Millennium Competition Level

[alvaro]

The millennium was, last year the most difficult series in the world and also the most difficult and prestigious title to win .
Why?
Because the millennium had all the best teams for USA (avalanche, ground zero, bob long, sc ironmen, dynasty, afterschock, bad company…) plus the best pro teams in europe (russian legion, tontons, joy division and so on…)
So, despite the fact the Millennium are the most organizised , spectator friendly and best marshalling , the millennium regroups all the best locations in Europe to play paintball (crystal palace, national stadium portugal, stockholm center….)

Will the millennium lose interest in the pro section due to the fact that 8 top american teams won´t come?

No

Why?
Those 8 x-balls teams won´t come that is a sure fact.
All the others US pro teams (DYNASTY, AVALANCHE, BAD COMPANY, LOCKOUT, NAUGHTY DOGS….) will play the nppl in USA, But also the millennium series. I do not need to talk about the qualities of game of dynasty, avalanche and the others , just open any magazines to see the result from those teams.

It is very important for the sponsors(diablo, rps, zap, smart parts,wdp….) that those US pro teams come to Europe to play.

The millennium series will have the same pro level as the nppl in the pro section and for a team like nexus and russian legion, they do not need to travel to USA to get better competition because they will have the same level of competition in Europe.



Now , does the nppl , x-ball and psp have proven yet to be better than the Millennium?

I do need to speak about the PSP, everyone knows that they have fail in everything (marshaliing, locations, organization and spectator friendly) and the promises of jerry braun do not fool anyone anymore.

The nppl have promise the moon , and I sincerely believe that it will be very good (everybody knows WDP obsession´s for perfection)
But they didn´t prove yet that the nppl will be a success because they didn´t begin yet.
And are they able to create a better series than the millennium? Time will tell

X-ball is the hot stuff right now but they only have 8 teams, so they do not compete against millenium or psp or nppl. But they didn´t started yet. So, we do not know how it will be . Will it work?


Everything that have been said about nppl , psp and x-ball are just hypotetical nothing is sure till it happens.
BUT ONE THING IS SURE: THE MILLENNIUM SERIES HAVE PROVEN SINCE 3 YEARS TO BE THE BEST SERIES .
And you can be sure that if the nppl or psp will be better is some point. The millennium promoters will improve and do better.
We are so proud of our events that we will never allow the americans offer better events than europeans.
We have proven to the americans and to the europeans that we are far ahead in organizing events.
So, trust the Millennium Series. We trust you to create our success. Trust us for the Show at every level of the competition.
THE MILLENNIUM PROMOTERS CAN GUARANTEE THAT THE MILLENNIUM 2003 WILL BE BETTER, BIGGER AND MORE COMPETITIVE THAN ANY OTHERS SERIES.

 

[Wadidiz]

Good, positive post, Alvaro We need more of this kind of thinking.

Steve

 

[sykesg]

2 more..

.. American teams that may show up Redz and Strange

 

[Robbo]

You missed out some very important points Alvaro:-

Firstly, As I said to you on the phone, sometimes in life, the spoils do not necessarily go to the most able or deserving. It is true, when it comes to comparing the tournaments the PSP put on as against the Euros, they couldn't run a bath let alone a competition.
If the fate of TV and paintball was decided upon promotional skills and track records, the PSP wouldn't get a look in over the Millennium but life ain't like that I'm afraid, the PSP by virtue of almost divine intervention have stumbled upon a potential TV income stream that will dwarf anything anybody could have previously imagined.
I have had this confirmed again today with another email from a well-respected friend of mine Stateside.
Now I can't and won't say who this is but you can trust me when I say, his view is important and he can be trusted to tell the truth about matters.
Here is just part of what he says :-


I have heard about the meetings they have had in "Tinsel town", there are some huge possibilities with this XBall deal. And I agree - those who don't get in on the first floor ain't never gonna have much chance to get to the
top.

Even if you take out what little I know about whats being discussed with the Hollywood group, it is plain to see that there is something big on the horizon. Jerry, Renick, Dave, Billy are all putting in a ton of money. And they are all doing it without much hesitation as of late. They are also all totally united in this being the way they intend on doing things. No one has wavered a bit. That absolutely solidifies my belief that something big is extremely probable, if not an absolute certainty.


Alvaro, how many times do we have to hear this stuff before the penny drops ?

It may well not work, it may all come down like a stack of cards next week, who frikkin knows ?
But I tell ya one thing, if it does go big time Stateside, then we ain’t nowhere because they hold all the aces of power and our initial buy in proposal that has now been rejected by the Millennium in favour of some half assed Nations cup, should have been accepted and implemented in a heartbeat.
We will never get another chance like that again.

And as for the Millennium being the most difficult to win and most prestigious ?
This ain't true mate, we hold the best tournaments but the NPPL / PSP series of last year was the most prestigious and most difficult, the standard of the tournament itself is academic in this sense.
And as for all those teams coming across ?
I will believe it when I see it mate, too many times I have heard promises of this , that and wotever, I hope they do all come across, but they won't, not all, all of the time.

