The roots of the ML Kings go back to the city of Melnik 30 km north of Prague, Czech Republic The area in and around Melnik is famous for its wine vineyards and wineries and hosts an annual winefest in May every year. Three of the original players for the ML Kings come originally from the city, Michal Cech, Martin Onderkys, and Viktor “Wiky”. They started out playing together military style paintball in Melnik and Prague, but it took just one taste of speedball to find out that there really was only one kind of paintball for them.
Like for so many, paintball quickly became a passion. In 2008 the ML Kings were quickly moving up the ranks in the Czech paintball leagues and in that same year added top players from two other teams, Michal Kverka from Ketchup who was also originally from Melnik and Charlie Givens from the PIP Devils who is the lone American import on the team. In 2008, in the first season with its current core five players, the ML Kings finished 6th in the Czech National Championships and won and took top places in tournaments in the Czech and Prague Paintball Leagues. By 2009 and 2010 the ML Kings began moving to tournaments outside of the Czech Republic, most notably the Austrian Winter Paintball League (AWPL) playing the full 2009/2010 season and again in the 2010/2011 season taking 3rd place in the first of three tournaments.
2011 will be a busy season for the “Kings”. This year will find them playing in the Czech X-ball league, Prague paintball league, AWPL, 2011 MAXS German Indoor Masters Championships, and of course the best of all, in Europe’s top paintball league – The Millennium Series. The passion only grows stronger and stronger, and the end goal seems possible – CPL in the Millennium Series.
