Arda Cup Football 2013

[Nogrod]

Group E

The Arkenstone Arena, Erebor


First of all the AKM wishes to make sincere apologies, mainly to the Erebor Craftsmen Union, for suggesting that the dwarves would have been greedy to cash in most of the nice revenue they made last year with Mr. Moneybags’ happy acceptance. But seeing the renovated stadium inside the Lonely Mountain just dazzles the wiever – and it is easy to see immediately that it has not been a cheap venture to build something like that.

Happily the Erebor Craftsmen Union won last year by themselves about 6 million, and if you added what they “saved” by cutting the costs this year, around 5 mil (on their part of the lowered budget), then you get 11 million for investment in total just for the new arena – only from the dwarven investment house. Judging by the commercial-banners flying around the field itself one could notice that the Celduin Corporation (Dale-based group of investors) and Moneybags Monetary Management (investment house residing in Laketown) had been involved in the renovations with considerable sums as well.

So the King under the Mountain was rebuilding the "Stadium under the Mountain" and renaming it into the "Arkenstone Arena" for the greater glory of Erebor – but as wise bussines-dwarf had made it as safe an investment possible using the money pouring in from the football-related investment groups. That means, that if the kingdom of Erebor itself invested, let’s say five million, they got a twenty million renovation for five million investment of their own.

Dwarves are great engineers, but they seem to have sense for bussiness as well.

From the skills and tradition of engineering seems to follow an eye for overall beauty and proportion as well as awe-inspiring sense for imagery and detail. And the jaw-dripping creativity.

The centerpiece of the stadium is a huge “replica” of the Arkenstone itself – only some hundred times bigger from the original – hanging from the center of the roof, from the focal point of the four arches climbing towards it from the corners of the arena. With an ingenious system of narrow tunnels and mirrors the dwarven engineers have been able to direct the light from outside in hundreds of beams that are focused on the “Arkenstone” – which then spreads the light all over the arena in the weird but beautiful set of different shades of light from pure white, silmaril, silver and gold to hints of all emerald, turqoise, ruby and topaz.

And if that was not already breath-taking, the “Arkenstone” turns slowly around it’s axis making the general mood of the lightning to change all the time, but slowly enough that it isn’t disturbing (like the mirrored Disco-balls are) but rather creating a mood of intense expectation – and tension.

What is even more remarkable is their system for late-games when there is not enough sunlight from outside to light the "Arkenstone". Burning different metals like natrium and magnesium added with more standard sources of light like burning coal, wood, oil and different gases in their light-tunnels and focusing them to the “Arkenstone” they are able to produce even more intense lightning fit for stronger feelings in comparison to the quite mellow shades of light during daytime.

All that engineering is of course out of the sight of a spectator and all s/he can see is the marvellous light reflecting and being distributed by the huge “Arkenstone” hanging from the ceiling.

Some players had complained about Erebor’s “plastic pitch” after last year’s tournament – and the hosts had accepted the criticism as valid. Sadly without the magic of the Ainur – or elves having close relations to them – there was no way the dwarves could make grass grow under the mountain (of which they envy Menegroth). But they had put their brightest engineers to the task and had produced a revolutionary artificial turf made from synthetic materials created in their labs with infills of sand and rubber.

The players have been surprisingly pleased with it if one considers how fake-grass is generally despised. Even those who disliked it openly held it to be superior to any “Astro Turf” they had played on before. But the spectator is even more taken by it’s slightly emerald-green and ruby-red colour-combination which makes the whole game look somewhat different – and has an impact on the general athmosphere in the closed space of the Arkenstone Arena – even if you could still say it is green.


Group C

Menegroth Stadium, Doriath


A lot of ink has been spilled – as well as I’s and 0’s run through electric data-systems – to hail the great Stadium of Menegroth which has seen a lot of games during it’s history – including some memorable ones from Arda Cup as well; the 2008 finals as probably the most unforgettable event played there ever.

The stadium was built into Menegroth already when the Thousand Caves were given birth, hewn from the rock by the toughest dwarven and elven builders and supervised by the most learned and crafted masters of both races – only to be decorated into a huge single piece of art by the greatest artits of their time.

The AKM called Menegroth “the fairest dwelling of any king that has ever been east of the sea” and sees no reason to change its verdict a pitifully short five years later. And the exquisitiveness of the place still holds: the tickets cost a lot more than to many other venues – you still get the excellent wine and luxurious snacks for free as much as you want by showing the ticket. That actually makes the ticket worth a lot more than they are, but doesn’t in turn help the poorer football fans who are totally outpriced from any games played in Menegroth.

But even with the high prices it has never been a problem for the Doriath hosts to fill the stadium up to the last bench in the upper-rows. The real fans save money for a year or a few to experience just one evening’s games in there – and feel it is worth it.

