The performances were poor and with the introduction of Hockey and Rugby, the game was given up in 1927. However, Football rose to be the premier game in the world, so was re-introduced to Royal College in 1972. Thomas' College Mount Lavinia, began in 1994. Out of the 25 Blue Derbies, Royal College has won 17, drawn 3 and lost 5. In 1997, Royal College, captained by Buddhika Lokugamhewa, won the B
lue Derby with a record score of 6-1. The Royal-Mahinda Football Encounter started in 1984. However, it was not played from 2003-2013. The tally stands at 18-2-1 in favour of Royal. The Royal-Trinity Football Encounter, which is played for the J.R. Jayawardene Memorial Trophy, started in 2017. The tally stands at 2-1-1 in favour of Trinity College.
