Tourney: WHBPC 2011: Seattle 08-11.09.2011

Does anyone see anything wrong with copying the NAH style of:

[]Euros organising body invites pitches/bids for 4 Euros qualifying tournaments.
[]Four Euro qualifying tournaments are voted/decided upon with spot allocations for each one.
[]Winning teams then compete in Euros event (or form a new team where 2 of the 3 players are present).
[]Euros body allocates extra spots for Euros (depending on event size and number of qualified teams that are actually attending) which are then won through an extra prelim tourney.

[]The Euros body would also control the bidding process for the Euros itself.
[]The Euros body could be completely transparent, have a representative from each scene/country/whatever.

.

Just putting it out there

i like this..

For 2011?

Nope, too short notice... we'd need every scene/country to elect a representative to start seriously debating the finer points of the idea (Euros body mailing list on Google). We'd then get something up and running for 2012 I reckon?

It all depends if people think it's a good approach or not though, hence the need for an initial discussion with time for the representatives to talk to everyone in their scene about it and report back, etc.

yeah.
IMO it could be cool to know ASAP who gonna organize WHBPC 2012. Like this, the other city who lost the bidding process can pretend to organize a major tourney for qualfication.

i like the idea of Jono's. Of course it would all get washed and we can see how much of it stays , but it's a good point to start.

i seem to find this extremely confusing, maybe it's the bullet points, either i'm losing my mind or i have blindness to this. I really don't get it...

don't try to clarify it for me either i'm aware it's my own failing i just thought you should how thick i am right now.

Rather than having country qualification tournaments (like the UK champs) and arbitrary city/country allocations of spots, you would have to get your team to one of four qualifying tournaments (in N, E, S and W Europe). The podium teams (probably down to 8th place or so) from these four tournaments would then be asked to come to the Euros, with the other spots being nabbed by teams during a prelim tourney (like Berlin).

You could even compete at each of the four tournaments (or not) to increase your chances, but if you won more than 1 spot at the Euros it would be passed down to the next best team, etc (managed by the European body with complete transparency of the decision-making process).

This would allow you to team up with anyone (including internationally mixed teams) and does away with any nationality/origin confusion. I also believe that Americans, etc, should be welcomed to the event (if they can afford the flights). We are essentially a big muddle of individuals anyway and bike polo is not going to be supported/recognised nationally any time soon, so why not skip that step and organise a European wide solution straight away?

^i like this

I like the idea Jono

yep, 2012, do that.

bang on! yes yes sounds good...2012 this would rock!

Pretty sweet, go to the first one, if you don't qualify, go to the 2nd, and so on, until you get in. If you don't, at least you had lots of chances. Can't be fairer than that.

We are essentially a big muddle of individuals anyway and bike polo is not going to be supported/recognised nationally any time soon, so why not skip that step and organise a European wide solution straight away?

Just to play Devil's Advocate, would this not hamper the opportunities for national recognition in the future ?
If the sport is seen to be European in set up, the chances of us attracting interest from UK based agencies may be reduced.

Just putting that out there.

What are these UK Based agencies ?

The UK Border Agency?

British Cycling

UK Sport

If polo is BC recognised, doping will be illegal, lame.

Ha, Chukker would be fucked

The London international polo team would be reduced to locket and James Aufbruch.

IMO it could be cool to know ASAP who gonna organize WHBPC 2012.

Surely London... Olympic year and all that.

Haha.

I like the NA/Jono/four qualifying tournies plan.

Devils advocate:

Would this not risk turning the sport into a game that only the financially and time rich can play?

1) you gots ta pay to get to the worlds/euros anyway.
2) four tournies that are geographically distanced should mitigate this.