Western Afghanistan's AOCL 4 Hosting Bid
Format:
Every participating nation will be invited to bring 2 club sides. Any nation ranked in the top 10 of the KpB World Ranking will be invited to bring 2 extra for a total of 4 club sides, and any nation ranked in the top 20 but not the top 10 will be invited to bring 1 extra for a total of 3 sides. With Bettia, Commerce Heights, and Milchama in the top ten and bringing 4 clubs, and Demot and Bazalonia bringing 3, the total comes out to 36 teams.
Nations will be asked to distribute 10 x the number of clubs they are sending points amongst their teams, in any way they wish. For example, if Bigtopia sends 4 nations, he may assign 28 points to Rex FC, 6 points to Temple Athletic, 5 points to Wright Road, and 1 point to Hubert’s Gentlemen, but the total points he hands out must not exceed 40. A team sending only two clubs would only be able to divvy out 20 total points. These point assignments will be taken into effect in the scorinator as though they were KpB rankings; e.g. the more points a team has, the better chance it has of winning.
The teams will be drawn, unseeded, into 9 groups of 4. The only stipulation of the opening draw is that no two teams from the same nation may occupy the same group. This opening group stage will consist of a one-game round robin in each group, with the top team in each group advancing automatically.
The top five runners-up from all the groups will also advance automatically. The bottom 4 will be drawn against each other in two one-match playoffs. The winners of these ties also advance.
The next round then of course is made up of 16 teams. In seven of the octofinals, a first place team will be drawn against a second-place team. However, with 9 first place teams, one octofinal will be played between two first place sides. No two teams from the same group may play one another, and no two teams from the same nation may play one another.
The eight teams advancing will then be drawn completely unseeded against one another; this will be the final draw of the tournament. (Note the general similarities between the draw system here and the RL Champion’s League.)
Scorinator:
I will be using the SIS that was used for World Cup 30, and will be used by Commerce Heights and Cafundeu for World Cup 36.
http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=474170
Stadia:
Q’an Coliseum – 70,000 seated, 92,000 with terracing – A massive, new stadium located in northern Herat, the Q’an is used for home matches by both Nine Columns and Nine Stars, as well as the West Afghan national team. It is a technologically advanced stadium with a fiberglass retractable roof and conditioned environment. The only complaint one can make about the Q’an is the scoreboard which hangs directly over the pitch, some say far too low, as once or twice high clearances have hit it, angering coaches and players. The stadium will be used for the final.
The Bar Khush – 33,000 all seated – A relatively new stadium in a far western suburb of Herat, the Khush is the home of Daru Khuneh Athletic, a lower-quality APL squad. The park in enclosed in a small commercial district, and is known for its superb dining opportunities on its upper levels. The pitch is extremely small, catering to Daru Khuneh’s counterattacking style.
Laheenakhi Sport Complex – 57,000 mostly terracing – A very popular stadium with a wonderful atmosphere, the Laheenakhi is known for having stands on only the sides of the pitch – the ends are open and look out on a very wealthy neighborhood of western Herat. The stadium plays host to the home matches for Ghavvasa FC, an APL club known for its expensive kits and flashy attacking style.
New F’ah and Old Pride Industries Stadium – 48,000 mostly terracing – Though NFOP Industries bought the naming rights to the then-new stadium 20 years ago, since then the south-central Herat club which calls the stadium home, Herat Jadid, has fallen upon hard times financially. As such, the park is in general disrepair, and the pitch is extremely dry and uncooperative. However, it is still considered one of the best places to watch West Afghan football.
WonderField – 51,000 all seated – The cheesy name of Mardom Yek’s home stadium betrays the truly unique and architecturally interesting qualities of the park; the round and simple coliseum-like stands are protected by a mostly asphalt retractable roof which has immensely powerful machinery than hinges the roof off to one side. Consequently, when the roof is up, a remarkable (and some say fearful) black disc dominates the skyline of central Herat. When the roof is down, however, conditions in the stadium can be extremely hot, even when it is not particularly sunny, and as a result Mardom Yek is not known for having loyal fans.
Xanto Vaughan Stadium – 28,000 seated, 34,000 with terracing – The namesake of east Herat club Pesarast Xanto is readily apparent in the name of the side’s stadium; Xanto Vaughan was a wealthy businessman who poured money into creating a club that could compete with Nine Columns. Though the park is small, it is very well-equipped, as on hot matchdays fans can swim in a pool build into the stands on the southern edge of the pitch.
The Zizelahud – 54,000 mostly terracing – Though the Zizelahud is the home of until-only-recently 2nd division underachievers Sagaye, it is still quite a marvel to behold. The stadium, while built mostly out of merely concrete, is very large for its club’s quality, and stands out plainly in the very, very poor eastern Herat neighborhood it resides in. The stadium is not known for being comfortable (it does not even have electricity) but visiting fans will find that it is a wonderful venue for its atmosphere.
Shi, Shi, and Khrid Investments Stadium – 56,000 seated, 62,000 with terracing – Another dilapidated field used by an underachieving team in Raqaz FC, SSKI Stadium makes its name by being located in a rural area. In fact, the stadium is cleverly built into a rocky hillside in southern Western Afghanistan, just west of the city of Shindand. Raqaz FC are notable for being easily the most popular non-Herat club in Western Afghanistan.
The Great Aluminium Abomination – 130,000 all terracing – This “stadium” is no longer used by any club team in Western Afghanistan. It is today mostly used only for buzkashi (the national sport of Western Afghanistan), which requires a much bigger pitch than football does. As a result, visiting players can expect to be running what may feel like miles from end to end. As for the stadium itself, it will be clear to visiting fans why the stadium is not in use anymore; aside from being effectively nothing more than a hole dug in the ground, the stadium earned its name because of the absolutely massive angular roof structure that effectively ruins the Towraghondi skyline. It was selected for use in the Champion’s League only because of its huge capacity, which it should be obvious no other stadium in Western Afghanistan can offer.
Anise-Flavored Bathroom Fixtures Corporation Field – 29,000 all seated – The smallest stadium that will be used for the tournament, this miniscule but very comfortable and technologically advanced stadium is the home of 2nd division club Andkhoy Jadid. Not far from the Nojikan border, the stadium’s foundation is deliberately built into a sand dune. While entirely safe, the motion that sometime rocks the pitch and the stands can make for an interesting experience.
Match Schedule:
http://www.freewebs.com/abduldukhirahiq/AOCL%20Schedule.bmp |
