List of Nepharan football clubs

A list of many of Nephara's most prominent clubs of the IFCF era.

Alliance Barossia
Based out of the industrial sprawl of Bismuth, third and southernmost of Barossia's Three Sisters, Alliance arose, recent and vitalised by grassroots support, to challenge the crumbling giant of Rhagant; until the latter rebranded to Barossia United and sought new investment. The two have been in a death-struggle for supremacy for years, and loathe one another. Alliance have a vibrant fan culture, and seem to be the only Barossians really allowed to visibly enjoy themselves. They're connected to the Guayabalense diaspora; Alliance is the Anglicised form of 'Alianza', the traditional Guayabalense powerhouse, but there is no official link between the clubs.

Aries Chariots
The Chariots are not one of the largest sides in Sabrefell by any means, but they can point to a devoted and vibrant fanbase operating out of the eastern suburbs and to a history of punching well above their weight, at one stage finishing as high as second and winning a Globe Cup, then being the first Nepharan side to claim a Super Cup. They have thrived with the increasing levels of immigration into the country over the past couple of decades, and their catchment is particularly lush with Licentian diaspora, hence the more recent decision to switch from white to a blue and gold away kit. In more recent years, the giants of Nephara have re-established themselves, and the Chariots have switched gears to focusing on youth and infrastructure, though they dream of a return to the glory days. Their only real rivals are Sabrefell Athletic, who they revile after incidents of fan clashes - a bond they share with Raven River, which has always been a somewhat friendly rivalry.

Aries Solitaire
Based in the southern outskirts of Sabrefell, Solitaire, curiously, have their origins in a travelling circus. The derogatory term, naturally, is 'the Carnies'. They have little experience towards the top of the pyramid, but coming full circle from their origins, a professional gambler has bankrolled them sensibly on towards relevance. They're closest to Southfell United, but don't have the competitive history to make that a true rivalry.

Armstrong
A small club from Stahlburg, nominally. In practice Armstrong are, at least on the pitch, a match for their nearby rivals. Armstrong represent the industrial city's north, the poorest part of the city, and have a proud community tradition of trying to uplift the area through hard work and charity. They traditionally play a bruising, direct style, and like nothing more than making fancy tippy-tappy teams wither and die on their swamp of a pitch. Their stadium, Swolefens, was given the nickname at first by detractors of its muscular football and swampy surface, but has been adopted wholesale since in good Nepharan tradition.

Barossia United
Formerly named Rhagant, Barossia United's catchment now counts the confluence of large towns that ultimately coalesced into the city of Covenant. A wild sprawl, layer upon layer in an oddly heartbreaking ambition, Covenant is an apt backdrop for the chaotic club it calls its own. United have a proud history, an inaugural Premiership side, but they fell long and hard into crushing disrepair before their recent renaissance. They've always played a hard-nosed, direct brand of football.

Belgrave
Belgrave represents Sabrefell's affluent northeast, not historically a socio-economic demographic that has produced good footballers. Even so, their success in recent seasons is built more on good planning than deep pockets. They embrace their reputation for affluence, rebranding it as a belief in 'sophistication', and they've historically favoured a technical, possession-focused style of football, trusting in youth to step up for them. Their willingness to snipe talented youths from across the city to play for them has only made them less popular.

Bishop
Crisisbless is known as Nephara's City of Churches, and while Goodfeather holds its Protestant enclave, Bishop hold the Catholics, and arguably the least imaginatively-named suburb in the nation. The club itself has done well in recent years, once more usually in the third tier, now these days an occasional Premiership club over two stints. Goodfeather make for natural sectarian rivals, though there's no real malice in it.

