Difference between revisions of "Vandor Vanguard"

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Vandor Vanguard
[1]
Type	Boloball Club
Founded	Year 20 Day 359 (IBL Season 23)
Stadium	Training Grounds Arena
Located	Vandor-3, Coruscant
Ownership	Kef Drenall
Nickname	The Officers
League/Division	Imperial Boloball League
Honours	IBL Champions, Season 24, 26 IBL Runners-up, Season 23, 25 Emperor's Cup Winners, Season 25, 26

Vandor Vanguard is a professional boloball club that participates in the Imperial Boloball League. Formed late in Year 20, the club joined the IBL ahead of the league's 23rd season and won the Imperial Boloball League title and the Emperor's Cup competition in subsequent seasons; completing the league and cup double in season 26. The team is currently competing in the IBL's top tier.

History

In late Year 20 the Imperial Gaming Commission announced that, after nearly two years away, the Imperial Boloball League would be reformed to play its 23rd season at the start of Year 21. The return of a professional boloball competition within the Empire attracted interest from many quarters, quickly registering teams from traditional IBL powerhouses such as Chandrila and Corellia.

Vandor Vanguard was founded on Year 20 Day 359 with the financial backing of Lord Admiral Kef Drenall. The club was based out of Vandor-3, playing games close to the nearby military facilities -from which its stadium takes the name the "Training Grounds Arena"- and has an affinity with the Imperial Army and Navy, providing services and recreational facilities to garrisoned service members and the local community. The club's nickname, "The Officers", is a direct reference to the club's military heritage.

IBL Season 23

Newly formed and based in a Coruscant system that historically had not taken to boloball with the same passion as those further from the Core, the club initially boasted only a modest budget and playing squad compared to other sides within the league and performed poorly in its first pre-season. However, a barrage of transfer activity helped strengthen the side ahead of its league campaign. Forward-thinking signings of Oskar Matejko, Vassilios Psarris and Erling Bygholm showed early promise and would go on to become stalwarts of a strengthening side in following seasons, Klas Karden improved quality between the sticks, and an aging Chesley McLen added experience to a largely young and untested midfield. Vanguard also broke their transfer record with the signing of Immanuel Heinecke, a man destined for icon status in a grey shirt, for 237,600 credits.

The Vandor side surprisingly topped the league after the first two matches, but an injury to playmaker Chesley McLen saw him miss the 4-2 defeat away to Chandrila BC; a game that would prove pivotal to the final standings. Vanguard responded to the setback in devastating fashion, winning their next 3 matches by four-goal margins as Chandrila drew with Alderaanian Asteroids to leave Vanguard only 1 point adrift of the league leaders, while wins 5-0 at home and 2-0 away over Corellia BC in the middle of the season effectively made it a two-horse race for the title. Vanguard would register a run of 12 consecutive wins before Chandrila visited the Training Grounds Arena near the end of the season. In only the 3rd minute of that clash, key performer Vassilios Psarris had to be substituted due to injury and Amiel opened the scoring for Chandrila soon after. Heinecke was later brought off for club captain Kit Scott and Vanguard struggled to find a way back into the game without two big players. A late Matejko equalizer rescued a point for the Officers, but meant they needed to win both their remaining games and see Chandrila drop points in their final two fixtures. Vanguard thrashed bottom side Crusaders 5-0 away and beat Kuat City Rovers 4-0 at home on the final day, but Chandrila also won their games comfortably to finish the season unbeaten and Vanguard missed out on the league title by a single point.

Despite coming agonizingly close, the club's first season was a success well beyond the imagining of its hierarchy and supporters at the start of the campaign. Record-signing Immanuel "Manny" Heinecke had quickly established himself as a cult hero, managing 20 goals and 12 assists in just 16 games as he became the IBL player of the season. Pundits speculated on Vandor's 'what might have been', suggesting the high number of injuries to key players (and for both matches against Chandrila) may have played a role in deciding the title, while others in the fan base bemoaned a disparity in match officiating in favour of their rivals.

At the end of the season, manager Anolo Varn and club captain Kit Scott retired. Varn's gruff but charismatic assistant Galren Rar was appointed Head Coach as the club sought to restructure before the new season, in order to allow it to more ably compete with the stronger financial powers in the league.

IBL Season 24

Now with expectations to live up to, Vandor recruited heavily going into their second IBL campaign. Quality and experience joined in the shape of Aaron Pointon, Ugolino Bianchi and Dagfinn Opsahl, while 23 year-old forward David Alvarenga looked to add pace up front. Huck, Kaarden and McLen all made way, with Vandor also promoting a number of youth academy players, including hot prospects Vincent Hargreaves, Nickie Hartford and Morgan Barry. With Scott having retired at the end of the first season, Vassilios Psarris was expected to lead the team as captain, but that honour fell instead to the club's new record signing, goalkeeper Frederico Megre (1.6m).

