird. This team used to be called the "Black Stars" and just had the colors of black and white.

Manila Eagles - The national bird of The Philippines is the Philippine Eagle. The blue and gold colors come from the top stripe and the sun on the Filipino flag, respectively. This team used to be called the "Leopards", and was the double-gold team as far as colors were concerned.

Singapore Crows - The crow is of Asian origin, but now can be found all over the world. The black comes from the crow's feathers, and the red and white come from the flag of Singapore. This team used to be called the "Marlins" and had the colors of gold and aqua.

Taipei Magpies - The national bird of Taiwan is the Formosan Blue Magpie, which in a way explains the logo, because the magpie has a red bill, therefore the M is red, and the T is blue, which is the color of the magpie's body. Red and blue are also the colors on the Taiwanese flag.

Far East League:

Beijing Pandas - The panda is one of China's national animals. The B-star logo is because Beijing is the capital of China. This team used to be called the "White Tigers", and had the colors of blue, silver, and white.

Chengdu Sunbirds - The name and the colors of red and gold come from the Golden Sun Bird artifact excavated from the Jinsha Ruins within the city area. This team used to be called the "Western Warriors", which was first given to the team in Perth, Australia.

HKM Harbormen - The team is a union between the two special administrative regions of China, Hong Kong and Macau, and the red and green (flag colors of both regions) colors reflect this union. The blue comes from the water of the South China Sea.

Seoul Blue Devils - The blue comes from the blue on the South Korean flag. This team used to be called the "Soul" (Seoul Soul, get it?) and had the colors of hunter green, blue, and white.

Shanghai Cranes - The (red-crowned) crane is another one of China's national animals (along with the Golden Pheasant, Giant Panda, and the Chinese Dragon). The maroon is a leftover from this team's days as the Seawolves (dark aqua and white were the other colors).

Tokyo Wind - The two lines of text on the home shirt translates as "Tokyo Wind" (top line) and "Japan's Team" (bottom line).

PARBA's final playoff match takes place in Ulan Bator, Mongolia, and as you'll see in the following posts, I tried to pick sites for final matches that were ANAP (as neutral as possible).

[Philsphan]

My favorites are Beruit, Tel Aviv, Taipei, Chengdu, and Jakarta. The more you use cool fonts and logos on the uniforms, the more visually appealing it is. Certain teams, like Beijing have a basic font with no logos on the uniforms. Delhi, Istanbul and Manilla are like this too. I really like the descriptions for team names too. I'm very interested in geography.

[RevNet]

The ERBA, the RBAALC, and the RBAANZ each had one vote, so here we go first with?

Some info while viewing this slideshow of the teams:

Western European League

North Half

Amsterdam Falcons ? This team has always been known as having the colors of hunter green & orange. Orange, of course, is the color of the Dutch.

Brussels Phantoms ? Just as with the Falcons, the Phantoms in this Belgian capital always had the colors of black, silver, and white.

Dublin Greyhounds ? One of the national animals of Ireland is the Irish Wolfhound, which, in ancient times, struck fear into the hearts of the Ancient Romans. I chose the name "Greyhounds" because of their reputation for being fast, and for being a distant cousin of the Wolfhound. This team used to have the colors of blue, red, and black, but the black was replaced by grey for ERBA.

Reykjavík Tritons ? Reykjavík and the country of Iceland (of which Reykjavík is the capital) are completely surrounded by water. I didn't want to go with an obviously aquatic mascot, so I went with "Tritons".

South Half

Barcelona Marauders ? This Catalan team used to have the colors of purple and gold, but the gold was replaced by white for the team you see. The "Marauders" (or should I say the Catalan "Merodeadores"?) name was given as a response to the Madrid team.

Lisbon Aftershock ? This Portuguese team has always had the colors of light orange, sky blue (to reflect its Phoenician name "Allis Ubbo", meaning "safe harbor"), and black (which is one of the colors on the city flag). The secondary logo on the hat replaces the seven hills (Lisbon is nicknamed "A Cidade das Sete Colinas", meaning "The City of Seven Hills") surrounding the capital city with Richter-scale readings.

