FUMBBL, the online Blood Bowl league

The Mary's Land Terrible Terrapins ended their pre-season against the UMBC Bay reptiles with a disappointing 2-1 loss. While this outcome wasn't unexpected, the loss still hurts the Terrapins' chance for a postseason berth and removes any momentum that they had going into the regular season. 

While the game started out well with the Terrapins receiving the ball and quickly driving down the field with Vanessa Gaithersburg, the superior play of the UMBC Bay reptiles proved too much for the team. Scoring early appeared to be Mary's Land undoing as the Reptiles quickly and efficiently moved down the field with little resistance. John Stensonville was taken out by a powerful block delivered by K.J. Maura, and while Devin Sapp of the Reptiles was badly hurt by a block by Alessandra Alleygainy there was little the Terrapins could do to stop the Reptiles from evening the score at the end of the half. 


A defenseless Harmony One-Love is savagely fouled by the dastardly Nolan Gerrity, truly a dark day for the NCBB

The second half started with the Terrapins over committing to an attack that the Reptiles quickly and easily ran around. Disaster struck when senior Harmony One-Love was taken out of the game by a foul delivered by Nolan Gerrity. Although the referee claimed to not see the skink stomping on the kroxigor's neck, many fans in the stadium were shocked by the blatant disregard for unwritten rules that are usually followed between Lizardman teams.

Asked after the loss. If Coach Lancelot considered UMBC a rival for Mary's land, the coach simply said, "To have a rivalry one must have two equally skilled teams. Mary's Land is not on the same level as UMBC. Maybe if we show a little better play we can claim them as our rivals..." 

The road doesn't get any easier for the Terrapins as they start their post-season push playing in the competitive smack conference. Only time will tell if Mary's Land can make it to the postseason.

'Blitz 'Dem', the preeminent periodical for all things Blood Bowl, having been published by diligent grotz since 1964 IC, brings you the key facts from the opening Gameweek of the inaugural season of the Greenskins Draft Rumble.

Hey hey

The DLE a draft league based on the NFL is seeking a number of new coaches. Now in its 16th season with the season end two games away, joining now would give you a smooth handover between the current coach and yourself, just in time for the draft. You also can relocate (but not fully rename) the franchise you get.

Every team has 15+ seasons of history and fluff for you to tap into.

The league allows trades of draft rights and players. Players skill using 2016 progression and rules, but all on the pitch rules are the current version.

So if YOU are willing to commit to a 16+ game season then contact myself, Arcayn, Spelledaren or Bigf. You can come join our discord channel, peruse the league rules here: https://fumbbl.com/p/group?op=view&group=10068 and find out more about this storied and fantastic league.

WHY CD blocker mens NO TACKLE?

TACKLE essential to GLORIOUS HISTORY of Polish STATE football's mens, as you se below!!! NO tackle! NO GLORIOUS FOOTBALLS MENS of state glory of communist state


The history of Polish football under communism (roughly 1945–1989) is a story of control, glory, politics, and paradox. After World War II, Poland fell under Soviet influence and became a communist state—the Polish People’s Republic—where nearly all aspects of life, including sport, were overseen or manipulated by the government. Here's a breakdown of that history through football:

⚽ POST-WAR REORGANIZATION (1945–1955)
Rebirth in ruins:
After WWII, Polish football had to rebuild from scratch. Clubs had been dissolved, cities destroyed (especially Warsaw), and players scattered or killed. The communist state saw football as a useful tool for unity and propaganda.

State-backed clubs:
Clubs were restructured into “sports associations” tied to industries or state institutions. These became the dominant powers:

Legia Warsaw – backed by the army (Wojsko Polskie).
Gwardia Warsaw – police-backed.
Górnik Zabrze – tied to the coal mining industry.
Lech Poznań – backed by the railway workers.
Teams received funding, players were nominally employed in factories or military units, and some clubs gained competitive advantage due to political connections.

🏆 THE GOLDEN ERA (1960s–1970s)
Emergence on the world stage:
Despite restrictions and censorship, the 1960s–70s were golden years for Polish football. A combination of good coaching, talented players, and state-supported infrastructure helped the national team rise.

1972 Olympic Gold (Munich):
Poland won the football gold medal at the 1972 Olympics, beating Hungary in the final. Though officially amateur, Eastern Bloc players were full-time athletes posing as workers or soldiers.

1974 World Cup Glory:
Poland, led by Kazimierz Górski and stars like Grzegorz Lato, Kazimierz Deyna, and Andrzej Szarmach, finished 3rd in the 1974 World Cup in West Germany. They beat Italy and Argentina, and only lost narrowly to West Germany.