Vandor took a surprise come-from-behind victory on the first day of the season, beating Chandrila BC 2-1 at Gladean Park to raise hopes among the Officers' support. Head Coach Galren Rar commented after the game: "When the fixtures came out I think we'd have preferred to have played anyone else first but, in hindsight, it's the best start to the season we could have asked for."

A win over Nubia United would follow before a nil-nil draw away to new side Corellian Comets, and a 2-0 defeat at home and scoreless day away to Chandrila would end a potential Emperor's Cup run early in the first round, but Vandor remained on form in the league where they won 8 games in a row. Injuries threatened to derail the side, with Opsahl side-lined and star turn Immanuel Heinecke suffering a lengthy lay-off. The fan-favourite was then badly injured against Hapani Hounds, just a week after returning to action, in what would turn out to be his final season for the club.

Vandor were 7 points clear of Chandrila at the top of the table going into the final three games of the season, with former Club Captain Kit Scott famously telling Core Sports' Montgomery Tosh: "Keeper Harvey Jansen emerged unscathed from a car crash this week. Nothing short of a train wreck will stop Vanguard from winning the league." A second draw (1-1) against Corellian Comets, who would achieve an exceptional 3rd in their first IBL season in addition to winning the Emperor's Cup, tightened the race to 5 points, but Heinecke fired in two trademark free kicks against Nubia United as the side ran out 5-0 victors to claim a first IBL title. A party atmosphere greeted the side for their final match at home to Chandrila, who they comfortably beat 3-0 to finish 8 points clear, completing an unbeaten league season to lift the trophy in style.

Rar earned plenty of plaudits for his offensive approach and tactical flexibility as he led Vandor to the title. Jurgen Wenz was named player of the season, scoring 16 IBL goals in 16 appearances to collect the golden boot. Pointon led Opsahl as the league's leading assister with 9, while Megre also shared the golden gloves with 8 clean sheets. Heinecke ended the season with the dubious honour of having the most days injured.

IBL Season 25

As pre-season began, news broke that aging striker Wenz and defender Bianchi were set to retire at the end of the campaign, while forward David Alvarenga was sold (1.3m), having failed to impress in his single season at the club. The Officers were then shocked when details leaked of fan favourite Immanuel Heinecke's departure. The 32-year-old had struggled with recurring injury in the title-winning season and, with his talents and playing time seemingly on the decline, the midfielder was sold - choosing to sign an exorbitant contract with Hapan Exhibition League side Remar Wanderers, based on Charubah.

Having tasted success in the previous campaign, the Vandor board sanctioned three marquee signings to strengthen the playing squad. Midfielder August Feltendahl (3.2m), defender Davie Rawlin (0.6m) and forward Christiano dos Anjos (2.2m) all joined as the club broke its transfer records. Despite this, Vandor were still outstripped by usual big-spenders Corellia and Chandrila, the latter breaking records by spending over 8 million credits on a single player.

A shorter pre-season flew by with promising results, as rotated Vandor sides thrashed Division 1 winners Herglic Wailords at the Giju Ocean before beating new franchise Krayiss BC 4-2 home and away and, despite the general strengthening of the IBL's top tier clubs, hopes were high for another title challenge was the league resumed.

Despite a 3-0 opening day victory over Kessel Runners, Rar's early concerns that the strong, newly promoted sides could be a potential stumbling block were validated as Vandor succumbed to a 1-0 away defeat to the Wailords in their second match. Rar jovially accepted defeat, but a 1-1 draw at home to Chandrila in week 3 saw the Head Coach turn downcast. The club were already 5 points adrift of the Wailords and Nubia United after 3 games, Vanguard's forwards had yet to score in 3 league outings and murmurs of discontent began to be heard from the Vandor supporters as their side's usual optimism deserted them.

Comfortable victories over Lajak Khals in both legs of their Emperor's Cup 1st Round tie, as well as back-to-back league wins, saw the ship steadied. A difficult quarter-final draw against Herglic Wailords, still boasting a 100% record in the league, then beckoned. Vandor edged a 7-goal thriller at home in the first leg, Feltendahl scoring two free kicks as his side came from behind to win 4-3. Wary of the away goals rule, Rar set out a defensive line-up for the second leg and, although the Wailords enjoyed more possession higher up the pitch, Vandor were organised at the back and another Feltendahl set piece sealed a 1-0 win and a place in the semi-finals.

