Originally posted by Red_Merkin
Ok, so i remember a conversation between Paul Aulders and someone else at Campaign Cup next year, and Paul was saying something to the effect that he's spent too much money on his franchise to give it to some 'poor little paintball company', and that he was biding his time until someone big (coca-cola or Pepsi big) wanted a piece of the action, and he'd be there to sell it to them. His vision was to build something that was worth something, so when the pay off came it'd be worth it. For Paul, his goal wasn't just to be the best, it was to be worth something to someone with money!
And the Payoff is that although Paul went with Crossman, he went with a big company that has more resource than just it's paintball division... and plans to do something within the paintball industry
I guess this is what i'm getting at with the EXL; instead of ditching it in favor of playing in the NPPL why not make the EXL into something that means something in Europe? Most people think that if you're not top dog in America, then you're nothing, but there's more to the World that the USA, and Europe is a much bigger market.
The trend is for American companies to become massive within the american market, to the point that in order to grow the company they have to look to foregin Markets. A lot of big companies are looking to Europe, potentially the market is much bigger here, there's a lot more people for a start! I can think of one company's European divisions who's goals for the next 5 years is to surpass the American divisions in sales. In short Europe can be bigger than the USA, the potential is there.
So to get back on track, what i'm saying is who gives a toss what the Yanks are doing? Let them do their thing, and let's do our own thing here! What works with the NXL and NPPL, what works for American team won't nescessarly work in Europe. The EXL has to be something else in order to be successful and sustain the teams that play in it.
Europe used to be the bench mark for Paintball tournaments, now the NPPL has taken a step forward and possibly taken the crown from the Millennium Series, and it's time to adapt. What used to work for tournaments dosn't work across the board anymore. It's time to take what we have do something with it.
If the American Dream is so important, then what's the point of living in Europe, paying a fortune to fly half way around the world, to compete with the Americans? Why not just move there and get a life there? (easier said than done i know). If you're going to go for it, why not go all the way?
Or take control of the EXL and make it into something that's profitable, that's sellable, because at least you'll be in control of it. If you could turn the EXL into something the European People are into, that European Business support you'd have the resources to do a Sergi, hire coaches, train every day, and pay your players. As it stands i see the teams jumping ship for the NPPL being short sighted, in the sense that it'll keep their sponsors happy for the next year or two, but it gives them no long term growth in their revinue. How are you going to get a European Sponsor to support your team if you don't even play in Europe? And do you really think an American Sponsor is going to support a foregin team (to the level that Sergi supports his team?) when they could sponsor a less expensive domestic team?
All this is based on one assumption: in order to catch up with the Americans Euro teams will have to train more than the americans. Coaches, Trainers, an entire lifestyle as an athlete. I believe the only hope Euroballers have of being the best in the world is to follow Sergi's example as closely as possible.
Hey at the end of the day, you guys are the teams, and it's your money, and your future. I just hope you havn't missed something.
