Mobbs
A Large Portion, Yes
I got benched, then resumed in ... some other position.
Early Roys FFC Pre-History - The R.O.I. Guzzly Society.
Images by Klim . As there are no images, Klim wasn't here.
The Independent Order of Rois was an aristocracy-fuelled establishment formed in the distant past to create a communal hub for the members of the upper class who supported the temperance movement. This was apparently a highly supported movement in general, largely in part to the lack of local lager production and heavy importing from Gwendehara breweries.
In opposition, a group was formed primarily to satirise them. They supported the abolishment of all temperance and pushed for jail terms to be applicable to anyone blatently not drinking.
Drawing more than not from a more working class background, this community lampooned the IOR with registration as a friendly society under the name Rabbledom Of Imbibers, chosen in part due to it's acronymical reversal (ROI) of the Independent Order of Rois (IOR). Landing upon an acronym which directly reflected their target's name was an added source of glee.
While the Independent Order of Rois still exist in some diluted format to this day, it was soon to become the ROI which reflected popular opinion, especially among the serfdom ... or those of the serfdom who had by this point discovered language. Establishment of local brewing options changed a lot of minds.
In the early days of football, most teams were community-based - churches, hotels, friendly societies among the initial founding sources. The IOR were no exception, and in predicted antagonistic fashion, the ROI followed suit. While never assigned to the same competition due to the class barriers at the time, both teams operated out of the same suburban district.
Over the years the IOR had fallen so far out of favour with a wider city demographic that was becoming increasingly alcohol-reliant, that they ceased to field a team in local competitions. In contrast, and sometimes with erroneous cropping, the ROI continued, although they would commonly forfeit matches due to no-shows. On some occasions there were pleas for last-minute venue changes, for obscure reasons such as "the honourable fellow's backyard barbecue had drawn such a crowd, and such a positive spirit, that word was hurriedly sent to the Our Lady Of Fendsme boys requesting the afternoon's game be held in the same location"*
The smaller, society-based competitions began to run out of steam in suburbia, and a lot of consolidation took place. Eventually a number of inner suburban clubs were left without leagues, as were teams on the east coast of town. The Central Association was formed, but would only last a few years before it, too, was dissolved. When, and in fact why, the ROI name gave way to the Roys FFC moniker, is subject to much debate. Okay, no debate. Yet. But I'll make some up, give me time! At this point the connection with the ROI Society was diminished, and now exists only in jottings obscurely placed in the club's paperwork.
The Sweet FA, a broadly cast premium competition for the town was then formed, and half of the Central FA's teams made the jump a couple of seasons later. This included the Roys. The Central FA only lasted one more season.
The last remnants of the IOR haven't had a footy team for decades, but they still exist as a fringe movement and are still a registered body. One can usually detect a member by their unusually straight walking and the disturbing rarity of vomiting episodes. Most are tagged but if you notice a stray, please report the sighting to the Poisons Information Centre. So they can tell you how to poison him.
*Some newspaper.