Their cup wins against the league leaders brought a great deal of positivity to the Training Grounds Arena, but this was short-lived when rivals Chandrila BC launched a series of attacks on the club in the Sabotage Scandals. Despite dramatic dips in form, Vandor defeated Chandrila over two legs in the semis before beating Kessel Runners 4-0 on aggregate in the final to win the Emperor's Cup for the first time. Celebrations were tinged with relief as the club breathed again after weeks of pressure.

Comfortable victories over Corellia and Chandrila in the league followed, setting up an all or nothing fixture at home to Herglic Wailords in the penultimate round of games. It was not to be. An attacking Vandor side failed to break through deep defensive lines and fell to a 1-0 defeat that ended their title hopes for the season. The lacklustre performance that followed in the 1-0 victory over Kessel Runners on the final day was deserving of what was a dead-rubber fixture for the team. As league runners-up and cup winners however, a controversial and potentially damaging campaign had still been a reasonable success and the club would remain among the bookies' favourites for the title the following season.

IBL Season 26

With the retirements of Jurgen Wenz and Ugolino Bianchi at the end of the previous campaign, Vanguard were expected to be active in the transfer market. Early signs were encouraging; the splashing of nearly 9 million credits for 23 year-old forward Antonio Simplicio, almost 3 times the club's previous transfer record, was another sign that Vandor were able to challenge in the market and make forward-thinking, marquee signings.

Simplicio immediately showed a return on the investment, netting a debut hat-trick as Vandor began their season with the 5-0 demolition of Athiss Angels. A surprisingly comfortable 3-0 victory over Herglic Wailords on match-day 3 prompted early title-talk, while the game was also the first since the departure of the club's all-time leading goalscorer Richard Kilner. Rar explained the striker "wanted more game time", commenting "he's been a great servant for the club and we wish him all the best in his next challenge."

Kilner was followed out the door by academy products Harvey Jansen, Nickie Hartford, Dorian Kibble and Mick Mayor, with Rar saying a more competitive league and the club's bye in the 1st round of the Emperor's Cup meant he couldn't give minutes to all of his fringe players. Vandor made only two more dips into the market around this time, but deals for forwards Dickran Bedrosian and Alec Thomas proved largely unsuccessful. Bedrosian would leave a couple of months later for a small loss, while Thomas failed to settle or make first-team appearances, and questions began to be asked about the club's return on its investments.

The start to the season saw a 9-game winning run in the league for Vandor as they swept past all opposition, a solid defensive unit, clinical finishing and well-drilled set plays making up for a less creative (and some pundits said less entertaining) side than in previous campaigns, and also saw the club's 100th and 101st competitive goals at the Training Grounds Arena in a 2-0 win over Chandrila BC on match-day 7. The run eventually came to an end as chasers Nubia United won 1-0 at the Training Grounds, cutting Vandor's advantage at the top from 8 to 5 points. It was an off-day for Vandor, who seemed to be struggling with the packed calendar and amassed 5 injuries in 3 games, but Rar was adamant that the team simply lost focus against quality opposition after Feltendahl limped off in the first half.

The match would prove to be the only blip in an otherwise solid season however. In the cup, a rotated side had passed Krayiss BC to set up a meeting with Herglic in the semi-finals, where Vandor looked tired and uninspired for parts but went through with a 4-0 aggregate scoreline. It set up a final against Nubia United - the two sides contesting titles on both fronts. Vandor emerged victorious in the cup; a 3-0 away against an under-strength United in the 1st leg proving decisive as the sides drew 0-0 at the Training Grounds Arena. Victory over Kessel Runners four days later sealed the league title on the penultimate match-day, also securing the first league and cup double since the IBL reformed for season 23. The trophies capped an excellent goal-scoring season for set-piece guru August Feltendahl, a solid goal tally for Simplicio in his debut season, as well as outstanding campaigns for Bygholm, Psarris and dos Anjos.

Despite a close end to the season that might have made achieving the double that much sweeter, Vandor's early lead in the title race and struggles to play in their usual, more expansive style left some question marks over the extent of their success. Some pundits suggested they benefited greatly from the decline of Herglic as a major challenger (the Wailords struggled all season with issues behind the scenes), their absence from the fray glossing over what Anthony Osbourne described as "more organised, workmen-like performances that rely on dead ball scenarios than the free-flowing Vandor we're used to." The pending retirements of play-maker Dagfinn Opsahl and defender Davie Rawlin, as well as the aging, declining talents of Frederico Megre and Aaron Pointon, indicated replacements and rebuilding were likely to be crucial to the club's attempts to retain the title.