Madrid Conquistadores ? This Spaniard team has always worn the colors of the Spanish flag, red and gold. The "Conquistadores" (meaning "Conquerors") name reflects the Spanish colonization of Latin America and elsewhere.

Marseille Sailors ? This is the French team, so the colors of the French tricolor are no surprise. The "Sailors" name reflects that the city is on the Mediterranean Sea.

Central European League

North Half (unofficially known as the Deutsch Pro League, or German Pro League)

Berlin Bears ? The "Bears" name is because a bear is on the city flag, and it also has the city flag colors of black, red, and white. This team used to be called the "Blue Raiders" and had the colors of blue and silver, along with black, red, and gold, the colors of the German tricolor (a DPL requirement at the time).

Frankfurt Millionaires ? The "Millionaires" name is because Frankfurt is considered to be the richest city in the EU. The colors of purple (from the 500-Euro bill) and blue (from the EU flag) reflect this, as do the logos (the Euro symbol-like "F" and the blue-and-white coin).

Hamburg Hooligans ? This team started out with the colors of green, purple, black, and white. The purple was eliminated for the color scheme you see now.

Munich Angels ? This team used to be the "Cowboys" and had gone through a change of color schemes from dark blue, silver, and black to a cleaner scheme of the first and third colors. I figured, though, that Munich and "Cowboys" didn't make much sense to me, so I decided to give them a rebrand of colors and nickname. I took the blue from the state flag of Bavaria, and the yellow from the Munich city flag. Then I figured out the perfect name for this Bavarian team based on these colors: "Angels".

South Half

Budapest Heat ? This Hungarian team used to be called the "Inferno" before Houston took the team's name, so I gave them the "Heat" name to still reflect the paprika spice (also one of the team colors, along with orange), which Hungary produces.

Prague Coyotes ? While there are no coyotes native to Prague or the Czech Republic, there is a "Coyote Bar" in the Czech capital.

Rome Emperors ? The "Emperors" name reflects the Roman Empire, which conquered lands as far west as the British Isles and as far east as present-day Iran. The colors reflect the vexillum of the Roman Empire.

Vienna Vulcans ? This Austrian team used to have the colors of purple and white, but for ERBA, it had a makeover and now has the colors of midnight green, silver, and white.

Eastern European League

North Half

Baltic Alliance Javelins ? The "Javelins" name was first given to the team in the Slovene capital of Ljubljana. When that team folded, the name was given to the new Baltic team based in the Latvian capital of Riga (where it still stands), which originally just had the colors of the Latvian flag (maroon and white) and was named "Baltic Javelins". However, for ERBA and to reflect the "alliance" of the three Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, two colors were added: the blue from the Estonian tricolor and the gold from the Lithuanian tricolor.

Kiev Saints ? This is the Ukrainian team, so the colors of the team are no surprise, and the "Saints" name is because the archangel Michael is on the city flag.

Moscow Metros ? This team in the Russian capital used to be named the "Lakers" and had just the colors of black and red. White was added in the second "Lakers" reincarnation, and then silver was added for ERBA. This third reincarnation of the team reflects that Moscow is called the "Third Rome". The "Metros" name comes from the Moscow Metro, known for its ornately decorated stations. The logo on the home shirt is of a gray silhouette of a skyscraper, a black silhouette of a tower of the Kremlin, and a red silhouette of an onion dome (like the ones found on St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow) surrounded by a red-stroked black circle with "Moscow" written across the whole thing.

Warsaw Warhawks ? This team used to have the colors of purple, blue, and white, but the blue was replaced by the red from the Polish flag. The "Warhawks" comes from the fact that Warsaw was severely damaged in WW2 and rose back from those days to once again serve as the Polish capital.

South Half

Athens Athenians ? The "Athenians" name comes from Athena, the goddess which Athens is named after, and it also is what citizens of the Greek capital are called. The blue and white colors of this team reflect the Greek flag. The green was added to distinct this team from other blue-and-white teams.

Belgrade Shock ? The "Shock" name comes from Nikola Tesla, an ethnic Serbian born in modern-day Croatia that became one of the world's great inventors. One of his inventions is called the Tesla coil, which produces electricity. The lavender color of the team is a mixture of the pan-Slavic colors of the Serbian flag (red, blue, and white).

