An idea just came to me about this old discussion, I assume the GMs
wouldn't want to put any effort into restructuring leagues and such
as we discussed in this thread because of the one time cost upfront
for them , but nowadays that they offer yearly
membership for lots of games how about a 32 team league from new with
each player having to fork out the money for a yearly
membership at the start of the game, that way they'd get X dollars up
front and they could do the sums, if X was significantly higher than
the time and money it would cost them then they could go ahead with
it.

Surely the software still has the ability to fill a new team's roster
from the initial form, like in
the olden days (I once signed up for Norman's NFLBE but the waiting
list never filled).
They could just add a waiting list somewhere (petition) with people
signing up if they were willing to pay a year membership for a new
team in a new league. Has anyone ever started a team from scratch
before? Surely the novelty would be a drawcard, as would the fact
that rosters would not be out of control like they are believed to be
at the moment (IIRC intial roster size was 20 in NFLBE maybe standard
startup size?). Without 6 point QBs in every team, without 8 points
of WR plus loads of special teams skills to pass to the run and
shooot might not be quite so hated, without 9 players with DBZ on
every defence the BZ might not be so hated. Perhaps many of the
problems that players cite as they pull out of their gameplan teams
(often lots!) would be absent or unnoticable in such a league.

Imagine how many great coaches you could get in a 32 team league!
There'd be a mad rush to be in it I reckon, groups of mates would be
rushing to get into the same division, regardless of their
'favourite' NFL teams (I know I would)
and if the waiting list got to a profitable number, but wasn't
completley full then a discount could be offered for the last
remaining teams (or ofter them for turn credits like normal rather
than membership.
The GMs would then no longer have to fight upstream trying to
advertise or coax players to try this 'gameplan' thing, with an
embarassingly out of date league structure.
Certainly they would probably best just leave current leagues going,
and just float a waiting list like for darkages etc, with people
signing up to show interest.

I guess there is the chance that someone might drop out of an
existing league to join one if it did go ahead, but hey with the
amount of people dropping this game over the last few years that's a
risk I'd be willing to take in their place in the hope of injecting
an interesting new product that could increase revenue, and they
wouldnt' have to take taht risk until they had all those people
signed up and their 12 month membership money in their banks already!

anyway, just thought I'd mention it,

thoughts?



> > Graham wrote:
> > > if the designers were to `test the water' by creating a new
> > > 32 team league (advanced hopefully)
> >
> > to which Martyn Replied
> > > it'd have to be an AY or AR type league
> >
>
> --- In gameplan@..., "A. Coombe" wrote:
> > What about finding a way to expand a completely full league,
which
> has
> > long term interest and much support, like the AY by allowing new
> > coaches in to the rest of the 32 teams that are not taken and
> letting
> > them order a team from the menu like when a league starts
> (adjusted to
> > bring them up the the average of the league).
> >
> > This would be like an NFL expansion, just on a bigger scale.
> >
> > Sure it might be lots of work but if they did that for AY or AR
> they
> > could get 8 new players at X pounds per week a clear motivation,
> if
> > people were to express interest in such an idea perhaps they
could
> be
> > lobbied especially if people expressed interest by going on a
> waiting
> > list, (like with darkages etc) so when the list was up to 8 they
> could
> > schedule the expansion and ask for the deposits from the new
teams.
> >
> > I imagine plenty of people would like the idea of starting a team
> from
> > scratch and get into a full league, imagine having 31 oponents to
> > battle against! That would ROCK!


--- In gameplan@..., martyn_williams_rams wrote:>
> Alex, for what it is worth I think that is a fantastic idea! Can
> you imagine AY with 32 coached teams!? Would be cool, but
> unfortunately I can't see Pete and Danny going for it... :o(