Colours and Badge

Vandor Vanguard's home colours are traditionally grey with white trim. Designs have varied between an all-grey strip and grey shirts and white shorts. Their away kits have varied, most commonly a navy blue. The colours of each Vandor kits pay homage to military branches of the Galactic Empire. The Vandor Vanguard club badge consists of the initials of the club within a hexagon, sometimes with an inverted colour set for home and away kits.

(Season 26 Home & Away Kits)

Stadium

The Training Grounds Arena has been the home of Vandor Vanguard since it was founded in Year 20. The stadium takes its name from the neighbouring military training facilities, and the club itself has strong ties to the military and local communities. The Training Grounds was a modest stadium when the side joined the IBL, composed partly of terraces and without a roof over the majority of the stands.

Support

Nicknamed in reference to the local support and contribution of military personnel and their families on Vandor-3, "The Officers" is the club's supporters trust.

Rivalries

Going into their first campaign, much was made of the potential for a Coruscanti rivalry between Vandor and capital side Royal Coruscant. Despite two aggressive games, during which 8 yellows and 1 red card were issued, the fixture failed to deliver the promised derby as Vandor won 4-0 both home and away. The following season would see Vandor win 7-1 at home and 4-1 away, as the gap between the sides became more pronounced on the pitch (if not on paper) and Coruscant suffered the ignominy of relegation to the second tier.

The Agents, also based on Vandor-3 for season 24, and Lajak Khals, from Coruscant, were also touted as potential local rivals. However, the two sides finished in the bottom two places of the second tier. The Agents departed the IBL ahead of season 25 without having played against Vandor. The Lajak Khals would meet them in the Emperor's Cup that season, but the ties were a formality for the stronger Vandor outfit.

Vandor's main playing rivalry was instead with Chandrila BC. The two teams met for the first time at Gladean Park in IBL season 23, with Chandrila winning 4-2 against a Vanguard side missing playmaker Chesley McLen through injury. The late-season clash at the Training Grounds Arena was set up as a potential title-decider, with Oskar Matejko's late equalizer rescuing a draw for the Officers. Chandrila would secure their first IBL title by just 1 point from Vandor when the season ended two matches later. Chandrila would then be Vandor's nearest rivals when the Coruscanti side won the title the following year, also knocking Vanguard out in the first round of the revived Emperor's Cup competition.

As of season 25, Chandrila and Vandor have played 10 competitive fixtures against each other, making it the most frequent fixture since the IBL was reformed for season 23.

Sabotage Scandals

Season 25 saw the rivalry between Vandor and Chandrila BC intensify to unprecedented levels. Just before the two sides met in the Emperor's Cup semi-finals, several Vandor players found themselves the subject of falsified news stories. The resulting media frenzy had a hugely detrimental effect on morale as the private lives of players, staff and their families were invaded by journalists. Investigations by local authorities quickly determined that the stories were falsified, initiated from a single source believed to be a rival club and intended to influence results on the pitch. A Vandor spokesperson gave an official statement after the 3-3 first leg draw at Gladean Park, reiterating that the stories had been fabricated and condemning the IBL's unwillingness to take action against the rival club suspected of committing the unsporting act, which they said brought "disgrace to the entire sport and calls into question the integrity of its competitions".

The news-cycle continued in a mixture of anger and wild speculation, with Galren Rar quoted suggesting Chandrila BC were the culprits and rumours positing Vandor's displeasure at the league's handling of the situation could see them break away from the IBL. The club itself made no further comment, however, despite the widespread feeling that they now held Chandrila in the utmost contempt. A nil-nil draw in the second leg of their semi-final saw Vandor beat Chandrila on the away goals rule, setting up a final against Kessel Runners.

12 days after the first incident, two days before the first leg of the cup final, intruders broke into Vandor premises and sabotaged its training facilities in a physical attack upon its playing staff. This time, investigations were swift and conclusive - confirming that Chandrila BC were behind the attack. Vandor again called on the IBL to take action to protect its staff and punish those responsible, but once more the league failed to intervene. Lord Admiral Kef Drenall arrived on Vandor-3 soon after the incident, assuring the club's staff and the local populace that further incidents would be dealt with. Vandor survived the scandals without results suffering, but the aftermath had a negative impact on its players and staff, also wiping over 5 million credits off the club's value.

