NationStates Jolt Archive

[OOC: Some background to this post can be found in my signup for WC XXI, located here: Sonaron Signup (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=8010654&postcount=67) ]
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Much to Mariza's dismay, one of the universal truths of business was also true in Sonaron. Those who developed good ideas often found those ideas to be their responsibilites. The old truism had held true once more, and now Mariza found herself responsible for organizing the first ever Sonaron national football team. While she had neighbors with children that played football the Izlon Technical Institute, Mariza herself had little more than a passing familiarity with the rules of the game. As she sat at her desk in the First National Bank Tower, Mariza stared out her window, wondering how she would tackle the task she had appointed herself for.

Sonaron Ministry of Health, Izlon
Tyran Manova, Second Minister of Health for Sonaron, looked up as he heard the knock on his door. "Enter!"

Through the door came Tyran's new secretary, carrying a stack of papers several inches thick. Tyran tried to remember her name, but found he couldn't. "Sir, I have the minutes from this morning's First National Bank board meeting. I think you should read--"

His face shading quickly toward red, Tyran felt himself rising up out of the chair. "Why would I care about a board meeting at a bank? The Ministry of Finance is three floors up!" Reaching for his phone, Tyran began dialing security to have the secretary--Jalina, that was her name--removed.

Jalina quickly stammered, "Please, sir, just turn to page 74 and read the highlighted portion." Although she was visibly quivering, Jalina managed to hand Tyran the minutes without dropping them.

Glaring over the rim of his glasses at Jalina, Tyran quickly leafed to the back and found the indicated paragraphs. After reading, then re-reading the notes, Tyran motioned with his hand to dismiss Jalina. A national football team, thought Tyran, certainly a large endeavor. But if it worked, I could cement my place as heir-apparent for the position of First Minister. Possibly even position myself for a run at Prime Minister.

Reaching for his phone, Tyran dialed the number of First National Bank headquarters. "Yes, may I speak to Mariza Zartothel please? This is Second Minister of Health Tyran Manova."

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[OOC: In a few days, I'll be asking for people who want to schedule exhibition matches. I've seen some in the forums about an online scorinator, but don't believe I've caught the link... can anyone help?]

First National Bank HQ, Izlon
When Mariza heard who was on the phone, her panic deepened. Tyran Manova was well known in business circles as a self-serving glory hound, willing to sacrifice any principles for the sake of his own advancement. Rumor had it that the previous Second Minister of Health didn't die of natural causes, as the coroner's report claimed. Still, if she could get assistance from the Ministry of Health, Mariza's job would be much simpler.

Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Mariza picked up the phone. "Hello, this is Mariza Zartothel, Public Relations. How can I help you?"

"Mariza!" exclaimed Tyran, in entirely too friendly of a tone, "I heard a little bit about your proposal and am calling to lend you my full support. I think it is an absolutely phenomenal idea! What do we need to make it work?"

Fighting the urge to grind her teeth, Mariza forced herself to make a measured response. "It must be quite the occasion for the Second Minister of Health to telephone me myself. And while I would never question the integrity of a member of Tachon's government, I find myself wondering how you received information from minutes that are confidential for the next two weeks. Still, I do not recall mentioning anything about asking for any help from the national government at the meeting."

Clucking sounds could be heard through the receiver as Tyran began his response. "Mariza, surely you remember our days working together at Izlon Biogenetics! I am just offering to help a former associate who may be in a bit farther than she can manage. After all, you certainly don't watch many football matches, do you?"

Mariza bit off a curse as she resisted the urge to slam the phone into the wall. "Yes, Tyran, I'm not exactly an expert in the world of football. What exactly are you offering, and what will it cost me?"

"Now, Mariza dear, this is for the sake of old friendship," protested Tyran. "I just thought you should know that Izlon West is rumored to be in financial difficulties, and will cut its football team. After all, a good coach is necessary to start any team, and they don't come cheaply, do they?" After a small pause, Tyran continued, "Dear me, look at the time. I have an important meeting to be at. Do keep me posted, wouldn't you?"

As dial tone sounded in her ear, Mariza sat staring blankly at the wall. If Tyran's tip were true, it was valuable indeed. Izlon West was considered one of the future stars of the Sonaron Secondary Education League, in large part thanks to their coach's ability to spot and develop talent. If Jacques Raizor were to soon become available, he could be exactly the focal point Sonaron needed for a national team. But how could she confirm Tyran's rumor? After a few moments, and idea came to her. Buzzing in her secretary, Mariza quickly detailed her plan, and sent the secretary off to make the necessary inquiries.