And the AKM agrees: if you haven’t experienced Menegroth and a game in it’s Stadium you’ve not lived. Drinking the best wines around the fountains of silver and having a culinary piece of art as a snack beside the marble basins with all the fine folks and celebrities around, surrounded by the statues and woven hangings by the greatest artists from the time immemorial just sends you into a different plane of existence. Many people would feel they’re in heaven for just that – but then there are the games as well!

And the stadium is just marvellous. The ancient dwarven and elven craftsmanship is seen from the minutest detail (like the unique etchings on every seat, or the functional perfection and beauty of even the doorknobs to the lavatories) to the general athmosphere (like the acoustic panels which cut the highest pitches that normally make your ears suffer, and an add to the bass making even lesser roar of the crowds feel as a tremble in your guts). But that’s not all there is.

The field, or pitch, itself is a miracle. A grass-field blossoming a deep but light green, like the green of spring just awakening yet strong and enchanting, deep under the rock! It feels, well plain otherworldly.

Neither Thingol nor Melian have been willing to disclose the secret of it but it is easy to see Melian has something to do with that.

Be that as it is, the players love to play in Menegroth because they feel they get energy from the grass under their feet. Although some of the more poetic souls sometimes complain they have lapses of concentration to the game because it is so beautiful all around. That is of course the reverse with some evil players whom the athmosphere makes too annoyed and thusly distracts them in the worst case. So in the end the latter effect is also equal.

[the phantom]

Arda Cup Football Returns to the Blessed Realm
Philip McPhantom, MESPN News

There's so much football tradition in Valinor- so many great players, venues, and of course fans. What a shame it was that a ban had to be instituted last season, during which no Arda Cup games were played in Valinor.

But there was a good reason for the ban to be instituted- the mistreatment of foreign fans. Various Valinor security task forces were disbanded and investigated, but when brought to trial no one was ultimately held responsible. Higher-ups insisted that their orders were interpreted wrongly, or at the least carried out with too much enthusiasm. The boots on the ground and wings in the air, however, insisted they were acting appropriately given the information they had received from their superiors and the reactions of the would-be visitors.

The sinking of Dwarf-bearing ships bound for the Blessed Realm was determined to have been an accident. Conspiracy theories still abound, but the Dwarves were mollified for the most part following a very thorough investigation led by Ulmo. The Vala of the Sea apologized to the Dwarves and promised them that from then on he would have a small task force dedicated to ensuring the safety of all Arda-Cup related sea voyages, provided the ships worked with him on departure dates and destination.

But Orcs, Trolls, and other creatures of the night remain angry to this day, saying that the ban wasn't a serious enough punishment. "Here they are one year later, forgiven as if nothing happened," said Morgoth in an interview last month. "Yeah, yeah, they lost some revenue and their fans didn't get to watch football live, but there were deaths. Deaths! How could no one have been imprisoned?"

The most serious occurrence was of course the deaths of a couple dragons and eagles of Thorondor after an intense aerial battle. Morgoth and the families of the dragons insisted that the dragons had tickets and were flying into Valinor to give support, but they were denied entry and attacked by a squadron of eagles.

The eagles involved in the attack, however, state that the dragons were using the games as cover to launch a damaging attack upon Valinor, and that they were ordered to intercept them, discover if they had tickets in claw, and then escort them to a secure area to await the games (if in fact they had tickets). The eagles say that the dragons opened hostilities before they had even communicated their orders to them.

The surviving dragons insist that this is not true, but say that the eagles swooped on them aggressively and shrieked at them and did not announce any sort of diplomatic mission. The eagles fired back that they had attempted to fly up beside the dragons initially, but that the dragons had immediately dropped in elevation and rolled onto their backs in midair, baring their claws and teeth in a clearly hostile way.

There was a lot of back and forth, but in the end it was ruled that the entire thing was an unfortunate misunderstanding. The dragons were faulted for their readiness to behave in a hostile manner, and the eagles were faulted for being too quick to give up on the diplomatic portion of their mission.

Thus in the end it was decided that strict punishments might do more harm than good, and entrench both sides. Rather Eru insisted on a break from hosting, and that the in-between time would be used to reevaluate their methods and attitudes. He also insisted that various eagles and dragons fly together, so that they could perhaps come to appreciate their brothers in the air and not see them as merely a mortal enemy. The sessions were private and no one was allowed to speak to the public about them, but as no further deaths occurred it is hoped that this endeavor was somewhat successful.

But even if attempts are being made to change the culture that exists, the Cup Committee must have assumed it would be too much to ask if in the first year back they sent a team that would bring a lot of Orc or Dragon fans behind them. Instead it was Armenelos, The Havens, and The Barrow-Downs that was due to visit, and it appeared things might go off without a hitch.

The Numenoreans could be a bit proud, and small groups of them (probably drunk) made disparaging remarks towards their hosts- joking that the Valar wanted to sink their ships, but couldn't because Numenoreans are far too good at sailing. But the Elves of the various havens and most of the Numenoreans have been excellent guests, and the Valinoreans have treated them quite well.