State pride:
The regime capitalized on football success to boost national pride and distract from political dissatisfaction. Players became national heroes, but they were still constrained by the system.

🔒 RESTRICTIONS AND CONTROL
Player movement:
Transfers abroad were nearly impossible. Players could only leave to play in Western leagues after turning 30, and even then, they needed government approval. This delayed the international careers of many stars.

Surveillance and loyalty:
Many top players were surveilled by the secret police (SB). Some were pressured to inform or at least toe the ideological line. Club politics often mirrored party politics.

Corruption and favoritism:
The army and police clubs (like Legia Warsaw) often benefited from political pull—drafting top players through military conscription or manipulating results. This caused resentment among fans of “civilian” clubs.

⚙️ CLUB DOMINANCE UNDER COMMUNISM
Some major clubs during this era:

Górnik Zabrze – most successful club of the 1960s/70s; reached the 1969 Cup Winners’ Cup final.
Legia Warsaw – military connections helped secure top players; semi-finalists in the European Cup (1970).
Widzew Łódź – rose in the late 1970s and early 80s; reached European Cup semis in 1983.
Śląsk Wrocław, Lech Poznań, and Ruch Chorzów also had strong domestic periods.
🥀 DECLINE AND DISILLUSION (1980s)
Solidarity movement and unrest:
As Poland entered economic crisis and political upheaval (martial law in 1981), football was affected. Attendances dropped, hooliganism rose, and state support faltered.

1982 World Cup – a bright spot:
Despite domestic chaos, Poland again finished 3rd at the 1982 World Cup in Spain. It was a symbolic victory during a time of repression.

Late communism malaise:
By the late 1980s, the system was breaking down. Match-fixing and corruption were rampant, facilities deteriorated, and players increasingly sought chances abroad.

🛑 FALL OF COMMUNISM (1989) AND AFTERMATH
The collapse of communism in 1989 marked a new era. Football clubs were privatized, and players could freely move abroad. However, the transition was rough: financial instability, corruption, and poor results plagued the early post-communist years.

🧩 LEGACY
The 1970s national team is still revered as Poland’s best.
Clubs like Legia Warsaw and Górnik Zabrze carry the legacy of their communist-era roots.
Fan culture developed as an expression of local identity, often opposing state clubs.
Football showed how even within a repressive regime, talent and passion could thrive—though always under pressure.

I shall admit, I kind of felt the need to scream my words out loud into the void, but I did not expect the array and flurry of comments, all for which I am grateful. Think that what I shall take out of this, is to try get better with a focused narrow array of teams, in this case probably Orks (because we all love them) and Black Orks (I know they're objectively better... But I think that's the team I personally click the most with)?

Maybe a sprinkle of Shambling Undead but that is it for -serious play-

Regardless. Thanks a lot. Think that's what I needed to hear from the fellow coaches to re-new my morale.

Cheers.

Don't get me wrong, I like, even love Blood Bowl, but frankly, I think I am too stupid to play it.

No matter how hard I try, I keep losing every time. Of course, you could blame it on the dice and such, but not over and over. I try to read up, I try to perform better, but somehow it all falls apart anyway. I get that you first and foremost play the game for fun...

But frankly, it is straight up depressing and demotivating seeing your winrate to drop down straight to 10%, and then probably go lower and lower. I kind of feel like I've become a straight up "challenge for a free win option", and while I absolutely love the game, it still gives me a lot of fun... This irks me.

I don't even want to be some professional player, who wins 50 matches for breakfast, but being able to I dunno, have a +14 losing streak be at least -not the usual- would be a relief. At the moment, I feel like it is just a matter of time till I get crowned the worst Coach on FUMBBL.

Grooten's Thrower Camp: Phaedry Featherwind and Deshaun Watson


Watch the video.

On DSPN’s newest show “Grooten’s Thrower Camp,” famed elven ex-coach John Grooten breaks down the stunning thrower play in the Duqueswood University Green Dukes recent 5-2 win over the J.J.C. River Rats in the NCBB.

Transcript

John Grooten: Welcome to Grooten’s Thrower Camp. I’m John Grooten, and today I’m here talking with two of the most exciting young throwers in the game—Phaedry Featherwind from the Duqueswood University Green Dukes and Deshaun Watson of the JJC River Rats.

These two recently went head to snout in a real old fashioned barn burner. We’re talking a game featuring a total of eight combined passes and hand offs. That’s putting more balls in the air here than juggling Rotspawn.

Let’s get right into it and start here with the first touchdown. Now, Ms. Featherwind, You’re set up here with one elf going deep out here on a corner pattern, and then you got your peace dancer Rainbow Unicorn-Love out here in the flat looking for the hand off. What do you call this play?


