NationStates Jolt Archive

WORLD CUP 28 HOSTING BID

NEW MONTREAL STATES AND THE ARCHREGIMANCY

Welcome.

Here at the New Montreal States Ministry of Morale and the Monastic Football Association of the Archregimancy, we’re excited to be bringing you a bid to host the World Cup that not only reflects the rich heritage of Nationstates international football, but is also the first ever all-Orthodox World Cup hosting bid. Our mission is to provide world-class footballing facilities in a brand-new footballing context while also celebrating our shared rich international footballing heritage.

Does that sound an awful lot like the welcome to our successful Cup of Harmony XVI and unsuccessful World Cup XXVII bids? That’s probably because it is.


WORLD CUP HERITAGE
One of the most important elements of our bid is our desire celebrate both the old and new elements of the rich World Cup tapestry. What better way to celebrate the old than to return an Official WCC tournament to the Dreamed Realm for the first time since World Cup 2? That’s right, for the first time since Alasdair I Frosticus hosted the second World Cup, nations in ordinary physical reality are being invited to cross over to the Dreamed Realm for the World Cup proper, this time to play in the Holy Monastic Republic of the Archregimancy, an autonomous monastic republic under the overall control of the Holy Empire of Alasdair I Frosticus. Thus while the Archregimancy is a comparatively new participant in international football, only recently qualifying for its first World Cup proper (at the fourth attempt), it has strong links to a nation that hosted one of the first two World Cups and co-founded the original World Cup committee with tournament founders Ariddia. Which is by no means to ignore the rich footballing heritage of our partners and co-hosts New Montreal States! NMS have a wealth of international footballing experience. They were prominent in the middle years of the tournament, finishing fourth in World Cup 11, and since their return to international footballing action have qualified for the finals of the last three tournaments.


PAST HOSTING EXPERIENCE
Leaving aside the Dreamed Realm’s experience of hosting WC 2, the Archregimancy and New Montreal States joined together to co-host the highly successful Cup of Harmony, described at the time by Hockey Canada as “the best Cup of Harmony in ages.” Those looking to relive the experience – or to gain further insight into our efficient and organised hosting style – can find the original news reports here: http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=444351


QUALIFICATION STRUCTURE
For a variety of reasons we prefer slightly smaller qualification groups than have been used in most recent world cups. However, we also recognise that some members of the broader World Cup community have concerns over groups that are too small, and that there is a need for flexibility in planning given that the total number of tournament entrants is still unknown as of this writing.

For this reason, while our ideal qualification format would consist of 15 groups of 7 teams each (perfect for 105 teams, an estimate based on recent world cup sign-up numbers), the eventual qualification groups will be no smaller than 6 teams and no larger than 7; the precise format will inevitably depend on the number of entrants.


SCORINATION
We are not going to use this tournament as an excuse to turn participants into scorinating guinea pigs. The Nationstates World Cup community has every right to expect us to use a tried-and-tested scorinator that’s been successfully used in a previous tournament. We will be using Kaze Progressa’s scorinator from the highly successful World Cup 25. We gratefully acknowledge the Progressan government's help and co-operation in this regard (even if our religious authorities do still regard them as vile heathen excelites).

Nations who want more specific details on the mechanics of the scorinator should feel free to TG either of the hosts.

The RP bonus – the mechanics of which by necessity must remain secret – will emphasise quality over mere quantity. But we’re not expecting doctoral dissertations from participants. Due consideration will be given to the ‘house style’ of individual nations and such factors as poster's first language. For example, we’re not going to penalise Rejistania (for RP reasons) or Swilatia (for linguistic reasons) - or anyone else for that matter – because they don’t write in grammatically perfect English.

However, nations that merely wrote “This player scred a goal in the 15th minte. My tm in 3rd place now. Go team! :sniper:” would find themselves getting a smaller bonus.

In order to encourage roster posting – which we surely all agree enhances the RP experience – a small (and we emphasise small) bonus will also be awarded to every team that posts a roster.

The scorinator permits the use of style modifiers between -2 and +2. Style modifiers outside this range will not be accepted.