Bucharest Whiplash ? The "Whiplash" name comes from the reputation of Romanian drivers, which can cause traffic problems in the city streets. The main colors of the team are gold and black, but the away uniform reflects the Romanian tricolor. The "B" is supposed to be shaped like a curled-up whip.

Sofia Cobras ? The "Cobras" name was first given to the team in Boston, but after they received the "Rebels" name and colors, the "Cobras" name and colors were given to the newly formed team in the Bulgarian capital, which originally had the colors of navy blue, green, and white. The color scheme was changed to the colors found in nature, dirt brown and grass green.

Scandianavian League

(As with this league and the last league, the colors come from the national flags of their respective country.)

Copenhagen Swans ? This team used to be called the "Titans" to reflect the story of Beowulf, and had the colors of red, teal, black, and white. The "Titans" name was given to Dallas and led to the team getting the "Swans" name. The swan is the national animal of Denmark.

Helsinki Dockers ? The "Dockers" name reflects on the Finnish Navy. This team used to have the colors of black, sky blue, and white.

Oslo Storm ? This Norwegian team used to have the colors of purple and gold.

Stockholm Cougars ? The home shirt is based on the Swedish hockey team sweater, but cougar paws replace the crowns on the sweater.

British League

(This league used to be called the Royal League, which consisted of 4 English teams and 4 British teams. The champion of this league would play against the European champion for the Atlantic Cup, one of three cups in the former WRA (along with the Pacific Cup [Asian champ vs. the champ of Latin America] and the New World Cup [North American champ vs. Australian/Kiwi champ]).)

England Griffins ? This team combines the London Lancers (blue, cream, black, and white), the Birmingham Wild Boars (maroon, orange, and whte), the Manchester Monarchs (purple, black, and white), and the Bristol Blazers (green, black, red, and yellow) from the English half of the former Royal League. The "Griffins" name comes from the fact that the lion is the national animal of England, and the griffin, to me anyway, is the next level of lion.

Northern Ireland Ironmen ? This team used to be called the Belfast Skybirds, and had the colors of sky blue and black. The "Ironmen" name comes from the iron (and steel) used to make the Titanic, which was built in Belfast. The dark grey color was added to the Ulster flag colors of red, gold, and white.

Scotland Claymores ? This team combines the two Scottish teams of the Edinburgh Fury (red, gold, and black) and the Glasgow Gladiators (blue, light green, and white). The claymore is a Scottish variation of the longsword used in medieval times.

Wales Dragons ? This team used to be called the Cardiff Chargers and had the colors of maroon, gold, and white. The name and the color scheme were first given to the team of the Central Canada Chargers, now known as the Winnipeg Arrowheads. The "Dragons" name comes from the fact that that a dragon is on the Welsh flag.

ERBA's final playoff match takes place in Geneva, Switzerland.

[RevNet]

Here's another one for you all:

Some info while viewing this slideshow of the teams:

Liga Norte (North League)

Havana Defenders (Defensores de La Habana) ? The "Defenders" name comes from the city flag, which has three castles on it. The dark blue comes from the Cuban flag, and the gray comes from the concrete used to build castles.

Kingston Boas ? This is the Jamaican team, so the colors of the team are no surprise. The "Boas" name is based on the Jamaican Boa or yellow snake.

Mexico City Phoenixes ("Ciudad de México Fenix") ? The "Phoenixes" name comes from the capital city's history: its birth in 1325 as Tenochtitlan, its fall in 1521 at the hands of Hernando Cortes, and its phoenix-like ascension to eventually become the most-populated metro in North America with over 20 million people. The gold color comes from the city's time as the Aztec capital.

Panama City Coasters ("Ciudad de Panamá Coasters") ? The "Coasters" name has a double meaning. The first is for the ships that pass through the Panama Canal, which are called coasters. The second meaning is that Panama has coasts on both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The blue comes from the water of both oceans, and the red comes from the flag of Panama.

San Juan Gamecocks ("San Juan Gallos de Pelea") ? The "Gamecocks" name comes from the island's oldest university in the Rio Piedras neighborhood of San Juan, the gallo being its mascot. The red comes from the flag of Puerto Rico.

Santo Domingo Owls ("SantoDomingo Búhos")? The "Owls" name has no significant origin, but the blue comes from the flag of the Dominican Republic.

