I was just in the process of answering one post when the phone rings and Steve Baldwin from the Millennium then asks me to make a few things clears that perhaps were not apparent.
Firstly there is no short-term exclusive plan going on in the EXL with regard to pro teams.
There is a five-year plan that will include everybody; leastwise this is the working theory.
First year’s predicted expenditure is running at 350,000 Euros with a view that 2005 will bring divisional XBall for everyone.
The 8 teams who have been selected to Xball this year will be offered a free membership next and after that, teams will be on their own to survive or not.
Leagues will be based upon the European model where teams are not locked in but allowed to move up and down dependant upon relegation and promotion positions.
Teams who start out will be allowed in at the lower division of XBall and have to work their way up with individual players able to move to whatever team they want.
This is just at it is in many other pro leagues.
I told Steve I did not like the idea of having any Yank teams over in what is supposed to be a Euro league but he has told me there is a process of marketing that is ongoing with Dick Clark that would be better served if there were an American component in EXL.
This situation does not have to extend to 2005 and is there purely to assist for marketing reasons.
For my part, the good parts about having them in apart from those just mentioned is we can learn off them, as I have now been told it won’t be the same teams coming across so we will have the opportunity to play against the best as the year unfolds.
There are many negative aspects of having the Americans involved in a Euro league but we will have to put them on the back burner for this next year.
This XBall development program that the Millennium has planned has fast track options that can be used if outside sponsorship comes on board at any time.
As money comes in from TV, outside sponsors etc, the plan is for this to speed up the expansion of XBall but it should not be forgotten the idea behind all this is to encompass all teams in the XBall phenomenon.
Firstly there is no short-term exclusive plan going on in the EXL with regard to pro teams.
There is a five-year plan that will include everybody; leastwise this is the working theory.
First year’s predicted expenditure is running at 350,000 Euros with a view that 2005 will bring divisional XBall for everyone.
The 8 teams who have been selected to Xball this year will be offered a free membership next and after that, teams will be on their own to survive or not.
Leagues will be based upon the European model where teams are not locked in but allowed to move up and down dependant upon relegation and promotion positions.
Teams who start out will be allowed in at the lower division of XBall and have to work their way up with individual players able to move to whatever team they want.
This is just at it is in many other pro leagues.
I told Steve I did not like the idea of having any Yank teams over in what is supposed to be a Euro league but he has told me there is a process of marketing that is ongoing with Dick Clark that would be better served if there were an American component in EXL.
This situation does not have to extend to 2005 and is there purely to assist for marketing reasons.
For my part, the good parts about having them in apart from those just mentioned is we can learn off them, as I have now been told it won’t be the same teams coming across so we will have the opportunity to play against the best as the year unfolds.
There are many negative aspects of having the Americans involved in a Euro league but we will have to put them on the back burner for this next year.
This XBall development program that the Millennium has planned has fast track options that can be used if outside sponsorship comes on board at any time.
As money comes in from TV, outside sponsors etc, the plan is for this to speed up the expansion of XBall but it should not be forgotten the idea behind all this is to encompass all teams in the XBall phenomenon.