Brinemouth
Despite the earthy nickname conjuring images of teamsters and burly shirtless men, Brinemouth is a largely affluent city, particularly the coastal east, and their football club became nouveau-riche just in time for the Premiership to join the international scene. They have, as a result, been far more successful post-UICA than pre-, and their seven titles are only matched by AFC Treason - indeed, the Premiership's ascension into the ranks of serious leagues worldwide seemed to coincide with an era of dominance for the two clubs on each end of the country, overshadowing the 'Sabrefell giants' of Athletic and the Moths who had dominated prior to the modern era. Unlike Treason, their playing identity is based around expensive marquee talent playing beautiful attacking football - locals are considered a nice bonus, but not essential. They want the ball, and they want to be flashy with it. West Brinemouth are their only real rivals for fanbase in the city, but are too weak on the pitch to make a proper rival in Brinemouth's eyes. Instead, they save their ire for the Classic, against their philosophical opposites and equals AFC Treason.

Brookford Otters
Brookford is a smallish town on the east coast, but despite the proximity to Brinemouth, the Otters have always maintained a strong enough identity to ensure a minimum of defectors within the town. They are perhaps most famous for their vapourwave-inspired 'aesthetic' kits, though these have since been phased out as the side returned to their traditional navy and orange look. A Cup win remains their proudest achievement, though it was somewhat marred by their playoff relegation immediately beforehand.

Chardonnay Rangers
The Rangers have achieved the remarkable feat of going from the Premiership to the Conference, and have now rebounded most of the way back. They used to be noted for youth development, trusting an inexperienced side and producing five-cap winger Eloise Parrish for the national team, but it's clear the current board is working for the short-term, at least until they get back to the top. After a slight relocation that prompted a name change, they operate from the northeast Crisisbless outskirts, and have only recently completed a new boutique stadium.

Chatswood
Treason's second club, in the West of the city. It's got a hard-nosed, physical reputation, fanned by many a successful, battling Premiership performance. After years of punching above their weight and sporadically managing UICA qualification, it seems as though the Woodsmen have come crashing down to earth, and settled into a more yo-yo pattern. Their main rivals are AFC Treason, which is considered to be the major Treason derby; they also have a strong and relatively recent hate for Morningstar, who are nearby, share Emery Lineker as their first Premiership manager, and share a general club ethos. After quirks of fixturing lead to a series of steel vs. silk clashes on final Premiership matchdays, in which Chatswood constantly played spoiler, there's also a fierce rivalry with Brinemouth. But Chatswood have always kind of had an 'us against the world' mentality. They're chippy, and you will always remember playing them; they take pride in that. ‘Axes’ refers not only to the Wood, but is a clever nod to the term ‘hatchet man’.

Chenoworth Harriers
Based in northwest Chenoworth and with strong Hellenic roots, the Harriers are one of the two real giants of a city that has never really looked able to fit any more. A notorious yo-yo club in the early days of the modern era, the Harriers can 'boast' four relegations - three coming between cycles 55 and 60 alone. In more recent times, though, cautious and targeted spending has ensured they can not only stay afloat in the top flight, but have at times approached the UICA places. Unsurprisingly, they count the Rovers as their only serious rivals, and tend to be the more technical and cerebral of the two sides - though Rovers fans tend to prefer 'flimsy'. For all their mixed results, though, the Harriers undoubtedly have a far stronger pedigree in youth development.

Chenoworth Rovers
Chenoworth is a two-club city (for the most part), with the Harriers representing the northwest geographically and Hellenics culturally, and the Rovers Jewish, eastern and by reputation more affluent. In the early years of the modern era, both sides could regularly be seen yo-yoing wildly between the top two tiers, with seven Premiership relegations between them. Of late, however, the Harriers' fortunes have soared and the Rovers' have soured, until a recent resurgence has left them yet again eyeing the top flight.

