Valdavian Club
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| Full name | Gridiron Klub Valdavsky |
|---|---|
| Nicknames | Valdavyek Yellow Knights |
| Short name | Valdavians |
| Based in | Barbellon |
| Stadium | Vazhilly Stadium |
| Colors | |
| Owner | Jletan Anonymous Holding |
| Uniforms | |
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The Valdavian Club is one of the oldest clubs in the history of Drevstranese Gridiron. It was founded in 1911 as an Omnisport association by Ostrozavans refugees in Barbellon, hence the name. Beside gymnastics, athletics and aquatic sports, it also introduced Oina as a sport to Drevstran. But although the Gridiron club has preserved the original name of the association, it is now an independent legal and sportive entity with little ties to the original Omnisport club until the latter closure in 2002.
History
Gridiron was introduced to Drevstran by Ottonian volunteers who served on the Republicans side, first Hortankh Bolsar then Vilvo Orbraggar. Ostrozavans migrants, including members of the Valdavian Club, notably formed their own militias during the civil war and participated in the defense of Barbellon and the other Alban Cities against the Royalists. In 1917, a Gridiron match was documented between Ostrozavans units who joined Orbraggar troops and ex-Bolsarists conscripts who introduced and taught the sport they had themselves learned from the Ottonians. When the Ostrozavans volunteers returned to Barbellon, Gridiron joined the range of sports offered by the Valdavian Club and other sport associations of the region and spread quickly from there.
In 1920, the clubs of the White Coast formed their own Amateur League, with the Valdavian Club being one of its founders. By 1940, the White Coast League was dissolved and merged into the greater Drevstran Gridiron Comitee (The Grïdbizot)’ own National leagues. During the Gridbizot era, the Valdavian Club notably reached the Honor Series and competed in the Finale once. It was generally considered to be the first “Golden Generation” of the Club.
After the dissolution of the Gridbizot in 1955, the Valdavian Club and others did not immediately join the new Gridsov and instead participated in a new independent amateur league in opposition to the Gridsov open tolerance to “brown amateurism” and even professionalism which was perceived as a corruption of the sport. but in 1988, the Valdavian Club Gridiron branch became an independent entity from its original association and professionalized. It officially joined the Gridsov the next year, and reached the National Division 1 in 1995 and has not been relegated once since.
Structure
Rivalries
White Coast Derby
One of the most emblematic and violent rivalry in Drevstranese Gridiron is the commonly nicknamed 'White Coast Derby' between the Valdavian Club and Alban Metro based in the nearby city of Nazyr.
The Gothic Wall
The 'Gothic Wall' is the nickname given in newspaper to the rivalry between the Valdavian Club and the Fergus Racing, also known as the Gothic Warriors or the Goths. Both team are tied to strong regional identity and foreign countries - Ostrozava for the Valdavian Club and Brumen for the Fergus Racing, but more importantly by chance the two team have met twice in the finale of the ND1 over the past 5 years, and twice more they faced in the play-off during the same time period. The rivalry is especially bitter for the Valdavians, as seemingly everytime they get close to winning the championship, the Gothic Warriors are there to deny them the title. The finales between the two teams are some of the most watched Gridiron matches in the history of Drevstran, their 2019 confrontation breaking all viewing records. In both 2019 and 2023, the Maximon Stadium was filled to the brim with Spectators, a feat not replicated by any other confrontation in the past decade.
Supporters
The Valdavian Club boast one of the most loyal public in all of the National Division 1. It has strong grassroot ties to its public, being perceived by some as a strong identifier of the Ostrozavan Diaspora. Beside the official fan club, Barbellon is full of smaller fan groups with status ranging from "unofficial but legal associations" to "casual friend groups". Those supporters have developped their own code and talks, such as referring to players only as "Knights" and calling dedicated fans "Squires". With time, the association between some of these Squires with the far-right and the Neo-Ryet movement became clear, earning them the nickname of "Ultralacustrines". Less politicized clubs that were still strongly attached to the club and to their Ostrozavan identity were collectively known as the "Vodsra", a term of ambiguous etymology.
Controversies
The Valdavian Club is regularly accused of propagating a Rytieriroz identity and agenda. Regular elements brought up are the color scheme of the team (yellow and black), their symbols (a heavily armored knight and a black cross on a yellow background), and being owned by an anonymous trust, Jletan Anonymous Holding, which is also regularly suspected of representing a pro-Ryet lobby. So far no case against the Valdavian Club was successfully brought to the court in Drevstran and the club remain the second most profitable venture in National Division 1.
Whereas the Valdavian Club itself can't be directly tied to the Neo-Ryet movement, its popularity among the Ostrozavan Diaspora has led to the creation of many fan clubs that proudly bear the black-and-gold blason, call themselves "Squires" ("Knights" being reserved to the players) and may even have pictures of Koloman Lenved and other famous Rytieriroz in their pubs and meeting places. The latter fan clubs, generally known as the "Ultralacustrines", are also regularly involved in acts of vandalism and violence against fans of opposing teams, the police, or just passerbys. Their sworn rivals are the followers of the Alban Metro. This club's vandals are more stereotypically known for their ties to the Drevstranese Punk subculture and other counter-movements. An image generally seen as cultivated specifically against the Valdavian Club' Black-and-Gold Squires.