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| AO Forum :: > Sporting Archives > Inaugural AO Bowl for Gridball |
| Posted by: Sarzonia Jan 10 2006, 05:16 PM |
| Seventy eight year old Buddy Landry has been known as the Father of Sarzonian Football for his role in the founding of both the Incorporated Football Federation and the Sarzonian Football Confederation, serving as both the chairman of Sarzonia's governing body for football and the commissioner of the first top flight professional league of any kind in Sarzonia's history. Now he has chosen to undertake perhaps his greatest challenge: To increase the exposure of the sport of gridball, which is Sarzonia's name for American football. Well, technically, it's the nickname of the sport, as its official Sarzonian name is "Gridiron Football, Formerly Known as American Football." But no one, including the people who named the sport thusly calls it by that cumbersome title. Media outlets always use gridball. Even the sport's governing body relegates the official name to barely a footnote in its history. Lawmakers have never legally changed the name to gridball for fear that they would be lampooned in the media for debating a sporting matter when "they have better things to do." It is in this backdrop that sees the founding of the Incorporated Gridball League, the latest effort toward a top flight professional gridball league in Sarzonia. Previous leagues failed due to lack of attendance and the expense involved in equipment, training facilities, salary payments, et. al. This time, Landry swears he has the right formula to succeed. "Old broadcasts of NFL games are still very popular in Sarzonia," Landry said. "College gridball is the second biggest sport in Sarzonia behind football. We have a conservative business model that we believe will work to give it a modest beginning to see some stability." Landry is also gambling on one other effort to get the league off the ground: The establishment of a gridball tournament to be held in Sarzonia pitting the best teams from leagues throughout Atlantian Oceania in a new tournament called the AO Bowl. The SFC and IFF reached a deal with Landry to allow its stadia to be used for the tournament, so Bryan Marshall Stadium in Woodstock, the Iron Bowl in Portland, and the Round Table in Nicksia are all available as venues for preliminary round games. "We would like to see this become a successful tournament in addition to the AOCAF," Landry said. "We think we have the interest to make this work." OOC: If you're interested in signing up, please indicate by posting to this thread. |
| Posted by: Space Union Jan 10 2006, 05:23 PM |
| I would be interested in signing up. Just list the positions you want (I'm not sure if this is different from regular football so that's why I'm asking) and I'll post my roster. |
| Posted by: Milchama Jan 10 2006, 07:50 PM |
| Milchama can't wait to have their old NS Bowl team go at it and lose one more time. |
| Posted by: Pacitalia Jan 10 2006, 07:55 PM |
| Sign me up! |
| Posted by: Space Union Jan 10 2006, 09:16 PM |
Hey that was a better response that I thought there would be.  |
| Posted by: Sarzonia Jan 10 2006, 09:24 PM | ||
| With three countries having already signed up, namely Pacitalia, Milchama, and Space Union, Landry cracked a wide smile. "Looks like we have a Cup ready to go," he said. Of course, he knew that there was a possibility that more teams wanted to play in the tournament. There was the logistical issue of having to figure out a format, which itself would depend on the number of teams that actually took part. Landry walked over to his desk with the proposal outline he had designed and was prepared to implement that had contingency plans for small groups of teams to large contingents of teams. He sat down and sent a copy of the proposal to the gridball association chairmen.
We look forward to a spirited competition from the gridball teams that participate! Buddy Landry [OOC: If you have any other questions, please feel free to PM me!] |
| Posted by: Lamoni Jan 10 2006, 09:46 PM |
| Lamoni will participate. |
| Posted by: Andossa Se Mitrin Vega Jan 11 2006, 01:21 AM |
Holy -explicitive removed-, a sport I actually know  Though I do a good BS job in the worldwide version of futbol.  (I have watched more of it this year than the NFL- shocker)ASMV will definately participate. |
| Posted by: Bettia Jan 11 2006, 04:36 AM |
| Bettia's gridball team (predictably nicknamed the Aroras) are more than ahppy to flex their muscles on the AO sports scene... and they might end up playing some gridball too! |
| Posted by: Nedalia Jan 11 2006, 04:45 AM |
| Nedalia is ready to PLAY SOME FOOTBALL!!!! |
| Posted by: Bettia Jan 11 2006, 06:34 AM | ||
GRIDball  |
| Posted by: Sarzonia Jan 11 2006, 09:25 AM | ||
Current signups:
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| Posted by: Septentrionia Jan 11 2006, 12:27 PM |
| The Oliverrian Football Association's president, Olivier Chaussé, is against Sarzonia's initiative to start this cup. He told us that only him has the right to start a Football tournament and that Oliverry will not participate to this cup. A hour later, the General manager of the team, Arthur Fournier, told us that the team will participate to the cup. If they can't under Oliverry's name, they will under another nation's name. Mr. Chaussé accepted to let Oliverry participate in the AO Bowl, simply because Football is having problems in the nation right now. "We need to get it back to the popularity it had before the spectacular World Cup 25 the Oliverrian Soccer Team had." he said. OOC: That means we sign-up |
| Posted by: Nojika Jan 12 2006, 03:35 AM |
| Count on Nojika participating. |
| Posted by: Sarzonia Jan 12 2006, 09:11 AM | ||
| Landry shuffled into his office in a manner befitting his status as a septugenerian with a thoughtful expression on his face. So far, nine countries including his own expressed their intent to take part in the inaugural AO Bowl. The modest little gridball tournament he thought might give a boost to the sport in Sarzonia was shaping up to be both a blessing and a logistical nightmare. "Nine teams," Landry muttered as he slid off his coat and eased it onto the hangar in his closet. "That's going to be one hell of a challenge." "Mr. Landry?" "Come in Connor." Connor Dandridge, his youngest nephew and an avid gridball fan, walked in with a sealed letter. The postage indicated the letter came from Nojika. "Shirley said to give this to you." "Well, open it. My arthritis is acting up again." Dandridge grabbed the letter opener off Landry's desk and slid it into the envelope with the tearing sound of the paper cutting into the serene quiet of Landry's surroundings for a brief second. However, when Dandridge gave Landry the letter, that would be only the first noise to pierce the silence. "Hot damn! Nojika is signing up! That makes ten teams," Landry said with a wide smile. "Oh?"