WORLD CUP 28 FACILITIES


PART 1
NEW MONTREAL STATES STADIA

http://www.kmov.com/sports/images/edwardjonesdome.jpg

Stade Ville-Marie, Ville-Marie - The Virgin City's 85,447-seat stadium, here shown from across route 250, is normally the home of the Ville-Marie Metropolitaines. It will be used in the round of 16 and the quarterfinals as well as the group stage.


http://stadiumsofnfl.com/afc/cmgi730.jpg

Stade Guillaume Bédard, Acadie - Named after the coach who took FC Acadie from being an obscure minor-league club to the central football power it is today, this 81,024-seat stadium was recently renovated and will be used in the group stage.


http://www.stadiumsofnfl.com/nfc/bankmain2.jpg

Colisée Unité, Chateauguay - This 74,143-seat stadium was completed in time for WC27, but, alas, no group stage matches have been hosted here yet. Chateauguay Unité now plays here.


http://www.stadiumsofnfl.com/afc/paul107.jpg

Coyote Stadium, Moncton Sands - The Bigtopian Colonies will receive a share of the action, with this 87,210-seat stadium slated to host games in the round of 16 as well as the group stage. The Moncton Sands Coyotes, current NMSFL champions, play here.


http://www.stadiumsofnfl.com/nfc/georgiamain2.jpg

St. James Municipal Dome, St. James - The second host site in the Colonies will be this 77,142-seat dome in scenic St. James, currently the home of both the St. James Seagulls of the NMSFL, and the St. James Nanakans, a minor league side. Group Stage matches will be hosted here.


http://www.stadiumsofnfl.com/nfc/seahawksstadium725.jpg

Mariner Pitch, Philemon - Group stage and round of 16 matches will be held here in this 82,350-seat stadium, the oldest stadium that will host World Cup matches (aside from the evergreen Paladin Dome)


http://www.kenn.com/images/gillette_stadium01.jpg

Dragon's Lair, Sorel - After being flooded during a war with the berserk government of Intelligent Neighbors, the 73,466-seat Lair has been restored and will help showcase the reconstruction of this previously war-torn city during the group stage.


http://www.stadiumsofnfl.com/nfc/metromain2.jpg

The Paladin Dome, New Montreal - The last stadium presented here is certainly not the least. Built as a home for the national team before World Cup 10, the Dome was reconstructed for the Paladins return to action in WC24 and is slated for a second round of renovations upon completion of WC27 qualifiers.. The ceiling is specially designed to amplify sound, and the 115,760 people this stadium holds can sound like twice as much. The Paladin Dome will host group stage, round of 16, quarter- and semi-finals, and the championship match.


PART 2
ARCHREGIMANCY STADIA

The Archregimancy will provide eight stadia for the tournament.

In the Cup of Harmony, the Archregimancy used Monastic League stadiums exclusively. However, given that the maximum capacity of these is typically only 25-30,000, a different approach is necessary for the World Cup.

Using advanced Dreamed Realm Technology™, four of the eight stadia will be perfect replicas of the 80,000 capacity Melbourne Cricket Ground (the field markings in this image are for the local sport known as Archregimancy Rules Football):

http://www.tecplot.com/images/showcase/studies/connell_wagner/MCG.jpg

These will be at Grand Lavra (usual location of the national stadium), Xenophon, Simonopetra, and St. Catherine’s monasteries. All second round, quarter-final and semi-final matches played in the Archregimancy will be at these grounds. The third-place match will be at the Grand Lavra.

Pictures of each of these monasteries, without the accompanying 80,000 seat stadium, follow:

Grand Lavra
http://www.macedonian-heritage.gr/Athos/MonasteryImages/great_lavra/AERIAL%20VIEW%20(C)%20KEDAK.JPG

Xenophon
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a319/vakraas/X2.jpg

Simonopetra (stadium to be placed on plateau to rear of monastery)
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a319/vakraas/Simino2.jpg

St. Catherine's
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a319/vakraas/St_cats.jpg


But in order to give visitors a better feel for the Archregimancy’s unique footballing tradition, we will also be using four more modest Monastic League venues, three of them returning from the Cup of Harmony, for first round matches only. No visiting team will play more than two matches at these grounds.

The first is Pantaleimon:

http://www.macedonian-heritage.gr/Athos/MonasteryImages/panteleimonos/EXTERNAL%20VIEW.JPG

The exterior of the monastery’s waterfront stadium, with its characteristic green dome over the south stand, can be seen at right foreground. It usually sits 20,000, but capacity will be extended to 30,000 for the tournament.


The second Monastic League stadium is St.Sergius-Holy Trinity:

http://www.orthodoxphotos.com/Monasteries_and_Churches/Russian/1.jpg

This exterior shot of what is usually considered to be the most attractive home ground of any Monastic League team shows both the monastery and – at left middle ground – part of the southeastern corner of the south stand and east terrace of this 25,000 seat stadium, including the graceful belltower that rises up above the home supporters.


Our third stadium is in the beautiful far north of the Archregimancy – Solovetsky, home stadium of national team coach Kyrill, Metropolitan of Solovetsky:

http://www.naturalist.ru/Solovki/w100-solovki01.jpg

The red roof of the famous East Terrace of Our Lord Ruler Over All can just be seen behind the monastery walls to the left. The stadium usually sits 18,000, but will be extended to 30,000 for the tournament.