Liga Sur/Liga Sul (South League)

Bogotá Brutes ("Bogotá Brutos")? The "Brutes" name has no significant origin. This team used to have the colors of blue, gray, and black. The gold and red come from the Colombian flag, and the black is a leftover.

Buenos Aires Lightning ("Buenos Aires Rayo") ? The "Lightning" name comes from what sometimes comes with winds, lightning and thunder. This team has always had the colors of black, silver, and white.

Lima Lobos ? The "Lobos" ("wolves") name comes from some of the inhabitants of the Andes mountain range. This team used to have the colors of green, orange, and white. The red comes from the Peruvian flag, and the gray comes from the lobo's hide.

Rio de Janeiro Stallions ("Rio de Janeiro Garanhões") ? The "Stallions" name has no significant origin, but the team has always had the colors of green, yellow, and black. (The first two being the colors on the Brazilian flag, and black being the color of a stallion's hide)

Santiago Surge ("Santiago de Sobretensiones") ?The "Surge" name comes from the waves that hit the Pacific coast of Chile. This team used to have the colors of yellow and red, but now has an aquatic color scheme of hunter green, blue, and white.

São Paulo Dreadnoughts ("Dreadnoughts São Paulo") ? The "Dreadnoughts" name comes from the Brazilian Navy, which built two dreadnoughts for WW2 and named one of them after the city. The purple is a leftover from when this team was known as the "Parsons", and the red comes from the city flag.

RBAALC's final playoff match takes in Oranjestad, Aruba.

[Philsphan]

I watched both slideshows and enjoyed them. My favorites are Stockholm for the three paw jersey and Wales because of the helmet logo. Honorable mention goes to Kingston, Rome, Oslo, and Munich.

[RevNet]

Another day, another association:

Some info while viewing this slideshow of the teams:

Outback League

Adelaide Bats ? This team used to be called the "Vampires" (which has no significant origin) and had just the colors of red and white. The "Bats" name harkens back to that time. The red is a darker shade now and black was added for RBAANZ.

Darwin Haze ? This team used to be called the Northern Haze, because the team is in the Northern Territory. The team has always had the colors of purple, green, and white.

Perth Predators ? This team had started out as the Western Warriors, but when that name went to the team in Chengdu, China, the team chose another fierce name in "Predators". The team colors of blue and red have remained, but the grey was replaced by black (for the black swan on Western Australia's flag).

Tasmania Islanders ? This team has always retained the "Islanders" name, but originally had the colors of dark green, blue, and white, and it had a surfboard with the letter "I" (for Islanders) as its logo. The blue was replaced by sand for RBAANZ.

Mountain League

Canberra Generals ? This team in the Australian capital has always maintained the Generals name, and has always had the colors of Columbia blue and red.

Geelong Pelicans ? The Pelicans name comes from Corio Bay, which is part of the larger Port Phillip Bay, which includes the Melbourne metro area. The colors of bay blue and sea green come from this source, too.

Melbourne Gorillas ? This team used to be called the "Mayhem", but still had the same colors you see now. The logo was changed from having 2 M's to the singular "M" they have today. The Gorillas name comes from the fact that gorillas can cause mayhem in the jungle, harkening back to the team's first name.

Sydney Zephyrs ? I originally thought that this team had another name before "Zephyrs", but I don't ever remember that happening, so to me, this team was always the Zephyrs. The team also has always had the colors of orange, red, and white.

Coastline League

Brisbane Spikes ? This team used to be called the "Sun Sharks", and had the colors of purple, blue, and white, but when that name was given to the nearby Gold Coast team, the team went with "Spikes", which originates from the city's Aboriginal name of "Mian-jin", which meant "place shaped like a spike".

Gold Coast Sharks ? The "Sun Sharks" name was given to this team by the Brisbane team. The "Sun" part was dropped and instead was placed on the home shirt and given a jumping shark in the form of a letter "C" (for "Coast").

The Knights of Newcastle ? Before you ask, yes, I am aware of the NRL team named the Newcastle Knights, and that is why I branded them as "The Knights of Newcastle". This team has always had the colors of royal blue, black, and white.