Coret Hawks
Originally the Valkyrja Hawks, back when the Nepharan league included foreign sides from the Serenes region it used to be a part of, the Hawks eventually moved to the northeastern town of Coret to stay relevant. Historically, they've tended to be something of a yo-yo side, but in more recent times they've been a fixture of the top half, though struggling to break that UICA glass ceiling to such an extent it seemed at times there must be a curse. They have a substantial following abroad in Chromatika thanks to the signings of Alyss Montague and Gabriella Antonio, which they have tapped into with tours and targeted marketing; the latter, arguably their greatest ever player, retired at 28 to start a family. Under new management of late, Coret finally broke into the top six and now appear intent on staying there, at least for a time. Coret Rovers, the less flashy incumbents in the city, see the Hawks as upstarts, but have long since faded from relevance; in truth, Newrook City are their most prominent regional rivals, an antipathy that has grown into one of the more vicious for want of either club tending to fight for trophies.

Corinthians No Longer
The growing city of Creed has traditionally been dominated by Creed United, but CNL are actually their oldest club; Creed Corinthians are proudly one of the oldest clubs in the nation. For a century, they resolutely refused to turn professional, staying true to their amateur status and club name... until, on their centennial anniversary, they reversed this. The club has benefited from Creed's growth, and capitalised on their potential as they bounded rapidly up the divisions. Naturally, United see them as wealthy upstarts who could do with a good stomping.

Corvette Maulers
The Northern Vale's second prominent club, from it's second-largest town. It's traditionally something of a yo-yo club, with three promotions to and subsequent relegations from the top flight - impressive considering a fairly small catchment and limited finances. It claims to represent the Vale as a whole - Leichhardt, a thriving large town, just represents itself, and the two sides are fierce rivals. The fans appreciate fast-paced, aggressive football, which again forms a contrast with traditionally more defensive Leichhardt. For all that, the two sides share yellow as a primary colour.

AFC Corvistone
The most controversial and, yes, hated club in Nephara. Corvistone is the new planned capital of Nephara, and AFC Corvistone was made explicitly to be a club worthy of the capital. But the capital isn't fully formed and the club, which struggles to even half-fill its fantastic stadium, faces constant pressure for buying success and in all fairness it has never shied away from that, splurging money freely to drag themselves to the top flight. Their fans relish the hate, though, and the club makes the most of its siege mentality.

Cranequin City
Cranequin is the smallest of the state capitals, and City is dwarfed by the Wanderers. Still, they've managed to compete with their rivals over the past few years, and a remarkable string of seasons under Edmund Agincourt saw an unlikely series of survivals with a side that just seemed to get worse and worse on paper but always found a way to cling to survival, until they suddenly didn't. Have dipped between the second and third tiers since, but an ambitious board is looking up.

Cranequin Wanderers
Cranequin is Nephara's smallest state capital, with a generally cultural focus and bohemian reputation. It was a one-club city - that club being the Wanderers - for a while, but Cranequin City's prominence of late has created a rivalry. Usually found in the bottom half of the Premiership, the Wanderers have suffered three relegations to the second tier in the modern era but they tend to bounce back quickly. Their primary tactical legacy has been pioneering controversial patient possession football in Nephara, to some success - it's a blueprint they've since returned to. At six relegations, have set the record for the worst Premiership side.

Creed United
Creed is a small city in the far northwest of Nephara, and it has a similar kind of dry, rough-edged character to the rest of Crownsend. United is its only club of prominence, and has only really recently managed to crack the top tier thanks to a golden generation, staying there for a shade under nine years and at one point managing to get into the knockout rounds of the Globe Cup. They rose hard and crashed hard, but are hoping to make it right back.

Crisisbless
The dominant force of the towering major city of Crisisbless, and in theory one of the dominant forces within Nephara itself, but there was a time at which they were technically outperformed by little Starling just above in terms of titles. They have a reputation as bottlers, just lacking the fortitude to turn their ability into league wins; hence their name, the Heelers, nominally after the dog but more an appropriated insult at their status trailing in the wake of the biggest clubs. But they've generally been consistent, rarely falling completely out of the business end of things, and have something of a reputation as Cup specialists. They still do have plenty of silverware to their name, and their proud fans regard their club as a match for anyone in the world. Crisisbless are one of those teams that kind of wants to fight everyone in the vicinity; primarily Crisisbless United, their greatest rival in their own city, but there's a level of rivalry with nearby, upstart Starling as well.