First National Bank HQ, Izlon
Sitting on her desk, like a landmine, was the confirmation Mariza had been looking for. The SSEL(1) had recently proposed a plan that would permit teenagers to play for a school they did not attend. Given that Izlon West was widely considered one of the top teams in the North Sonaron division, it made sense that its players would be permitted to go elsewhere if the program was cut. Picking up the phone, Mariza dialed.

"Izlon West Secondary School, how may I direct your call?"

"May I speak with Jacques Raizor please? This is Mariza Zartothel, Public Relations Director for First National Bank. Yes, I'll hold."

After a brief delay (certainly no more than a minute or two, though it felt like days), a deep male voice answered. "Yes, this is Jacques."

"Jacques, I know you probably won't be able to confirm or deny this, but I have it on good authority that Izlon West's football program will soon be decommissioned. First National Bank is seeking to spearhead efforts to gather a national football team, and I'd like to offer you a job as program coordinator, should you become unemployed in the near future." Having rushed out all that needed said, Mariza found herself holding her breath pensively.

Through the receiver, Mariza could hear some rustling in the background, followed by the sound of a door being latched. Then, Jacques' voice came back. "I don't know how you found out about that, but if I had to guess, it's probably Tyran's fault." After a brief pause, he sighed and continued. "Yes, Izlon West is in the process of cutting its sports programs completely. The AD is seriously ill, and the funding is low-- never mind, you didn't call about my problems. What type of contract did you have in mind?"

Mariza was a bit taken aback. It seemed Jacques was certainly quite the businessman, though Mariza hadn't expected to be negotiating for salary already. She breathed out a small prayer of thanks to whatever compulsion had kept her up researching salaries last night. "We have budgeted 1 million dalon annually to program operations, including coach's salary of 300,000 dalon."

The derision in Jacques' voice was palpable. "Does that include stadium construction costs, or is that a separate budget? None of Izlon's secondary schools have stadia anywhere nearly large enough for a national team to host a respectable match. First National undertakes a building project for a stadium with 70,000 capacity or greater, and allocates 1.2 million dalon per year to the team in addition to stadium costs. Coach's salary of 400,000 dalon... but 300,000 of it goes to the Izlon West athletic program."

"My, you certainly seem to know a lot about national teams for living in a region that doesn't have any." Mariza found herself taken aback again. Why hadn't she done more background research on this man? Frantically, she keyed in an information request into her terminal. After a few moments, Mariza's screen lit up with Jacques' public dossier.

Emigrated from regions unknown.Cited 7 years assistant coaching for a national program on resumeThought to be the greatest football mind in Izlon

Taking a deep breath, Mariza spoke into the phone once more. "I apologize for my sharp tone Jacques. While a stadium is not in my direct power to authorize, I can tender to you a contract matching your other specifications. For the stadium... you'll need to make a presentation to the Izlon Commercial Bureau meeting, every Tuesday at 1620."

"Excellent! I'll begin assembling my staff immediately. And I'll let Izlon West know that one of my assistants will be taking over coaching for the renewed football program. Now, where do I need to be this afternoon for the ICB meeting?" The pace of Jacques words was rapid fire, and Mariza thought she could hear the rustling of papers and the clicking of a keyboard in the background.

"Uh.." stammered Mariza, "The First National Bank tower, Suite 104. Will you really be ready this afternoon?"

"Absolutely," cried Jacques. "Just get me on the agenda and we'll have a national stadium within six months." With that, he excused himself and hung up.

Sitting dumbstruck at her desk, Mariza wondered just what she'd gotten herself into. Then, she proceeded down the hall, to get Jacques added to the ICB agenda.

[OOC: If one of the folks with scorinators in the World Cup can scorinate the matches, I'll be happy to "play" you in a couple of home-and-home friendlies, both with this nation's team and with my puppet Talzeckia. You might want to post a request in the World Cup discussion thread. Good luck!]

*Tag*

First National Bank tower, Suite 104
Izlon Commerce Bureau meeting minutes 107:A
Mr. Raizor was given fifteen minutes to address the Bureau.

Mr. Raizor: "Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for allowing me to address you on such short notice. As you have already heard, First National Bank is leading an effort to organize a national football team for Sonaron. I am here today to seek your assistance in building a national stadium suitable for such an organization."

Mr. Storna: "But there are twelve different secondary schools in the city of Izlon and surrounding areas, each with their own stadium. Why would we need another?"

Mr. Raizor: "I appreciate the question, sir, and I hope to address it with my presentation. If you all could be so kind as to allow me to proceed without interruption?"