Ownership and Finances

Founded with the financial backing of Lord Admiral Kef Drenall, Vandor Vanguard began with a modest budget in line with its relatively small fan-base. The limited popularity of boloball in the Core meant that the club could not rely on similar investment or commercial opportunities as other IBL outfits and, although its proximity to Coruscant was seen as an advantage in attracting new signings, the club's smaller wage budget meant its initial squad was below average compared to its competition.

Sensing this deficiency, some funds were offered to improve the team before the season even kicked off. Vandor made 7 transfers over the season, for a total cost of around 900,000 credits and broke their record signing with the transfer of Immanuel Heinecke for 237,600 credits. Other sides in the league spent far more - Vanguard were 7th of 10 on the list of the league's highest spenders, with Corellia BC and Chandrila BC spending 4.5 times as much in the market. Nubia United's signing of young defender Milenko Vujatovic for over 1.5 million credits dwarfed Vanguard's own record fee, which was only the 8th best of the IBL clubs. Despite a 2nd-place finish in the league, Numifolis Sports Analytics Limited estimated the club's value at 4.7m, only 6th best in the IBL and lagging behind Nubia United's 8.9m.

The second season saw the side remain behind key rivals Chandrila and Corellia in spending, but significantly they were now one of the top 4 in the expanded IBL and able to improve the squad with the marquee signing of new goalkeeper and captain Frederico Megre for 1.6m. Sporting success would, however, drive improvement. By the time Vandor clinched their first title at the end of the season they had grown exponentially to a value of 17.6m, third behind Chandrila BC (18.2m) and Corellia BC (19.6m).

In their third season, IBL 25, Vandor were able to indulge in further marquee recruitment; including breaking their record transfer fee, signing August Feltendahl for 3.2m. This was still outmatched by both Corellia and Chandrila (the latter's fee of over 8m for goalkeeper Galip Eken was at the time more than the total spend of 19 of the 22 clubs to feature in the IBL since it was reformed), but Vandor had established itself as competitive in the marketplace. The club lost millions off brand worth and player valuations in the aftermath of the sabotage scandals, but its previous growth still saw it listed as the most valuable IBL franchise by Numifolis Sports Analytics Limited.

Academy

Initially unable to compete with the financial power of other IBL clubs, Vandor quickly established its youth academy program in the hopes of developing home-grown talent. The academy had been the most prolific in the IBL since it was reformed for season 23, graduating 15 youth players to the senior team by the end of season 25, but had arguably not provided an adequate return on the heavy investment. This was partly due to the club's desire to retain its youth products, but also due to the not insignificant running costs of the academy itself.

Over 13 million credits had been spent on the academy by the end of season 25; the project believed to be the most expensive in the IBL. The club had only received 1 million credits in transfer fees for the 6 academy players to leave the club by that point and, while valuations of youth products with the first team were set at over 5m credits, the quality of the club's starting eleven was considered a hindrance to developing the players that remain. Despite this, the club had several promising players and its youth products accumulated respectable statistics in competitive matches: a combined 139 appearances, 17 goals, 16 assists and 4 clean sheets. Only Nubia United boasted comparable playing statistics (131 apps, 14 goals, 28 assists), achieved with only 5 youth products.

Players

Current squad

(as of Year 22 Day 50)

Former players

Player records

• Most Appearances: 72 - Oskar Matejko, Vassilios Psarris
• Top Goalscorer: 28 - August Feltendahl
• Most Assists: 21 - Aaron Pointon
• Most Clean Sheets: 33 - Frederico Megre
• Team of the Round: 50 - Vassilios Psarris
• Player of the Round: 9 - Frederico Megre, Christiano dos Anjos
• Highest Transfer Fee (In): 8,928,600 - Antonio Simplicio (S26)
• Highest Transfer Fee (Out): 1,270,080 - David Alvarenga (S25), Tom Chester (S25)

(as of Year 22 Day 50)

Club Officials

• Head Coach Galren Rar (Season 24-present)
• Assistant Manager (Season 24-present)
• First Team Coach Kit Scott (Season 25)
• First Team Coach Wric Ran (Season 23-present)
• Goalkeeping Coach Klaas Karden (Season 25)
• U-23 Coach Vreecha Jansen (Season 23-present)
• U-18 Coach Bleys Renz (Season 23-present)
• Chief Scout Furch Mott (Season 24-present)
• Head of Youth Development Torent Rann (Season 24-present)

Former Staff

• Manager Anolo Varn (Season 23)
• Assistant Manager Galren Rar (Season 23)

Honours

Imperial Boloball League

• Imperial Boloball League Winners: Season 24, 26
• Imperial Boloball League Runners-up: Season 23, 25

Final standings

Emperor's Cup

• Emperor's Cup Winners: Season 25, 26

References/External Links