So the sign-up deadline is over and the teams have been formed. I would like to address a rule that I hope to be changed in a future nations cup. Currently, you have to be a citizen of a nation or permanently reside in that nation in order to play/represent it in the nations cup. And other than that if you have already played in a previous NC for a certain nation, you are not allowed to play for an other one. These rules were known since the beginning and I'm fine with that. But I would like to open the discussion for a change of the rules in a future nations cup.
I personally will play in this year's NC for Switzerland B. I have always wanted to participate in an AoE2 tournament and this will now be some sort of dream come true. I probably won't be able to play next year, so I decided to definitely join this year. Now since I have dual citizenship, I would also be able to play for an other nation. I have contacted a player from that nation, but unfortunately there were not enough other players to form a team.
Since I joined Switzerland this year, I wouldn't be able to play for that other nation in the future. On the one hand it's fair, but there is also an other perspective. Switzerland does not have the problems to form 1 or 2 (this year we even have 3) teams, but this other nation again could be missing players in the future and I could not help them anymore (with the current rules).
There is a more famous example: The two players Timotheus and Mattheus can play for Ireland and the USA (and I think even more teams). If I remember correctly, they always wanted to play for Ireland, but since there were no other players, they joined Team USA and are now bound to that team.
Well, in football (soccer) it is similar: Once you play an international game for a certain national team, you can't change the team anymore. There are sports where you can change the national under certain circumstances. For example in handball you can change the nation if you haven't played a single game for the national team in the last 3 years (if I'm not wrong). But that can get out of hands and some nations are buying players from all over the world.
This is definitely a strong point in the "football system". But there is also a special case I want to highlight: You can change your national side in football, if a new football association is included into the FIFA and if you would be egligible to play for that nation. Then the player can decide himself, if he wants to change the national team or stay at the team he was before. In Switzerland this topic was quite discussed about a year ago, since Kosovo was included into the FIFA and many players from the Swiss national football team have Kosovarian origins (at the end all players stayed at the Swiss NT, I think).
What do you think, could this be included in a future NC? So let's say to change the rule that you are allowed to play for Nation B (if you have played for Nation A previously) if Nation B didn't participate in a former nations cup. It is not exactly the same as in the case of football and Kosovo, but to some extent similar.
The benefit for the community would be that the potential to sign-up a team would increase for some nations and I think that everybody is enjoying the diversity of teams.
I want to add something else and that is the "merging of nations" or "formation of multi-national teams". I think that this is even more important than what I have written before. Currently players are limitied no a "nation", but therefore citizens of small countries often can't form teams and participate, even though they would like to so. This already has been discussed controversely. For the moment, I would just like to suggest: Allow multi-national teams, but let's say that these teams can only advance to the Silver League, even if they would win their group.
It is not urgent what I am writing about, since it would effect the NC only in 1, 2 or more years. But I hope that the discussion could be started constructively (to do that, maybe start an other topic?) and that something will be undertaken for future tournaments.
I personally will play in this year's NC for Switzerland B. I have always wanted to participate in an AoE2 tournament and this will now be some sort of dream come true. I probably won't be able to play next year, so I decided to definitely join this year. Now since I have dual citizenship, I would also be able to play for an other nation. I have contacted a player from that nation, but unfortunately there were not enough other players to form a team.
Since I joined Switzerland this year, I wouldn't be able to play for that other nation in the future. On the one hand it's fair, but there is also an other perspective. Switzerland does not have the problems to form 1 or 2 (this year we even have 3) teams, but this other nation again could be missing players in the future and I could not help them anymore (with the current rules).
There is a more famous example: The two players Timotheus and Mattheus can play for Ireland and the USA (and I think even more teams). If I remember correctly, they always wanted to play for Ireland, but since there were no other players, they joined Team USA and are now bound to that team.
Well, in football (soccer) it is similar: Once you play an international game for a certain national team, you can't change the team anymore. There are sports where you can change the national under certain circumstances. For example in handball you can change the nation if you haven't played a single game for the national team in the last 3 years (if I'm not wrong). But that can get out of hands and some nations are buying players from all over the world.
This is definitely a strong point in the "football system". But there is also a special case I want to highlight: You can change your national side in football, if a new football association is included into the FIFA and if you would be egligible to play for that nation. Then the player can decide himself, if he wants to change the national team or stay at the team he was before. In Switzerland this topic was quite discussed about a year ago, since Kosovo was included into the FIFA and many players from the Swiss national football team have Kosovarian origins (at the end all players stayed at the Swiss NT, I think).
What do you think, could this be included in a future NC? So let's say to change the rule that you are allowed to play for Nation B (if you have played for Nation A previously) if Nation B didn't participate in a former nations cup. It is not exactly the same as in the case of football and Kosovo, but to some extent similar.
The benefit for the community would be that the potential to sign-up a team would increase for some nations and I think that everybody is enjoying the diversity of teams.
I want to add something else and that is the "merging of nations" or "formation of multi-national teams". I think that this is even more important than what I have written before. Currently players are limitied no a "nation", but therefore citizens of small countries often can't form teams and participate, even though they would like to so. This already has been discussed controversely. For the moment, I would just like to suggest: Allow multi-national teams, but let's say that these teams can only advance to the Silver League, even if they would win their group.
It is not urgent what I am writing about, since it would effect the NC only in 1, 2 or more years. But I hope that the discussion could be started constructively (to do that, maybe start an other topic?) and that something will be undertaken for future tournaments.