Crisisbless United
One of Crisisbless' secondary sides, United's deliberate study of contrasts of kit compared to the Heelers' has lead to plenty of jibes. But few people have been laughing at United since they've become a Premiership fixture, in which they won a lot of friends with forthright attacking football and survived for many years against the odds. To wear the red-and-black chequers is to embrace pace, fluidity, elan.... which has given them something of a rapport with FC Samotath from distant Cosumar, a side with a similar stylistic tradition and a near-identical taste in fashion. Homegrown United goalkeeper Phoebe Etton solidified the sister relationship, spending over a decade there and becoming a two-club woman between them (spurring a taste in Nepharan goalkeepers for Samo that would later include World Champion Diandra Ballard and the less-heralded Simon Ardley). They consider the match against Crisisbless to be the 'true' Crisisbless derby, and given Goodfeather's mediocrity in more recent times, they're probably right.

Cypher Town
A large town situated on the Westermark - the traditional border between Laithland and civilisation - Cypher hosts a fairly prominent side that has traditionally flitted between the top two tiers. It has a reputation as smug and arrogant, considering itself too big for the Westermark, but has traditionally had to rely on very solid, defensive football to mix it with the big boys. Cypher is mostly noted for having attracted the unrequited rivalry of a staggering number of clubs - fellow Westmarker side Serpentine has the geography to think about, its fairly extravagant livery has earned it the hilarious ire of pretty much all the true Laith clubs, while Parrhesia United (northern Vermillion and much of the northern region in general) also clashes shoulders with it.

Diamondqueen
Diamondqueen's main attraction is being the suburb in which the Nepharan National University is, just north of the centre of the city. As a result, most of its supporters come from the student base. It's had a very strong relationship with the nearby Raven River for many years, acting as something of a feeder club for them for a few years until their meteoric rise to the same division, and they continue to have a close relationship - Diamondqueen don't really have any rivals at all.

Gonen's Bridge
A small town on the south coast, west of Cranequin in the little 'bite' taken out of the coastline. Gonen's Bridge has practically no history as a club, and their meteoric rise has been built on judicious loans, bargain free agents, an artificial pitch and, yes, a wealthy fan owner who helped bankroll them upwards.

Goodfeather FC
The Quakers, so named for representing the relative Protestant hotbed of Nephara, are noted for a gorgeous kit and a traditional emphasis on technical play. Comfortably situated in eastern Crisisbless, they've traditionally floated freely between the top two tiers, enjoying high highs and suffering some low lows along the way. They're well-renowned for a faith in youth, especially from their own academy.

Greygate
Greygate hope to entrench themselves as Stahlburg's third club. They're based in the city's north, and the titular 'Grey Gate' was the site of a few great battles in Nephara's turbulent history of civil war. In calmer times, it now represents a small but rising club, ranks swelled in recent years with dissenters from the increasingly wayward way that Maximum City's been run, to the point where they've been able to build a new stadium. As a result, they're looking forward to the chance to stick the boot into the Smiths, and the feeling is very much reciprocated.

Iron City
The original Premiership yo-yo club, Iron City have the dubious record of having suffered five relegations from the top flight in the modern era (tied with Newrook). That said, their fans would kill for that status now - they seem to be stranded in midtable in the second tier, and were even recently relegated to the third. Iron itself is a small, bleak, industrial city in northern Barossia, and the club traditionally plays bleak, industrial football - but on the other hand, Elaine Ashdown came from here, and book-ended her career at the club.