Mr. Raizor paused for confirmation from the Bureau members, who assented by acclimation.

Mr. Raizor: "The largest football stadium in Izlon is located at the Izlon Technical Institute, and officially capable of seating 24,000 persons. By contrast, the smallest of the stadia in Eauz's bid for World Cup XXI has capacity over 50,000. In fact, no serious football nation in the world has a main stadium with capacity less than 70,000. For us to attempt to break onto the international scene using any of Sonaron's current stadia would probably result in us being laughed out of the World Cup."

Mr. Raizor displayed a map showing the city of Izlon and the surrounding countryside, up to a radius of fifty kilometers.

Mr. Raizor: "As you can see from this map, the city of Izlon is quite densely populated, and there is little room for a new stadium within the inner city. In fact, I suspect that most residents in the city would strongly object to a stadium being placed within a kilometer of them. The town of Rhovani, however" --at this point, Mr. Raizor indicated Rhovani on the map, ten miles NE of Izlon--"Is ideal for a new stadium. Rhovani has a plot on the south side of town dedicated to future public works projects that is already well serviced by roadways and public transportation. Furthermore, the stadium would be near enough to Izlon to allow residents to travel out to games; yet far enough away to avoid major traffic problems. And, rumor has it, the Izlon Aerospace Authority has been considering relocating the airport to the northeast side of town, which would further enhance the value of the proposed location for a stadium."

Mr. Raizor activated the projector unit to display projected costs and benefits of the project.

Mr. Raizor: "I propose a stadium designed with a retractable dome roof, capable of seating 75,000 or more persons. Similar stadia built recently have cost the equivalent of 800 million to 1.2 billion dalon, although many have had luxury features that we may not need in our initial stadium. In addition to serving as a football stadium, the retractable roof would allow us to host a variety of other sporting events, conventions, and concerts at the site. Furthermore, the stadium would have a useful life cycle of 30-50 years, allowing the costs to be spread out over a long period of time."

Mr. Raizor: "With regard to revenues, average ticket pricing should be in the neighborhood of 100 dalon per ticket, which would generate 7.5 million dalon per event. On average, stadium operation costs for such a stadium are about 50-60% of ticket revenue, which would return around 4 million dalon per event toward defraying stadium costs. Thus, with just 8-14 events per year, the stadium could pay itself off within thirty years. I believe it should be fairly easy to schedule eight exhibition matches per year, in addition to any concerts or other sporting events that the stadium might be used for."

Mr. Raizor then sat down, and the ICB members entered executive session for the question and answer session. At the end of the session, they released the results of the stadium vote:

Mr. Storna (CEO, Izlon Industrial): Aye
Mrs. Jayvon (CEO, Izlon Pharmaceutical): Aye
Mrs. Tallen (CEO, Izlon Aerospace): Nay
Mr. Thracken (CEO, First National Bank): Aye
Ms. Yargon (President, Sonaron Steel Workers Federation): Nay
Mr. Mallon (President, Sonaron Textile Workers Federation): Aye
Mr. Johnson (Prime Minister): Abstain

Thus, by a 4-2 vote (1 absention), the ICB approved construction of a new stadium near Rhovani. Mr. Storna was appointed to head the stadium construction committee. The ICB timetable calls for the stadium to be fully functional within eight months.

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[OOC: Thanks, Sarzonia. I look forward to our exhibition matches :)]

[OOC: No problem. I figure it would give my teams a chance to get some competition in them and also it would give you a chance to get your feet wet before the tournaments begin.

It's great to see a promising RPer possibly joining the ranks. :)]

Izlon Interpreter, Vol. 27 Issue 217 Page A1
Sonaron Ready for the World Scene?
Over the past few years, as Sonaron has experience explosive population growth and immigration, sporting events have become the top diversion among the populace. The rise of the Sonaron Secondary Education League, as well as dozens of small community football leagues, has led many to claim that Sonaron is ready for the world scene. Now, lead by First National Bank, a coalition of business groups is seeking to prove that statement.

Two months ago, Jacques Raizor stepped down from his post as the head coach of up-and-coming Izlon West to become the first program director of Sonaron national football. Almost immediately, he began the process of sculpting a team, with tryouts in each of Sonaron's seven administrative regions and securing the funding for a team stadium and day-to-day operations. According to a team source that wishes to remain anonymous, the Sonaron Pride have already begun soliciting exhibition matches, seeking to arrange home-and-home series.

