Let me further clarify what Dave said.
The "Franchise" thing is new to the NEPL this year. It isn't a totally new
concept in that we are hoping to get teams committed for the season - in that way it is similar to Platinum of the past. The benefits of franchising 7 man this year in theory outweighs most reason not to and let me explain why /how we see this.
Tournament paintball right now - and as was evident this year - is on the decline. Not just here - everywhere. There are a few factors - but most of all it's money. Did it help that the NPPL folded at the end of 2008 - and re-emerged some might say a little too late in the Spring? I do believe that some of that is what accounts for the PSP having a pretty solid season. (not saying one series was preferred more than the other - i am making the point that the PSP absorbed some teams that may have otherwise stuck with 7 man) Teams wanted to play - and as most teams do - they wanted to play somewhere nationally - so they made the shift to XBall when it looked like that was going to be the only national option - and the rest of the season unfolded around that. I don't see this as a format issue - i see it as a limited choice issue. No-one was sure that there was going to be an option other than Xball. That being said- the interest here has veered towards 7 man for the past few seasons - is that because we have pushed teams there? I don't think so - we have a meeting every season and the teams express their views. We offered 3 man /5 man / XBall and 7 man - and 7 man always draws the most teams - hands down. The franchised 7 man thing allows us to make a much bigger deal of things than we can otherwise. Look at the AXBL. Because less work goes into trying to draw teams to an event - more can be put into the teams that are actually playing the events as well as the actual events themselves. Not to mention that when teams know who's in - they can go forward every week with specific plans for practice - and not have to wonder who they're playing - or even IF they are playing - as was the case with the AM division all season long.
K - elephant in the room.... Pro Players / Franchises
I know that everyone is kind of looking at the "Franchise" aspect of this as well as allowing limited pro's back in - and maybe getting a little scared of what they think it all means.
First - opening up rosters: There is so much potential, not just for the league - but for tournament paintball here in New England as a whole. We have seen some of the best national teams come out of here - most notably the Hurricanes - but NEX, Friendly Fire, 187 Crew, Hogans, Riptide, Armageddon etc. We limit our potential every time we strip away a certain criteria of the league - such as no Pro / semi pro players - no D1 players - no inter-divisional play. There's a thread in the Hurricane forum - What If...... and the whole thread is centered around the simple possibility of ONE team where the truly great players of NE might be noticed, and be competitive enough to
compete on a national level (compete defined as make the cut) or pick up a lucrative sponsorship - well to that i ask why ONE???? Is that the extent of our talent? Enough to build just ONE team???? I don't think so - I think we can have our fair share of nationally competitive teams - but we have to BUILD them, not by waiving great sponsorship opportunities in their faces, not by breaking up teams just to make one all-star team - and certainly not with the only thing anyone around here sees as an achievement is making (or being flagged by) the Hurricanes - we have to put in place a system where players are being challenged - where there is nothing to lose, nothing on the line - and the only thing on the mind of that great player is always getting better. A system in which we have a chance at having more teams LIKE the Hurricanes - not just farm teams for them. Teams tell me they travel because they feel like they are exposed to better competition - if competition is in fact what you are after - well here it is. Let's not be afraid to mix it up and rise to the challenge. Everyone knows the difference between the AXBL and the MXL - and the AXBL is where everyone wants to be - they FIGHT to get there. Is it the prize they want to play there for?? I don't think so.
We have opened it up - given every player in the region a place to play - we are offering the teams who want that challenge the opportunity to step up and take it - where if you're end result is to get better both as a player and a team - the reward absolutely outweighs the risk (the 7 man franchise is CHEAPER than BOTH 7 Man AM and INT entrance was in 2009 - and paint is cheaper by up to $15 a case for franchised teams - the perks of committing for the season - again like platinum) No - not every team is playing to eventually go pro - some guys actually do this for fun - and they want to compete but want to be competitive at the same time. Well, that is exactly why we have not made 7 Man franchises or XBall completely open - and that is why we have added a higher 5 man division. We haven't abandoned any player with our plans for 2010 - but what we are trying to do is our part to bring back a real sense of team, and dedication and the desire to want more and face the challenges of achieving it.
Regional events should be a stepping stone for teams who really do want to be pro - and for the teams who want to be pro - like the Hurricanes before you - you have to EARN it. Those guys have played paintball every weekend since they were 13 / 14 years old. They stepped on the field with anyone who would let them. They've absolutely lost more games than they have won and they've been outplayed, overlooked and underestimated a million times over. But they are one of the most respected Pro teams in the world and they are so because they've
never backed down or set boundaries for themselves.
Ok - so I'm now going to slowly step down from my soap box - but I'll leave you all with this. Our vision for 2010 starts with some pretty big changes, but this is what we do -
THIS is my JOB - and actually to be real honest - it's less like a job and more like my baby. I have seen this league in it's meager beginnings - I have seen it at it's pinnacle - and every year it changes - and we try to ride the wave and make the best decisions we can because we love this game - and we want players to love it too. I can't say that we're going the way of the franchise to guarantee anything other than how we can make tournament paintball better for those who play here. The player pool has dwindled - due in large part to the economy - the map we have laid out is one that we hope will accomplish many many things - from getting new players playing to making good players the best we can. Granted it is my vision - and maybe teams won't buy into it - i guess we'll see - but I am hoping that again, by putting this out there so early -and discussing / covering questions / concerns any way I can - it will help i don't know, put some fears to rest?
As for deposits - When we released the Information - it was in October - the November 30th deadline was reachable then. We're in no way trying to be unrealistic about it - we spread it out over 3 payments - we took Christmas into account by doing 11/30 and Jan 15th (the payment per player for the 2 $500 deposits is $62.50 each based on 8 players) and final payment being due in Feb (the 15th i think?)
We want to have owners meetings so that we can get some aspects finalized - we want to get all the teams logos done and get them on the new web site - we want teams to feel good about their goal over the off season. Quite honestly - I am more than willing to work with ANY team that may be having a hard time getting the money in by the 30th - we may just add "late fees" so that it is fair to the teams who do get money in on time - I just want to know if the issue is in fact the money and the dates it's due more than the franchise concept - so email me - call me - just let me know you're all in and need some time and I will work with you.
K - really done now... I swear.
Thanks for reading - bet you're sorry you asked about that franchised thing now huh......
Lori