Leichhardt
A small city and the largest settlement in the Northern Vale, Leichhardt has traditionally flitted between Premiership relegation battles and the top half of the First Division, usually playing defensive football in the process. Its primary rivals are Corvette, the second-largest Vale settlement, but they've both been overshadowed by nearby Starling of late. Their nickname stems from the clear Vale skies, as opposed to the cloudier cities across the rest of the country.

Locksley
A northeastern town that tends to go overlooked in the greater scheme of things, roughly triangulated by Brinemouth, Crisisbless and Sabrefell. Historically famous for its beer, hence the club nickname of 'Brewers'. The club has yo-yoed freely between second and third tiers since the modern era began, at one point managing six consecutive seasons of either promotion to or relegation from the First Division. They have a surprisingly heated rivalry with nearby Rochford.

Mantlegrove
A founder club of the Conference, Mantlegrove have come a long way to establish themselves in the upper-middle echelons of the pyramid. They're comfortably tucked into eastern Treason and have managed, somewhat surprisingly, to tap into the small hipster fanbase left abandoned by the collapse of Project +90. Propped up in their early years by a local family who won the lottery, they've since been taken over by a more conventional consortium.

Morningstar
A small industrial city just northeast of Treason, Morningstar traditionally play a very muscular, violent style, and count Emery Lineker as their most important manager. This often leads to chants of "you're just a shit clone of Chatswood". They've always been combative, and their nickname befits that. Their main rivals are Treason, much as this is true of about half of Nephara, but matches against Chatswood and nearby Creed have been predictably spicy as well.

New Oakstone Phoenix
The first former Premiership club to sink to the state leagues, and now aspiring to return to their former heights. The Phoenix benefited incidentally from the settlement of Corvistone, having been swallowed up by the city's development in a region now known as New Oakstone for its disproportionate number of northern Euran refugee immigrants, and it is an ambitious Euran consortium that now hopes to propel them back to the Zenith.

Newrook City
Founding members of the modern-era Premiership, the Rooks have endured a lot of heartbreak in their time, and their five relegations are an equal record. But it’s the kind of club that appreciates success when it comes; its three Cups are also a record, and one season saw both come at once. It’s still remembered fondly as a blaze of glory. Once considered a more broad-church club across the whole of regional far northeast Nephara, the growth of Newrook into a proper, well, city - absorbing a number of small frontier settlements on the Nepharan end of the Gelderlish border in the process - has mirrored the growth of its one major football club. Northeasterners are considered strange, distant and intense, just sort of off by the standards of the rest of the country. Newrook aren't far off Coret, and the two sides' rivalry is weirdly strong for sides that more central Nepharim tend to mostly forget about. A brief run as a contender towards the sharp end of the Premiership may not have stuck, but did bankroll a new stadium, arguably the most scenic in the nation.

North Laithland
With their relegation reducing the 'Gang of Seven' to six, North Laithland become the first former Premiership champions to drop down a level. Unfortunately for the Spiders, that season Nephara was disqualified from UICA entry due to persistent crowd incidents. Situated, unsurprisingly, in the northern Laith, they're specifically based from the large town of Lindmark but represent the entire region and draw their fanbase from a wide variety of northwest Crownsend towns. Other Laith teams have risen and fallen over the years, but the North has retained a power base both on and off the pitch that has made them difficult to dislodge. This is in large part due to a strong reputation for youth development, and they have produced a disproportionate amount of Cormorants, though it's been less productive in recent times. They have a friendly rivalry going with South Laithland and a decidedly unfriendly one with AFC Treason.

North Sabrefell
North Sabrefell haven't really made an impact on Nephara, traditionally speaking, but they've risen respectably of late. It's regarded, sometimes derided, as something of a bohemian wasteland full of drug-addled students, and they've embraced the nickname accordingly. They've recently had a cash injection from Brenecian mining tycoon Bruce Harker, but strict Nepharim ownership rules prevent him from taking a majority share - even so, expect him to influence the side forwards. They're rivals with nearby, more affluent Belgrave.