And as for it being VERY important from the sponsors point of view ?
Alvaro, what did u say gross market sales were in Euro-land as against US?
12% wasn't it ?
We are slightly important mate.

And as for thinking the Yanks couldn’t put on a better event, well my money is on Huntingdon beach getting close if not surpassing the Millenniums. WDP's partial control of that virtually ensures that !!

Times are changing Alvaro, resistance is futile as they say in Borg-Land but let's not put our heads up our asses on this one and end up as Luddites.

Pete

 

[Wadidiz]

Millenniums have had the best track record so far of any major tournament series in terms of venues, overall organization, friendly spirit, quality attitude and participation of top teams (from a European perspective). But like Robbo says, PSP/NPPL have had the highest level of pure PB play. That's just a fact that has more to do with geography than anything else.

As far as reffing is concerned, I don't know for a fact, but I've heard that Millennium judging hasn't always been the best. Perhaps more evenly consistent than PSP but not always the most competent (with the exception of Joy, which hasn't always been 100% perfect either, nothing ever will be).

The jealousy factor has set in with the Americans so expectations have been raised there resulting in a stronger effort on the part of NPPL and PSP to emulate the more desirable aspects of Milllennium. I believe that BOTH promoters in USA will produce outstanding events, at least at their first respective events.

So what's in the crystal ball?

Millennium will have an even better season with even better quality and bigger attendence albeit with less American participation. The judging may even improve if some of us have been listened to.

NPPL will probably also be relatively successful (if their funding turns out to be commensurate to their ambitions) and will maintain pressure on the others to excel.

And I believe the NXL MIGHT have a tremendous degree of success, especially if the hoped-for media breakthrough comes through. (I've also heard about the monies being talked about over there, probably from the same sources as Pete.)

To me, the big question is, how the traditional parts of PSP will fare.

I still believe that the big changes in playing formats for the "grassroot" teams will come in 2004 and that format will be some form of X-ball.

But the main thing I agree with Alvaro about is: we have to positively move forward with whatever program Millennium have decided for this season and make the best of it, and be taking notes to be prepared to adjust and be ready for a new ball game in 2004.

Steve

 

[duffistuta]

While I can see Dynasty play the whole Mil Series, I think you may find that some of the other names mentioned maybe just play Toulouse...bear in mind that some of the NPPL Pro teams will also play 10-Man PSP - and the time and money to fit Millennium into that schedule as well may not be forthcoming. Also, when you talk about the standard of teams, don't place too much emphasis on Lanche...bear in mind that they are in a huge rebuilding phase and I'd be amazed if they're anything like the force they were and are unlikely to be for a while yet.

I'd be surprised if Naughty Dogs, Lockout etc. played more than one, maybe two Millenniums...and I'd still bet that Strange will make X-Ball.

 

[alvaro]

dear Teacher Pete Robinson,

I do not agree in some points:
- the nppl is more difficult than the millennium series

forget the format ( 7man against 10 man)
let´s compare teams in pro section, millennium receives the top teams us + european teams.
nppl had top us teams and no european teams (except world cup where shockwave and tontons where there)
i believe russian legion, tontons and joy , ducklings... are better or similar qualities than some pro us teams like jax warriors and fusion.
the finals in both continents where the same teams except the variable called russian legion.
russian legion can never win in the states due to the marshalling.
people that have play the previous years in the nppl knows that is ten times easier to cheat than the millennium.
we can not compare the european quality of marshalling ( more marshalls and more motivated marshalling).
then i have play a lot of 20 men games in the states ( sorry 10 men ) .

how many times , pete, did US promoters have promised you in the past that tv medias are coming, millions of shonsorship will flow, big contracts will be signed. For me , i heard it thousands times .

I WILL BELIEVE THE AMERICANS WHEN I WILL SEE RESULTS NOT BEFORE.

 

[duffistuta]

Yes, but

the US Amateurs are on a level with the Euro Pros, and maybe a dozen US Am teams are as good if not better than Jax and Fusion.

The US simply has a greater number of competitive teams, and the NPPL is undoubtedly more difficult than the Millennium Series. No Pro European team has made a dent over in the NPPL for years now...

Got to agree with the last couple of paragraphs though...big money and huge media contracts have been mooted many, many times before and come to nought. Will it be any different this time?

 

[sprite]

The US simply has a greater number of competitive teams, and the NPPL is undoubtedly more difficult than the Millennium Series. No Pro European team has made a dent over in the NPPL for years now...

that's so true, nppl is a lot more competitive

 

[alvaro]

sorry i have forgotten some other point.

it´s true the european market is 8 or 9 times smaller than the US market.
But we have 3 times more population (russia to portugal) , it means that in the future (maybe 10 years) when the sport will be popular, we will have more players and the market will be more important than the US.
Then the growth was excellent in europe 2002.
2003 will see 400 european different teams playing in the millennium.
when you say "resistance is futile" , you are wrong. JT and some others companies know that Europe will be an imporatnt market in the future so it is important for them to win market shares now.