The Gulf Coast League (GCL) Royals were a minor league baseball franchise in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League from 1971âÂÂ1978, 1982âÂÂ1983 and 1985âÂÂ2002. The club was owned and operated by the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball. The GCL Royals played games at Florida-based minor league and spring training facilities located in Sarasota (through 1987), Baseball City Stadium in Davenport (1988âÂÂ1992; 1999âÂÂ2002) and Fort Myers (1993âÂÂ1998).
From 1979âÂÂ1981, the Royals operated two GCL teams, the Gulf Coast League (GCL) Royals Blue and Gulf Coast League (GCL) Royals Gold, to accommodate a surplus of teenaged players. In 1974, Kansas City also fielded a separate Gulf Coast League (GCL) Royals Academy team for members of its experimental Baseball Academy. The Academy team played alongside the GCL Royals; finishing 35âÂÂ16 in the GCL standings that season, 4ý games ahead of the 29âÂÂ19 GCL Royals, but the Royals Academy lost the league pennant by percentage points to the GCL Cubs.
In 2003, when the Royals moved their spring training operations to Surprise, Arizona, they simultaneously transferred their Rookie-level affiliate to the Arizona League.