Parrhesia United
Vermillion's first or second club, depending on who you ask. Definitely its oldest, and one of the oldest in the country. The Saints are associated with the northside and outskirts of the city, a fairly disparate population uniting a variety of demographics. The nickname doesn't really stem from any piety of the club's, or any association with places of worship, but rather its obscure origins have been traced back to regional pride - downtown Vermillion is a godless hellhole, so therefore the northsiders were saints by comparison. A proud club, but has fallen on harder times of late. Bitter rivals with Vermillion Rage, who keep stealing the Saints' players.

Peregrine
A large port town, Peregrine lies on the south coast, roughly beween Vermillion and Cranequin. The good folk of Peregrine love their club, though it's only rarely been much use. An inaugural Conference East side, the Falconers went through a lot of change, a stadium rebuild and subsequent stadium upgrade on their way to the second tier.

Pillars of Southfell
Southfell is traditionally a one-club city - Southfell United, originally a factory club, serves as that. But Pillars of Southfell, originally set up by the police force for the benefit of disaffected youths, appears to have muscled in on some of United's market share of late. On the one hand, a very hands-on approach with community work and grassroots has won them favour over the comparatively more high-handed United - on the other, the financial muscle of the Crisisbless-based consortium backing them has dragged them into the second tier. Leona Rafford is their most famous product.

Raven River
River are one of the many secondary Sabrefell sides that have had plenty of time bouncing between the two top tiers. The titular River splits west Sabrefell from east, and the club's stadium overlooks it - a fitting legacy of their humble beginnings, formed by the city's ferrymen. It has never really had ideas beyond its station, and has always cultivated a good relationship with other Sabrefell sides, particularly the sister club Diamondqueen that it helped lift out of obscurity with a series of loans and profile-boosting friendlies. The exception is Athletic, and River are one of the three main sides who absolutely cannot stand the Rams - in their case, the grievance stems back to an incident of fan violence that's by now decades old, where a River fan was attacked in a case of totally mistaken identity. When Chariots ultras retaliated by beating up the Athletic supporters responsible, it created a particularly strong bond between the two sides.

AFC Rochford
A moderately prominent town just inland of the Lazuli Coast, Rochford were a yo-yo club leading into the modern era of Nepharan football but have slipped away from prominence in more recent years, echoing the tendency of the townsfolk themselves to leave for the greener pastures of Brinemouth. Built overlooking the small lake known as the Roch, Rochford is famous for its seafood, especially its oysters.

Sabrefell Athletic
Athletic have always been a force to be reckoned with in the Nepharan game, and no matter what Moths fans insist, will never be completely in their shadow. The 56 cycle cemented that, when they secured the first-ever UICA silverware for the nation, ensuring the Premiership's arrival as a major player. Despite occasional spells in the wilderness, infamously following up their first modern title win with 11th, 12th and 17th-placed finishes, Athletic have always bounced back from adversity, backed by a loud, aggressive and outspoken fanbase. While the Moths are defined by union ties, Athletic are twinned informally with the military, and by urban Nepharim standards tend to have right-wing elements - though both the club and its fanbase have always worked quickly and tirelessly to stamp out any hint of fascism. Athletic are the most widely disliked club in the city, largely due to incidents of fan violence alienating them from River and the Chariots, as well as their mutual hatred of Sabrefell Moths. To be an Athletic fan is to embrace the siege mentality and relish the looks on the haters' faces when you win.

