London Monarchs The London Monarchs were a professional American football team in NFL Europe and its predecessor league , the World League of American Football ( WLAF ) . The Monarchs played their final season in 1998 as the England Monarchs . In 1999 , they were replaced by the new Berlin Thunder . Early years . The WLAF operated in 1991 and 1992 and included six U . S . teams , one Canadian team , and three European - based teams , including the Monarchs , that was organised in three divisions ( North American West , North American East , and European Divisions ) . The WLAF suspended operations prior to the 1993 season , but was revived in 1995 as the World League , featuring six European - based teams , again including the Monarchs . The World League was renamed " NFL Europe League " in 1998 . This league played its games in the spring so as not to conflict with the traditional American football season of autumn and early winter . In 1991 and 1992 the Monarchs played their home games at the famed Wembley Stadium . In the 1991 season the team won the first World Bowl at Wembley , beating the Barcelona Dragons 21 - 0 , the only team to have beaten them in the entire season . In the first season of the World League , crowds at Wembley averaged 40 , 483 for the five games . However dwindling interest - even with the advent of a new local rivalry with the Scottish Claymores - forced the team to shift its home ground to White Hart Lane , home of Tottenham Hotspur F . C . , when the league resumed play in 1995 , and that year average attendance fell to 16 , 343 . Because of the small size of the pitch at White Hart Lane , special dispensation had to be applied for to use a shortened field and it was granted : the pitch at White Hart Lane measured 93 yards . In 1996 , the Monarchs were forced to find an alternative venue for their final home game and chose Stamford Bridge , where they would play all of their home games in 1997 . England Monarchs . Towards the end of the 1997 season , the WLAF was starting to re - evaluate the team ' s situation in its market , believing that the return to London had not been as big a success as hoped . In conjunction with general manager Alton Byrd , the team was rebranded the England Monarchs and travelled the country , playing home games at the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre in London , Ashton Gate ( home of Bristol City F . C . ) and Alexander Stadium , an athletics stadium in Birmingham - another step down in the size and quality of the stadiums used . This venture divided opinion dramatically amongst the Monarchs support and rather than increase interest in the team , attendances slumped to an average of 5 , 944 . The announcement at the end of the 1998 season that the league would add a new team , the Berlin Thunder , led to weeks of speculation that either one of the existing teams would be shut down , or that the Monarchs and Claymores would be amalgamated into a single British team . Confirmation that the Monarchs were to close down came in July that year . Like other WLAF / NFL Europe teams , most of the Monarchs ' players were young American " developmental " players assigned from teams in the National Football League . The league paid these players ' salaries , as well of that of the coaches , who tended also to be Americans , though there were exceptions - in the early Monarchs Walter McKone , D . O . was a team osteopath and Stewart Parkinson a team manager . A few players of European extraction also participated , primarily as kicking specialists , although league rules required the participation of at least one player of European extraction on every other series of four downs . The league ' s points leader in 1991 was Phil Alexander , kicker with the Monarchs , who is currently Managing Director of Crystal Palace football club . One exception to the " kicker phenomenon " was Victor Ebubedike ( later Victor X Ebubedike , and later still Victor Muhammad ) who played as running back for the Monarchs for a number of years , and who became the first European to score a touchdown ( versus the Orlando Thunder ) in 1991 . Notable players for the Monarchs included Stan Gelbaugh , William Perry , Obafemi Ayanbadejo , Steve " Hollywood " Brooks , Kevin " Roly Poly " O ' Brien , Tim Simpson , and Brad Johnson , a quarterback who would go on to win Super Bowl XXXVII with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers . Also of note was Dedrick Dodge , a special teams maven , who went on to win a number of Super Bowl rings with teams including the Denver Broncos .