The London Monarchs - a now sadly defunct American Football team - competed in the World League of American Football, now NFL Europe, winning the inaugural World Bowl in 1991 when Stan Gelbaugh, later of the Cardinals and Seahawks in the NFL, led them to victory at Wembley Stadium, London¹. The following year was the last in which American teams took on the Europeans in the World League.

The league resumed in 1995 as a purely European affair and Brad Johnston of Minnesota Vikings and now Washington Redskins, led the team. Following the reformation of the World League the Monarchs played first at White Heart Lane, then at Stamford Bridge and Loftus Road.

London were never able to recapture the glory days when 70,000 fans attended Wembley Stadium to watch the team play its last game in 1997. In that final year they tried to make themselves England's team and played matches in Bristol and Birmingham: this only served to lose them even more supporters. The loyal fans that remained campaigned in vain to get the franchise reinstated for the 2000 season. The fight will go on.