Townsville Tropics ? The Tropics name comes from the fact that Townsville is close to the Tropic of Capricorn line. The colors of the team (magenta, orange, yellow, and white) reflect on this as well.

Kiwi League

Auckland Wild ? The Wild name comes from Auckland being the largest city in New Zealand, and the country's wild nature. The team has always had the colors of brown, teal, and white.

Christchurch Cardinals ? The Cardinals name comes from the city's name. The team's original cream color was changed into a more tan color for RBAANZ. Other than that and a logo change, no significant changes have been made.

Tauranga Torpedos ?The Torpedos name bears no significant origin, and the team has always had the colors of purple, orange, and white.

Wellington Lumberjacks ? The Lumberjacks name comes from the fact that in timber sports, a lot of the woodsmen come from New Zealand. The green comes from the trees that the woodsmen climb up in one of the events called speed climbing, and the black and white reflect upon the night sky.

RBAANZ's final playoff match takes place in Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia, the nearest major city to the Uluru monolith, also known as Ayers Rock.

[RevNet]

This association had no votes, so it's being presented last:

Some info while viewing this sildeshow of the teams:

Coastal League

BCM Buffaloes ? "BCM" stands for Buffalo City Metro (short for Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality), which East London is in. Although the mascot is the African buffalo, the team is the "Western-lite" team, and that is the reason for the color scheme of buffalo red, black, and white.

Cape Town Capers ? The Capers name comes from the nearby Cape of Good Hope, which was first discovered by Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias in 1488 and originally named Cabo das Tormentas, meaning "Cape of Storms". The kelly green shade comes from the later renaming of the cape by the reigning King John II of Portugal and the eventual luck of another Portuguese explorer by the name of Vasco da Gama. The caper gold comes from the other meaning of caper, as in the food.

Durban Explorers ? Speaking of Vasco da Gama, he is the inspiration for the "Explorers" name, because he named the area around present-day Durban "Natal", as it was around Christmas in 1497 when he discovered it ("Natal" meaning "birth of Christ" in Portuguese), and the name is now part of the name of the province that Durban is in. The blue comes from the water that the ships sailed, and the gold comes from the riches that Vasco da Gama and his crew found when they got to India just 5 months later in May 1498.

Port Elizabeth Gales ? The Gales name comes from "The Windy City", one of the city's nicknames, although it refers to the frequency of the winds, rather than the force.

Inland League

Bloemfontein Cheetahs ? The "Cheetahs" name comes from the judicial capital's Sesotho name of "Mangaung", meaning "place of cheetahs". The rose color comes from Bloemfontein being popularly known as the "city of roses", and the gold comes from the cheetah's hide.

Johannesburg Miners ? The Miners name comes from the fact that many of the country's mining companies have their headquarters in Johannesburg. The dark grey (coal dust) and the black (coal) come from the heyday of mining. The gold comes from the gold mining that was done within the city limits.

Pietermaritzburg Aggies ?

(Before I get to the team, let's talk a little history about this city. It is where both Nelson Mandela (in 1962, in the nearby town of Howick) and Mahatma Gandhi (in 1893) were arrested. The arrests were what led to both Mandela's 27-year imprisonment and the start of Satyagraha, Gandhi's unique form of nonviolent resistance. The city now has one of the largest concentrations of Indian South Africans in South Africa.)

The Aggies name comes from when the city was the capital of the short-lived Voortrekker republic of Natalia (The Voortrekkers were Afrikaans-speaking farmers from the neighboring province of Eastern Cape) from 1839 to 1843. The colors of red (blood that unites the people of Black African ancestry), black (the black people themselves), and green (the natural wealth of Africa) are the colors of the pan-African flag.

Pretoria Capitals? The Capitals name comes from the fact that South Africa has three capitals, Pretoria being one of them (along with Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein, the judicial capital. Pretoria is the administrative, and therefore, the de facto national capital.). The "T" on the away shirt's logo comes from Pretoria's other name of Tshwane.

RBARSA's final playoff match takes place in the South African resort town of Sun City, in the Northern Cape province.

[RevNet]

Ok, guys, what do you all think of the teams? Which ones do you like in each association?

Last bit of info: NARBA's final playoff match takes place in Honolulu, Hawaii.