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Is The NXL Killing European MLP?

onasilverbike

I'm a country member!
The transition from Millennium Series to NXL seems, from admittedly a more remote position, to be an omnishambles of catastrophic proportions.

New untried venues in more remote locations.
Late confirmation of details, lack of communication and information,
Seemingly dispensing with the Euroref Organisation.
Increases in fees.
Pay to view webcast.
Lower numbers of teams.

Now, if Slava can step up and offer real alternative the NXL may succeed in doing what the Millennium battled not to.

Discuss
 

Spikerz

Super Moderator
Mar 25, 2014
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Currently watching the CPS stream, it's on youtube for free, just search for Bricocast.

They run 1 field at CPS. The number of teams is super tiny. I don't think they'll grow that much to put a dent in the NXL wallet.

The Amsterdam thing was a shambles, apparently Amsterdam only allows a certain number of 'events' per year, and the NXL asked too late. Lesson painfully learned.

Fees went up, but not a ton, except for SPL/CPL, they got hit harder.

I can't comment on the refs, I'm not a part of any of those conversations. So someone who knows more may be able to fill that part in.

If you're paying for NXL US webcast, now you get Europe as well :D

Comms etc were TERRIBLE, but I think that's more down to a lack of experience dealing with venues, companies outside of the US, and a naive understanding of European business and economies.

Teams yea...interesting numbers 74 this year compared to 112 last year. That's a good amount of entry they're missing out on. Figure people being late and lazy, maybe that gets up to 90?

The delay in getting information out, and changing venues 4 times? Hurt them badly this year. I think they'll get better. I hope they can get better anyway, paintball would suffer badly if they screwed up.
 

Richiemonk

Well-Known Member
Jul 24, 2005
867
194
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Norfolk
74 signed up, but only in the 60's have actually paid. And I think the teams that haven't paid, won't be going to now either... It would just be burning money.
I'm guessing NXL are going to be happy to run the first event at a loss.
 

slam

Euro, ICPL and ECPL ref.
Feb 27, 2002
468
78
48
North Yorkshire
Thing is both Barry and Laurent are involved with NXL Europe, so there shouldn't be a lack of experience dealing with issues in Europe.
 

slam

Euro, ICPL and ECPL ref.
Feb 27, 2002
468
78
48
North Yorkshire
Also I can't see to many more none GI sponsered teams signing up now after the price increase on the 20th of March.
 

Spikerz

Super Moderator
Mar 25, 2014
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The time it takes to update the paid teams is insane. Like a week or something.
 

MattC

Head of The CPPS Mole Correction Facility.
Nov 11, 2008
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I mean, we could get behind them, instead of constantly slagging them off. There is no other party in town at the moment. I know its a British thing to kick the crap out of people when they are down etc but honestly, the vast majority of complainers i haven't seen near a European Event in 5 years.

Regarding the payment and Teams on the website. Pay no attention to it whatsoever as an accurate reflection of who's going. I know for a fact the 15s have paid and are showing as pending.
 

Richiemonk

Well-Known Member
Jul 24, 2005
867
194
78
Norfolk
I mean, we could get behind them, instead of constantly slagging them off. There is no other party in town at the moment. I know its a British thing to kick the crap out of people when they are down etc but honestly, the vast majority of complainers i haven't seen near a European Event in 5 years.

Regarding the payment and Teams on the website. Pay no attention to it whatsoever as an accurate reflection of who's going. I know for a fact the 15s have paid and are showing as pending.
Fair enough, but personally I'm not going to spend the money they are asking, plus travel, hotel, food, paint etc, when i really don't see any value in it?! Paying the cost of an entire season of CPPS for one event really doesn't wow me just because "it's in Europe!" That's like paying Waitrose prices when Lidl is just as good.
I would much rather support CPPS and other domestic events...
 

Spikerz

Super Moderator
Mar 25, 2014
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That's a fair view to have. I think a lot of German teams pulled out as well, with the lack of a German event, and the lack of comms. Ours bailed from NXL (which is damned annoying because right after I got sign off to play CPS I had my NXL team ask me to play).

The cost of CPS is insane, it's 255 euro for 4 events per person for an 8 person team. M500 as well.

But...it's 1 field for x ball, and 1 for 2 man. It's smaller than CPPS. I just enjoy going to events around Europe to see different places. This year will take me to such lovely locations like Helsingborg, Warsaw, and an industrial park in Paris!

Would I rather have played NXL if they had gotten their act together in time? Yep.

I also support CPPS, and should be at each event, because they are great, they really are. The NXL is just another level of paintball geek out for me. I see my friends I've known for decades there and only there. I'll miss that part. Hopefully next year they get everything sorted out early.
 

onasilverbike

I'm a country member!
I mean, we could get behind them, instead of constantly slagging them off. There is no other party in town at the moment. I know its a British thing to kick the crap out of people when they are down etc but honestly, the vast majority of complainers i haven't seen near a European Event in 5 years.

Regarding the payment and Teams on the website. Pay no attention to it whatsoever as an accurate reflection of who's going. I know for a fact the 15s have paid and are showing as pending.
I did say in my more remote position, I haven't been seen at a European event since Ardingley last July, or Chantilly the September before that. Before I had been to, with only three notable exceptions, every Millennium event for in excess of 10 years.

One of the complaints I often heard from the septics was that there were no new locations, they wanted to go to europe to see sights as well as play paintball. OK, Notre Dame in Chartres is a notable piece of Gothic architecture, and Prague will doubtless provide much entertainment. In fact I had suggested it to the MS several times. London is unlikely to be a central location, the closes we ever got was Crystal Palace, I doubt it could really get any closer without blowing the budget.

Seriously, they could have run with what the MS had in place more or less for a year whilst they investigated new venues etc. They would have had to replace Bitburg as it was apparently the German members of the MS board who were most opposed to the NXL take over.

For the above reason, its no wonder that the Eurorefs are unlikely to be in attendance. Here you had a Corps of well trained and experienced referees, now you are likely to have a bunch of greenhorns, teams reffing teams for points, or the importation of NXL refs from the US.

An increase in fees would be more acceptable if more was being offered, OK, its not across the board, and there are more formats being offered. But I can't see so far that the choices of venues if far and above that of the MS, the standard of reffing will be greatly improved. Historically one of the biggest complaints has been the cost of entry.

For some fairly obvious reasons, the webcast only covers the Pro field, you can't expect the broadcast of multiple games from multiple fields on multiple channels. I am pleased to see that the EPBF sideshow of Nations Cup games will be included in the Webcast. It was often complained about that those who went especially to represent their country did so without the chance of their friends and family at home being able to view. However, I mistakenly described it as pay to view, its a subscription service. I wonder how many wives/husbands/parents/friends etc. will actually want to sign up for it.

Lower team numbers may just be a part of the system taking its time to update, but, honestly in this day and age, that's piss-poor, it's nor beyond the realms of technology for that to be updated instantly, or at least daily, not on an ad-hoc basis when someone finally gets around to it.

I am aware of the size of the CPS events, I would describe them as being like a local event but in another country. If the NXL does make an almighty hash of it Slava, with the right allies, could be in a good position to promote an alternative, especially if he made friends with some of his former foes.

If you view that as complaining, kicking something while it is down, or slagging off, fine. It is intended to be observation a basis for discussion.