Phaedry Featherwind: Well, that’s straight out of Coach Smithson’s old playbook. We call it the statue of libertree.

Grooten: Statue of what? No, no, no. In my coaching days, we called this Spider 2 Y Banana. I love that play. Just don’t ever try to run it with a simian team. I did that at Apelacian State and the players got so excited they nearly bit my hand off.

But look at this. You fake the deep pass, hand it to Unicorn Love, and she prances her way to the end zone.

Where’d you learn to handle the rock like that?

Featherwind: Actually, I don’t like to touch rocks. I prefer growing things, elements that surge with the great life-giving force of the all-mother.

Grooten: OK, well let’s take a look at how the River Rats got even here. Deshaun, what do you call this play?

Deshaun Watson: Squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak.

Grooten: No, no, no. This is Spider 2 Y Banana, clear as day. But anyway, you fade back here real deep, and the Green Dukes defense, they pin their pointy ears back and come after you, but that’s what you wanted, so you can go over the top here to Amari Cooper for the touchdown. You set the trap, and they took the cheese—

Watson: Squeak, squeak! Squeak squeak squeak squeak!

Grooten: No. Sorry, that’s just an expression.

Watson: Squeak, squeak! Squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak!

Grooten: No, no, buddy. There’s no cheese in the building.

But anyway, let’s look at how the Green Dukes get back on top. OK, here we are midway through the first half, and you guys look like you’re in Spider 2 Y Banana again, right?

Featherwind: Actually, …

Grooten: Yeah, so you’re in Spider 2 Y Banana, and you got your team captain, peace dancer Dethwyntyr Whitebranch being covered by a rat ogre. Prehensile tail waving all around his legs, snarling snout huffing and puffing cheddar breath all over him, and you decide to make the pass to your catcher, who then hands it to Whitebranch.

What?! What is the read here?

Featherwind: We call that, Chuck it—Dethwyntyr down there somewhere.

Grooten: Dethwyntyr down there somewhere? I like your style, kid.

Featherwind: Uh … thanks.

Grooten: You can run spider 2 Y banana for me anytime.

Featherwind: What does that even mean?

Grooten: Ok, let’s get back to Deshaun here. We’re in the second half now, the game’s 2-2, and the River Rats have a chance to bust this thing wide open. But here come the Green Dukes, full on zero blitz here, but you’re … What do you call this play:

Watson: Squeak squeak squeak—

Grooten: That’s right. Spider 2 Y banana. Now you got to tell me what you’re thinking here, because you’re gonna try to beat this blitz right over the top again, but this time, you got Whitebranch, one of the most agile elves in the league right in your face. So, what’s your read here?

Watson: Squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak …

Grooten:

Well, I think you took the cheese on this one, my friend

Watson: Squeak, squeak…

Grooten: No, no, it’s an expression. Deshaun, you really need to relax. Maybe you should book yourself a massage or something. Anyway, what I’m saying is you fell right into Whitebranch’s trap, because he goes up, plucks the rock right out of the sky, and goes the other way for a pick six.

Featherwind: Dethwyntyr would never touch a rock either.

Grooten: I know, I know. That’s just another one of those expressions.

OK, last one here. Really some great ball-handling both ways in this game, but here we are late in the game, and the Green Dukes have pretty much put this one away, up 4-2, and Phaedry, here, you’re looking for more. What … What do you call this play?

Featherwind: Uh …

Grooten: Exactly! Spider 2 Y banana, love it. Now watch this throw. They say you learned to throw as a seed caster for the western wood-elf clans, so tell me, were you trying to plant this ball, because you put this thing right in the dirt here.

Featherwind: Well, I, uh …

Grooten: I’m just kidding you. Heck you’re elves. It doesn’t even matter. Just toss the ball up field and hope for the best, right? Your catcher, Zindari Dawnwind, she scoops this thing up and gets it to Koopyr Quick, and nobody’s gonna catch him.

So, there you go. You take this thing running away, 5-2. You know, they say touchdowns don’t grow on trees, but with you guys putting up a five-burger like that, I’m not so sure.

Hey, speaking of trees. You know what does grow on trees?

Featherwind: Leaves, blossoms, acorns …

Grooten: No, no, no – bananas. And you know what might crawl up a tree. Little thing with eight legs?

Featherwind: A spider?

Grooten: That’s right and if there were another one, there’d be ...

Featherwind: Two spiders …

Grooten: Exactly! And if one of them had a question, he’d maybe ask …

Featherwind: Why?

Grooten: There you go. And so you’d call that whole thing?

Featherwind: I’m not gonna say it.

Grooten: Aw, come on!

Featherwind: No, I know what you’re doing, but I’m not gonna say—

Grooten: Spider 2 Y banana!