Sabrefell Moths
The biggest and proudest club in Nephara's biggest and proudest city, the former capital of Sabrefell; a giant fortified metropolis whose layers of walls and distinctive flat, forceful architecture betray the cities origins as a stronghold first and a place to live second. The moths of Sabrefell themselves are notorious for their size, number and, topically for the club, resilence. The original giants of the Nepharim league, the Moths had, by a distance, the most titles in the pre-UICA Premiership and have remained very competitive in modern times, generally playing a very fast, attacking brand of football, and particularly loving a prolific striker - Gerhard Thunder, homegrown Rook Cathar, five-time Iron Boot winner Aaliyah Johnson and Solara Vol have all become club legends. Their pull is best summarised by the fact that, when the time came to retire the crumbling Gargoyle's Court, they simply moved into the Farham Arena, hitherto only for Cormorants games and Cup finals. Though they present themselves as 'Nephara's club', they in theory represent the west of Sabrefell, and have historically been associated with hard-left elements, and while they count a large base of casual support their ultras have been guilty of violence in the past. More positively, their pyro and banner displays are among the finest in the world. Their fiercest rivals are Athletic, in the east of the city.

AFC Serpentine
One of the two big Westermark sides, on the Parrhesia side of the Laith. Serpentine have always prided themselves on youth development, and it's helped keep them financially afloat and relevant on the pitch despite a small catchment. Their colours are a deliberate throwback to Nephara's own, in their first WCC years. They've managed, in recent years, to yo-yo between the top two tiers. Westmarker neighbours Cypher Town are their traditional rivals.

South Laithland
Based, as the name suggests, in the southern Laith, South Laithland (based in the town of Dross, which is basically just the football stadium) have traditionally hovered between the bottom half of the Premiership and the top half of the First Division throughout the modern era, and really throughout their entire history. A reasonably successful and stable side, they've rarely scintillated but can be proud of a productive academy. They're friendly rivals with North Laithland, have a derby day against Cypher but expose their fiercest venom for Treason, who have a way of poaching their best players (Allbeck, Flaccus, Connacht, Morgan Ashdown...)

Southfell United
Southfell's a large town, once a fortress, just south of Sabrefell and just inland of the coast. Indeed, the easiest way to get into a fight with people from Southfell is to claim that, really, it's just a glorified district of Sabrefell. United started out as the factory team for leatherworkers, of all things, leading to their current nickname of 'Tanners'. Southfell have mostly been a Premiership side in the modern era, and their fans mostly consider themselves to be such, but they haven't had the best of things lately - that said, they were competing at the sharp end of the top flight when the modern era began. Stylistically, the Tanners have generally been fairly flashy and attack-minded, but there's been times where a long-ball style has prevailed. They have a friendly rivalry with the Sabrefell Moths, and indeed pretty much with every Sabrefell side.

Stahlburg City
Once considered a keystone member of the Premiership, Stahlburg City once lead the league on the 45th matchday. But, at the last minute, they collapsed, and their fierce rivals Treason overtook them. They've arguably never recovered, with relegation coming at the end of a long, drawn-out malaise. Stahlburg is a polluted, hyperindustrial clump, and City claims rather grandly to represent it all - this has been less true of late with the success of their local rivals, the Rovers. Traditionally they have played an unexciting, direct and physical brand of football, and its supporters value powerful, committed veterans and winning at any cost. Used to be named Maximum City, but when the city elected to change its name back to its ancestral title, the two major clubs followed suit.

Stahlburg Rovers
Historically very much Stahlburg's second team, the Rovers went from being a second-tier fixture to a Premiership fixture just in time for Nephara to enter UICA. Apart from a couple of scrapes with the sharp end of the league, however, the Rovers traditionally scraped lower-midtable finishes year after year, seemingly immune to stability.

Starling
Starling are the standout 'Football Manager' story of Nephara, perhaps even the world. In the Passerines' first Premiership season, they were relegated despite a strong side on paper. In their second, they stayed up. In their third... they won the league. In their fourth, they won the league and Champions Cup. They've never looked back, and incorporated a golden star and golden trim into their crests and kits to commemorate these victories. Starling is a small city to the north of Crisisbless, the first sign of civilisation heading south from the Northern Vale. As a result, they have a firmly established antipathy against Crisisbless and the two main Valesider clubs, Corvette and Leichhardt, without being the main rival of any of them. They've used the proceeds of their victories carefully, trying to build the club's infrastructure up and provide a platform to keep competing; they may not have the catchment or wealth to be entrenched as one of the big dogs forever, but their Golden Age has made them one of Nephara's most recognised sides abroad regardless.

