Sport in Malgrave

A wide number of sports are popular within Malgrave, with each individual sport enjoying varying levels of popularity across the country, although, certain sports like football and athletics enjoy universal appeal across the country, with the latter being promoted by the Ministry of Health as a potential solution to problems often associated with MIDD.

In part due to conscription laws, a level of physical fitness is highly promoted by the government, and every Regional Social Solidarity Council is legally required to ensure that all residents have access to suitable facilities for a variety of sports, with athletics and popular regional sports being commonly supported by various RSSCs. All citizens eligible for conscription and those currently engaged in the Active Reserve are legally required to maintain a certain level of fitness, and can face stiff financial punishments and negative social standing if they are judged to have failed these standards during mandatory health reviews.

Football

Football was one of the first sports played within Malgrave, and quickly found popularity within workplaces in the country who established their own work teams. Initially, the sport was rather decentralised, with teams competing against each other in an adhoc manner, however, this changed with the establishment of the Malgravean Football Association (MFA) in 1917 and the creation of an official league system which organised matches and awarded a trophy to the best performing team.

Today, the Malgravean Football Association continues to oversee the sport, although, the league system has since expanded to allow for relegation from the top league and promotion from lower leagues, a system introduced in 1921 to account for the growing number of teams in the country and add some consequences for teams that finished bottom of the league. As of 2024 the football pyramid consists of the following 9 tiers:

• Primum (First Division)
• Primjae (Second Division)
• Tertiae (Third Division)
• Quarjae (Fourth Division)
• Quinjae (Fifth Division)
• Provincia (Provincial Division)
• Provincia S/O/M/O (Provincial North/East/South/West)
• Regionia (Regional Division)
• Regionia S/O/M/O (Regional North/East/South/West)

Malgrave presently has over 200 professional, semi-professional and amateur football teams. Regulations require that all professional football teams in the country are majority owned by supporter trusts and run in accordance to a code of ethics. The Portmon Puffins are exempt from the ownership regulations as they are the official team of the Armed Forces and serve to allow footballers to compete during their conscription period.

Chess

Chess is most popular in Epping, as the regional Ancestral Study Group theorised that mental exercise would be a decent precaution against some of the problems associated with MIDD. It is occasionally enjoyed in Aurora, as the sport is promoted for those who serve in the Royal Navy to help prepare them for the mental rigors associated with combat service, and in Pakosc when it was adopted by several trade unions.

Malgrave hosts several regional and national chess competitions throughout the year. Most are typically won by players from Epping, and considerable pride is taken about this fact, however, in recent years players from Aurora have also enjoyed success in these contests and the two cities enjoy a friendly rivalry.

Sailing

Sailing gained a positive reputation within Malgrave shortly after the establishment of the country, as it was often employed by smugglers in their bid to bypass the Imerian blockade which was enforced before the Exodus.

After the reestablishment of the country sailing was utilised by those in a Royal Navy to maintain their fitness and readiness, and these traditions passed on to the civilian population in the naval communities of Aurora and Portmon, with different classifications of sailing being popular. Today those in Portmon and Aurora take significant pride in their sailing communities, and their wider connection to the Royal Navy.

Hiking

Hiking was quickly put forward as a potential method of mitigating problems associated with MIDD by the Ancestral Study Group in Pakosc, with the organisation helping to host hikes around the mountains. In Portmon and Omsk these habits were quickly picked up (followed by Aria after the war) due to their proximity to nearby mountain ranges, although, this tactic wasn't picked up by Aurora or Epping for different reasons.

Hiking and the dangers involved were popularised in the series Mountain Rescue (1998-2002).

Fencing

Fencing was initially quite popular within Malgrave as a method of improving physical fitness and basic self-defence in preperation for war, however, after the discovery of MDD it suffered a sharp decline in popularity. It retained some popularity within some communities in Aurora and Pakosc, however, was mostly reduced to the sidelines for decades.

Since 2020 it has enjoyed a resurgence in popularity and several fencing outfits have established themselves across the country.

Archery

Archery was popularised as a replacement exercise for fencing after the discovery of MIDD in the 1950s, as a way of building general fitness without the greater risk of injury associated with fencing. A large number of workplaces in the country have their own dedicated archery teams, and yearly competitions are held between these teams to determine the best archers in the country.

As of 2024 MalTra in Aurora are the reigning champions.

Baseball

Baseball started to gain popularity in Malgrave following the end of isolationism in 2000. Originally the sport was seen as dangerous, as the prevalence of MIDD at the time raised the risk of dangerous infections even from relatively minor injuries. Baseball was therefore seen as a rather rebellious sport, and enjoyed popularity in teenage groups and those seeking to run counter to the status quo.

Dornalian migrant communities also made baseball more popular in Malgrave, and the combination soon resulted in a small number of teams being created by workers seeking to make Dornalians more comfortable in the country. The discovery of a cure for MIDD has seen a sizeable increase in the popularity of baseball.

Malgrave currently has 15 professional baseball teams:

• Pakosc Partisans
• Pakosc Union
• Pakosc Guardians
• Portmon Puffins
• Portmon Protectors
• Aurora Auklets
• Aurora Sailors
• Omsk Otters
• Omsk Energites
• Epping Eels
• Epping Scholars
• Rensk Raiders
• Rensk Battlers
• Aria Athletic
• Aria Astros