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the phantom · 06-04-2013, 03:44 PM

First Look at the Host Sites
Philip McPhantom, MESPN News

We've been given a lot to process today, so first things first- I'm going to give my initial reactions to the selected host sites.

1) Nicely done, Ulmo and company. We know long ago that the sea-going Ainu used an island to ferry Elves to Valinor, so why not do something similar again? It will be a lot of work and required much preparation obviously, so much applause for that. Ulmo and friends have made Tol Eressea Stadium and the pubs and lodgings immediately around it into a sort of cruise ship. Their plans are to be at Gondor for the first round to share games with Pelargir, at Balar for the second game, and at Alqualonde for the final round. This allows a reasonable trip for fans of every squad in the group- Minas Tirith, Nargothrond, and Tirion (and of course The Sea).

2) The ban on games in Valinor is officially over, as Valimar Coliseum is slated to host five games, Taniquetil will host one, and Seaside Stadium in Alqualonde will host one. Here's hoping that they handle things better this time around. It was a shame not to have any games there last year- there is so much tradition and multiple quality venues.

3) Well done Gondor spreading games around a bit. Instead of opting for the oft-used Minas Tirith or Osgiliath, which obviously have great stadiums (The White Stadium and Osgiliath Royal Arena), they opted to put in a bid for Dol Amroth. Their stadium isn't quite so grand or famous, but it's certainly on level with other past host sites, and the Gondor teams have a lot of supporting fans living in that region.

4) It's nice to see the Dwarves and Elves working together in the Northeast once again, as Erebor will be the primary site and Thranduil's forest stadium will host the second game in the final round.

5) Looks like the finals indeed won't be at Amon Hen Coliseum this year since they are hosting a group. A few might complain that they're getting to host anything this year after hosting the biggest games the past few years, but the thing is- Amon Hen is simply too great not to use every year. The various folks that partnered to make it were very serious about creating football heaven.

6) It's interesting that Anfauglith and Tol-In-Gaurhoth will not be sharing just the final round of group play, but both sites are being used in all three rounds. Will this be the beginning of a trend (since Tol Eressea is also doing it, sort of), or is this a special case?

06-04-2013, 03:44 PM	#25
the phantom Beloved Shadow Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: The Stadium Posts: 5,971	First Look at the Host Sites Philip McPhantom, MESPN News We've been given a lot to process today, so first things first- I'm going to give my initial reactions to the selected host sites. 1) Nicely done, Ulmo and company. We know long ago that the sea-going Ainu used an island to ferry Elves to Valinor, so why not do something similar again? It will be a lot of work and required much preparation obviously, so much applause for that. Ulmo and friends have made Tol Eressea Stadium and the pubs and lodgings immediately around it into a sort of cruise ship. Their plans are to be at Gondor for the first round to share games with Pelargir, at Balar for the second game, and at Alqualonde for the final round. This allows a reasonable trip for fans of every squad in the group- Minas Tirith, Nargothrond, and Tirion (and of course The Sea). 2) The ban on games in Valinor is officially over, as Valimar Coliseum is slated to host five games, Taniquetil will host one, and Seaside Stadium in Alqualonde will host one. Here's hoping that they handle things better this time around. It was a shame not to have any games there last year- there is so much tradition and multiple quality venues. 3) Well done Gondor spreading games around a bit. Instead of opting for the oft-used Minas Tirith or Osgiliath, which obviously have great stadiums (The White Stadium and Osgiliath Royal Arena), they opted to put in a bid for Dol Amroth. Their stadium isn't quite so grand or famous, but it's certainly on level with other past host sites, and the Gondor teams have a lot of supporting fans living in that region. 4) It's nice to see the Dwarves and Elves working together in the Northeast once again, as Erebor will be the primary site and Thranduil's forest stadium will host the second game in the final round. 5) Looks like the finals indeed won't be at Amon Hen Coliseum this year since they are hosting a group. A few might complain that they're getting to host anything this year after hosting the biggest games the past few years, but the thing is- Amon Hen is simply too great not to use every year. The various folks that partnered to make it were very serious about creating football heaven. 6) It's interesting that Anfauglith and Tol-In-Gaurhoth will not be sharing just the final round of group play, but both sites are being used in all three rounds. Will this be the beginning of a trend (since Tol Eressea is also doing it, sort of), or is this a special case? __________________ the phantom has posted. This thread is now important.