The Strongest
The Strongest are one of the oldest clubs in Nephara, and had been set up by a curate under the philosophy of Muscular Christianity. However, it had languished in obscurity until a recent decision made to go professional. This lead to a gradual rise out of the state leagues in recent years, but there's a concern among some of the club steadfast that they've become 'just another club' - especially as their once-suicidally aggressive football has been replaced by a more conventional attacking tradition. Based out of Treason.

AFC Treason
The city of Treason is the large, parochial industrial powerhouse of the northwest, the place where the last king of Nephara was executed. Ask most people there about the many vibrant clubs, and they'll concede the Stags are the best show in town. Treason were always a big side, but along with Brinemouth became an iconic titan of the league as it rose up the UICA rankings - currently, the two sides are matched on seven titles apiece. Treason have a very strong local identity based on physicality, professionalism and hard work. They have a proud tradition of youth development, and have always relied heavily on their academy to provide for their roster. They also have the largest fanbase of any Nepharan side. They are Chatswood's fiercest rivals, and Brinemouth's (in 'the Classic'), and North Laithland's due to being their nearest urban rival, and South Laithland's due to stealing most of their best players over the years, and Stahlburg City's following a long history of violent match-ups and infamously 'stealing' their best chance at a modern title. Following an implausible number of international clashes, they also sparked a friendly rivalry with Buyanese side Blau-Weiss Pallstadt, who were briefly bought out to use as a feeder club.

Vermillion Rage
Vermillion could perhaps have been a real giant of Nepharim football were it not for timing. They were a prominent challenger in the pre-UICA era, fuelled by a blatant money-laundering operation, but just a couple of years into the modern era, the Rage slammed face-first into financial ruin, got relegated, and never fully recovered. Arguably a sleeping giant, Vermillion have always been more concerned with looking good and flashy than grinding out results. While still not exactly Takil - this is still Nephara - anything less than an attractive, attack-minded, fast-paced style of football would not be tolerated either by the fans or the board. Vermillion's brand is to entertain. While they don't exactly love the upstart Vermillion Wanderers to the south, their true rivals are Parrhesia United to the north. The two sides have both had their own boom-and-bust cycles; presently, Vermillion are enjoying Parrhesia's spectacular bust even more than their own relative boom, and have managed to seriously annoy the Saints by poaching their players. Indeed, while very few players tend to cross rivalry divides across the rest of Nephara, the Saints and the Rage have a penchant for trying to grab each others' talent. The name of their new stadium alludes to the capacity; their old ground, the Iron Hill, had a capacity agonisingly short of the mark, at 49,500. Like most old Nepharan stadiums, it was a hideous brutalist monstrosity; the rebuild was necessary for basic amenities to be in place.

Vermillion Wanderers
The Wanderers had a dramatic rise from the semi-professional levels that saw them in the Premiership for three seasons, and they remain its latest club in the alphabet. The rise was mirrored off the pitch as well as on, and they carved out a niche for themselves as Vermillion's reasonably-respected third side, and they've had to expand their stadium capacity to match the demand. Unlike Parrhesia and the Rage, they've found something of a reputation for very route-one football. They've about found their level in the First Division.

West Brinemouth
Brinemouth's west is the relatively poor, working-class part of the city, away from the affluent, gentrified Brineside. Unlike most such sides, it remains in the shadow of neighbours and fierce rivals Brinemouth, but it has achieved some fair successes of its own in the modern era, occasionally reaching the Premiership and once winning the NFA Cup. The fanbase traditionally values workmanlike, muscular players, but the academy has not been the most successful, and many of the best youth prospects in the city are poached by their bigger, richer neighbours.