Finally, there’s Borisoglebsk, the only all-wooden stadium in the Archregimancy:

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a319/vakraas/borisoglebsk.jpg

This view of this famous ground shows the west stand of St. Alexander Nevsky and the south terrace of The Mother of God, Bringer of Victories. The corner and centre towers will be converted into luxury boxes and media centres for the duration of the tournament. For the purposes of the World Cup, Borisoglebsk will seat 45,000.

[OOC - data on host nation tourist facilities to be posted by NMS in near future]

TRAVEL AND TOURISM FACILITIES


VISITING THE ARCHREGIMANCY:

Travel to the Dreamed Realm is difficult, but conditions will be eased
for the World Cup. Our monks will build five portals in each qualifying
nation, and up to 30,000 supporters of each team will be permitted to
travel to the Archregimancy. Portals will also be built to allow for
direct travel between NMS and the Archregimancy. Once in our nation,
tourists will have a choice of accommodation, whether in the guest
quarters of our scenic monasteries:

http://www.macedonian-heritage.gr/Athos/MonasteryImages/simonos_pet
ra/m13.jpg

Or perhaps in a bed and breakfast in the farming villages around the
Grand Lavra:

http://www.macedonian-heritage.gr/Athos/MonasteryImages/karyes/kary
es_from_koutloumousi.jpg

In an Archregimancy first, these B&Bs will also be made available to the
female supporters of visiting teams. We do ask, however, that female
supporters not enter the monasteries except during the football matches.


The more adventurous guest might like to stay in one of our famous
mountain hermitages - an experience unlikely to be quickly forgotten:

http://www.orthodoxphotos.com/Monasteries_and_Churches/Meteora/Rous
anou/5.jpg


While the Holy Synod of the Archregimancy promises not to actively seek
to convert visiting fans to the Orthodox faith (though equally, we won't
not talk to anyone who asks for more information), tourists will also
have the opportunity to visit many of our most Holy Sites, such as the
Archregimand's private chapel:

http://www.macedonian-heritage.gr/Athos/MonasteryImages/karyes/PROT
ATON%20INTERNAL%20VIEW.jpg


Surely even the most militant atheistic communist, karelan
virgin-sacrificer or heathen excelite cannot remain unmoved when faced
with such beauty!

Arriving in NMS

All group-stage cities are serviced by major international airports, and local authorities have been ordered to work with participant nations to streamline flights in and out for maximum comfort and convenience for our guests. City-to-city links, although frequent and completely reliable, are made almost wholly irrelevant for the duration of the tournament thanks to the use of portals to the Dreamed Realm, making it perfectly possible to walk from downtown St. James to Sorel at the other end of the nation in under 10 minutes. And yes, this does mean it’s possible to spend a night out on the town in NMS before retiring to a hermitage for some sleep. Just don’t wake up the monks when you stagger back in.

What to do once you get there

The city of New Montreal is a fairly unpleasant place during the winter months, as natives and visitors alike are all too willing to admit. However, even this meteorological curse has yielded blessing, in this case the Underground City:

http://www.specker.li/albums/montreal/dscn2493.sized.jpg

Here is the center of the city, which connects over 200 different buildings, and contains well over 1200 different shopping and dining facilities ranging in size from massive department stores to smaller, trendy boutiques and cafés. Another view, this one under 333 rue Université:

http://www.hotel-montreal.net/images/montcity09.jpg

The city also has direct links to major museums and concert halls, where visitors can explore art and music traditional to the States, or imported from around the world. Subway and ground rail links provide access to all points of the city in a matter of minutes, and it is possible to see all the city’s major indoor landmarks without ever stepping outside.

http://www.globe-netter.com/photo/canada/montreal/27.JPG

Although when it’s this nice out, who would want to? A promenade on one of the islands in the St-Laurent makes for a pleasant afternoon, and each of the islands offers its own special attraction, such as the Biodome:

http://images.google.com/images?q=tbn:WyksHPqW4qBsAM:http://www.lilotux.net/galbumsdir/album31/aar.sized.jpg

The Biodome contains a variety of ecosystems from around the world, contained in miniature within the same building. An enthralling experience for those who care to step from jungle to pole in the same day.

http://www.winfos.com/or/montreal2/nynight.jpg

And there’s absolutely nothing monastic about the city after dark, either. From classy, dignified restaurants to wild, swinging nightclubs that would drive a monk up a wall, New Montreal is a place that knows how to party.