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| Posted by: Falcania Jan 12 2006, 12:52 PM |
| The Sports Minister, Jowal Koralo, would like to point out that Gridball is the official name of the sport and object to it being known as American Football. |
| Posted by: Sarzonia Jan 12 2006, 03:55 PM |
| OOC: Are you signing up for the AO Bowl? If not, I'd prefer to keep unrelated comments out of this thread. |
| Posted by: Nojika Jan 12 2006, 11:54 PM |
| OOC: Just out of curiousity, how will these games be simulated? And how far in depth will you go as far as player, half time and final stats? |
| Posted by: Sarzonia Jan 13 2006, 01:44 PM | ||
OOC: I'll be using the scorinator I got from Kaze Progressa, which is on an Excel spreadsheet. It allows you to come up with offensive and defensive rankings (I'll give you the total number and you distribute them based on whether you want your team to be offensive- or defensive-minded. As far as stats are concerned, the only ones I'm going to give you are the final scores. It's up to you to sim how you want the games to go. |
| Posted by: Septentrionia Jan 13 2006, 11:06 PM |
| Where did you get it? I don't recall giving it to any other person than Hockey Canada... . |
| Posted by: Bedistan Jan 13 2006, 11:42 PM |
| Bedistan shall make an experimental foray into international competition in this sport, whatever you choose to call it (gridiron being the typical name in Bedistan). The game does enjoy some popularity in Bedistan, and after obtaining a lot of public input, the Bedistan Gridiron Syndicate (BGS) has decided to send a team to the AO Bowl. |
| Posted by: Space Union Jan 14 2006, 04:20 PM |
| So when do we start? |
| Posted by: Legalese Jan 14 2006, 10:08 PM |
| Not til after I sign up, at least Legalese will send a team as well. |
| Posted by: Sarzonia Jan 15 2006, 02:10 AM | ||
OOC: We'll most likely get started Monday or Tuesday with the groups stage. Signups close Monday morning at 1:00 p.m. GMT (which I think is 8 a.m. ET).
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| Posted by: Space Union Jan 15 2006, 12:47 PM |
| Will you create a seperate thread for the actual games and the rosters for each team? |
| Posted by: Sarzonia Jan 15 2006, 12:58 PM |
| Yes, tis the plan. |
| Posted by: Sarzonia Jan 16 2006, 10:00 AM |
| Signups for the AO Bowl are provisionally closed with 13 teams. (In other words, if I can get three more teams, we can roll with 16.) |
| Posted by: Legalese Jan 16 2006, 01:59 PM |
| Uh, Sarz, there is no Ratlea. Vil hasn't changed my user name back (not that I've actually asked or cared), so only Legalese was signing up for the AO Bowl. Sorry for the confusion. |
| Posted by: Sarzonia Jan 16 2006, 02:37 PM | ||
| OOC: Thanks Legal. That makes things a lot easier, at least. Signups are now CLOSED with 12 nations.
The teams will be divided into three divisions of four teams each. Each team will play once against each opponent in its division. The top team in each division and the three remaining teams with the best records will advance to the playoffs. In the event of a tie, the procedure used to break the tie will be as follows: Head-to-head result (if applicable), point differential, RP bonus, points allowed, points scored, coin flip. The postseason bracket will work as follows: The wild card round will pit the division winner with the worst record will face the lowest-seeded wild card team. The top wild card team will face the second wild card team. The lowest remaining seed will face the team with the top overall record, while the highest remaining seed will face the team with the second best overall record in the semifinals. The winners will play each other for the right to hoist the first AO Bowl trophy. Games will start tomorrow. Good luck everybody! |