Led by Izlon Industrial and First National Bank, the stadium committee has overseen a stunning rate of development and stands just a few more months away from completing the largest public works program in Sonaron's history. When asked about the stadium's progress, Izlon Industrial CEO Rayman Storna claimed, "The team has already begun to practice in the new stadium. We expect the fifty thousand general seats to be available for use by the end of the month, with the rest of the seating completed within three months. The roof will be finished last, but the stadium will be operational well before that." No name for the stadium was available at press time.

Rhovani Stadium, Coaches’ Offices
Jacques Raizor sat at his desk, reviewing his files. While he had been an assistant coach for a national team before, he lacked the understanding of what all directing a program entailed. In hindsight, he probably should have sought to sever the administration from the coaching, although he was uncertain which of the two he would prefer to do. Regardless, the Sonaron Pride was fully his responsibility now, and Jacques intended to mold them into an international force.

Reaching for his keyboard, Jacques logged into the terminal and called up the club roster. After browsing it a few times, he opened his telegram program, and proceeded to compose a news release. The team was ready, now he just needed to find some exhibition matches.

Release for International Football/Soccer Newswires
The Sonaron Pride, newly formed football team for the nation of Sonaron (located in the Elveron region), is seeking opponents for a series of exhibition matches to be played between one month from this release and the start of the Baptism of Fire for WC XXI. Willing to play home-and-home series or even two away games for one home game. All games in Sonaron will be played at Rhovani Stadium, scheduled for completion two months from today. Interested parties please contact Sonaron Pride Program Director Raizor, raizorj-at-izlonfnb.sonaron.net

[OOC: Purely fictitious “email” address there. Contact me either via TG or by RPing in this thread to schedule matches. Flexible on details such as scorination.]

[OOC: SSEL is the acronym for the Sonaron Secondary Education League—basically the high school athletic association for Sonaron. Izlon is the capital city of Sonaron, and Jarvor, Rhovani, Camor, and Thracken are the four other major cities in the country.]


Izlon Interpreter, Vol. 27 Issue 257 Page B1
Sonaron Pride Roster Released
Pride coach Jacques Raizor released the team’s roster and projected Baptism of Fire roster today. While Coach Raizor refused to release specifics of the team’s play style or formation, he did specify that the team would play more aggressively at home than on the road. “When you’re on the road, you must be more able to adapt to the ebb and flow of the game. At home, however, you must seek to dictate the tempo of play. As a result, we will adjust our play style accordingly.”

In addition to the rosters, the Pride revealed their home jerseys. According to Coach Raizor, no exhibition matches have been scheduled yet, but Rhovani Stadium is on schedule and will have all seating completed within a month.

Roster for the Sonaron Pride:
Goalkeepers:
[1] Shana Robinson (22 yo, Izlon Technical Institute, 1.42 GAA in SSEL competition)
[25] James Marven (19 yo, Izlon North Secondary School, 2.54 GAA in SSEL competition)
[37] Thomas Waterson (20 yo, Rhovani Secondary School, 2.79 GAA in SSEL competition)

Strikers:
[2] Wilford Engel (24 yo, graduate of Izlon Technical Institute, career SSEL goals record holder)
[3] Yuki Saton (19 yo, Camor Secondary School, SSEL freshman of the year)
[12] Johann Robertson (18 yo, Jarvor Secondary School)
[13] Jaimeson Thompson (19 yo, Izlon West Secondary School)

Midfielders:
[4] John Bram (20 yo, Izlon West Secondary School, team captain)
[5] Sandra Carter (19 yo, Izlon Technical Institute, 2-time SSEL Player of the Year)
[6] Thomas Carter (19 yo, Izlon Technical Institute, first hat trick by a freshman in SSEL history)
[7] Johnson Salven (21 yo, Izlon South, 2.1 asst/gm—SSEL career record)
[14] Roger Arzlen (19 yo, Rhovani Secondary School, school career assists leader)
[15] Samantha James (24 yo, graduate of Izlon East Secondary School, first team All-SSEL two times)
[16] Brian Young (18 yo, Bracken Secondary School)

Defenders:
[8] Max Douglas (21 yo, Bracken Secondary School, SSEL Defender of the Year)
[9] Robbie Farlen (20 yo, Izlon Catholic, first team All-SSEL three times)
[10] Jackie Reliford (23 yo, Jarvor Secondary School, SSEL senior of the year)
[11] Samuel Porter (19 yo, Izlon South Secondary School, led SSEL in takeaways)
[17] Manuel Gregor (18 yo, Izlon East Secondary School)
[18] Noah Jackson (17 yo, Rhovani Secondary School)
[19] Stephanie Vitale (19 yo, Thracken Secondary School)

Sonaron Pride home jersey (http://www.analma.com/sonaronuni.jpg)