That isn’t to say that the other cities are provincial towns that close at 6 sharp. All boast similar (if somewhat less grandiose) entertainments as New Montreal. Particularly noteworthy for those who aren’t finding enough contemplation in The Archregimancy is South Sorel, just across the Savaron river, site of the decisive battle in the intra-regional war started by an unprovoked attack by a crazed dictator in Intelligent Neighbors. The entire city has been left in the condition it was after the battle (minus, of course, the dead) as a memorial to the folly of battle. Although some may find it to be too rubble-strewn and swampy, other find it to be idea for the contemplation of the folly of war, a relevant message after two nations came to blows over events in World Cup 27.

We’d mention other places in the nation - from the giant college town that is Philemon to the rural scenery outside St. James - but why go on when (thanks to clever manipulation of portals to and from the Dreamed Realm) they’re all within walking distance, no matter where you choose to stay? Each city will have a portal erected in some large, public place, and the monks of the Dreamed Realm will undertake to make sure everyone gets from point A to point B just fine.

You have my support.

How would your nation handle a nation like ours? Particularily with the accusations of an Orthodox hand in the death of Cricket, a coach of ours that died as a result of Anaplylactic shock... apparently due to a peanut oil being used in a Salad Dressing.

How would your nation handle a nation like ours? Particularily with the accusations of an Orthodox hand in the death of Cricket, a coach of ours that died as a result of Anaplylactic shock... apparently due to a peanut oil being used in a Salad Dressing.

OOC: No problem. All nations are treated equally regardless of religious affiliation.

During the qualification process, your nation's atheism wouldn't even be an issue since you wouldn't play in either of the host nations*.

If you do qualify, you can expect some good-natured IC teasing - especially if you get drawn to play in the Archregimancy - but I'm sure you're more than capable of coping IC. We played Swilatia this last qualification campaign, after all, and they're an officially atheist nation. Both sides coped. If your nation isn't a fan of Orthodox Christianity, then just look at this as an opportunity for some really interesting RP. I think you can trust NMS and myself to know the difference between IC religious RP and OOC RL opinions.

So in sum, no nation's participation would be in any way constrained or affected by their religious affiliation (or lack thereof)**.

Only the scorinator decides results, not the status of a nation's spirituality.


* Unless in the off chance we win the rights to host and AR then finds itself drawn against Alasdair I Frosticus, who play home matches in the Archregimancy.

** Except that if the Anathematic Republics qualifies, we may have to find some special way of dealing with them - but that's mainly our problem since they're NMS's puppets anyway. They'd still get to play all of their finals fixtures.

I'd like to point out, on the whole topic of religious tension, that Anathematic Republics and the Archregimancy were in the same group for WC26. All it does is provide fodder for RPs.

Also the NMS are Orthodox in the same sense that modern-day Québec is Catholic - everyone says they are but most can't be arsed to go to church more than once a month or so. Unfounded accusations of murder will get our goat, but not atheism in and of itself.

And deal with us just by sticking us in NMS's groups. People will understand, and no-one will care that much.

What are the mechanics of the WC25 scorinator?

Feel free to TG me, or to otherwise catch me on IRC (TKP). Okay, thanks!

In the interests of promoting better relations between the Orthodox and the Catholics i place the vote of the Cataduanes rep to this Bid.
The Catholic Island of Cataduanes will be praying for success in your bid.

(joint statement given by the Minister for Sport, Jose Mari Gonzalez, and Cardinal Alonso Monzon)

In the interests of promoting better relations between the Orthodox and the Catholics i place the vote of the Cataduanes rep to this Bid.

This would have been more useful had you sent it to me, rather than placing it in a thread that you wouldn't have known if I'd checked or not. Still, you're lucky this time in that I've seen it, but in future please send your vote(s) to me directly.

This would have been more useful had you sent it to me, rather than placing it in a thread that you wouldn't have known if I'd checked or not. Still, you're lucky this time in that I've seen it, but in future please send your vote(s) to me directly.

Apoligies, noted for the future.

On a completely seperate note, may I nominate myself for the role of 'President of Sports-RPing Dial-up Users' and make my first statement "Please don't use this many images in one thread, it's as irritating as hell."

Thanking you please

On a completely seperate note, may I nominate myself for the role of 'President of Sports-RPing Dial-up Users' and make my first statement "Please don't use this many images in one thread, it's as irritating as hell."

Thanking you please

The Monastic Football Association of the Archregimancy hereby apologises to the self-appointed 'President of Sports-RPing Dial-up Users' and the other members of the constituency inconvenienced by this matter.

The MFA does in fact use dial-up at home (though broadband at work), and after conducting their own tests were under the impression that this wouldn't cause a significant problem.

However, we concede that we didn't consider the possibility that other bid readers may be using different software/hardware/connections which may cause slower downloads, and apologise appropriately.