The Barrow-Downs on the other hand- their Wight fans look to be the biggest threat to tranquility, but they have yet to descend upon the Blessed Realm. The new liberal reforms have the customs officials and such under orders to allow any and all Wights in to support their team. Many are obviously uncomfortable with the orders, but say they will comply with them in an effort to show that they are serious about preventing bad feelings and additional tragedy.

To make their citizens feel more secure, Manwe announced a law to prohibit weapons from being within a block of the arena, and a law that would strictly punish anyone guilty of fighting within the arena. Some greeted the new laws as positive steps towards creating a safe environment, but others pointed out that it was already illegal to have a naked blade within the arena. "You could have a weapon, but it had to be secured and sheathed," says Tulkas. "But now everyone has to leave them at home, so if some unruly Wights sneak in knives and go on a rampage, we'll be defenseless."

When informed of Tulkas' sentiment, Manwe said: "The Wights will be a miniscule minority in a huge arena. Surely we can overcome them even without swords, and surely they will be aware of this." But the next day Tulkas fired back: "No, we can't stop them, because your last law prohibited fighting in the arena. If we grapple with them, we'll be guilty of breaking the law, because the law doesn't have any provisions for fighting even if it is to defend life. Those laws were passed just to make people feel like there was progress. Never mind how ineffective and counter-productive they are."

Manwe has not yet given an official response to Tulkas' most recent comment.

[the phantom]

Amon Hen Coliseum to Host Group H
Philip McPhantom, MESPN News

All the peoples of Arda were awed by the 2010 debut of the Amon Hen Coliseum, built in secret by the Gondor Arda Cup Host Committee in return for a promise of hosting the semis and finals two consecutive years, with options to return to the site before the normal mandatory gap between hosting Arda Cup finals.

There is no question that The Coliseum is the largest venue in all of Arda, thanks largely to the magic of Amon Hen, the “hill of seeing”, which allows the stadium to climb far higher than others so long as it flows up the side of Amon Hen, which was found to amplify the natural visionary capabilities of anyone upon it, and more so as one nears the pinnacle of the hill.

Because of this the stadium appears extremely lopsided. The east quarter of the stadium overlooks the great falls of Rauros and seats around 25,000, while the north quarter hugs the shores of the lake and seats slightly more. But as the stadium runs to the south-southwest up the slopes of Amon Hen, the seats just pile higher and higher, and after another new addition this past offseason the total seating for the stadium is now in the neighborhood of 200,000!

But believe it or not the whopping size of the monstrous arena is not the number one thing that typically arrests the attention of fans and critics, but rather it is the architecture. The stadium is a tribute to the history of football in Arda, featuring sections which expertly capture the architecture, décor, and adornments of various famous stadiums from elsewhere in Arda. Any walkway, restroom, eatery, and entrance in a given section also mirrors the style, making visitors feel as if they were actually in a different stadium.

The initial construction featured sections from Valimar, Utumno, Tirion, Angband, Gondolin, Doriath, Numenor, Mordor, Mirkwood, and Rohan, while Moria and The Shire were added in 2011. In 2012 teams of Noldor and Teleri put in hard work to reproduce a piece of Alqualonde's arena, and workers from Nargothrond successfully mimicked Finrod's famous deep-delved stadium.

This past off-season a Gundabad section was added. The locals were concerned that all the orc crews brought in for the consultations and construction might run amok, but the Coliseum Construction Committee (CCC) was careful about which orcs they allowed, how many at once, and where they were lodged, thus problems were for the most part averted.

When stadium planners were asked last month if there were new additions in the works, they answered: "Yes, definitely. We've been eying a Lothlorien section for a while now and we've already began preliminary talks and negotiations. There's also a handful of other regional flavors we're debating in sub-committee."

But the stadium isn’t the only thing that's been expanding in recent years- there is also the infrastructure. There are quite a few inns, pubs, and rentable homes in a rather new town a short distance west of the stadium along the shores of the great lake, and a good number of cabins farther along, or in the woods higher up on the slopes of the surrounding hills. It was the same the last few years, only this year there are more of them than ever, as well as a growing number of permanent residents now that Gondor had opened the area to settlement. There is also a good deal of boating on the lake, and the marinas to accommodate it. A bit farther up the lake there are several ski lodges. Now is not the time for snow obviously, but the lodges are still open to host guests and show off their facilities and runs, in hopes that visitors will return for a visit in the winter.

The docks just a bit downstream from the foot of the falls of Rauros are built to accommodate a large quantity of ships, and an ingenious series of hydro-powered lifts can transport travelers up to lake-level from the bottom of the falls- there are four lift paths in all, thus waiting times aren't bad. Additionally, two winding hiking trails leave the docks and wrap up and around the west side of Amon Hen, so those feeling like getting a bit of exercise (or wishing to skip the small lift fee) can take the scenic route (though the lifts climbing the cliffs so close to the falls are awfully scenic themselves). All in all the CCC has done quite a bit to ensure that Amon Hen Coliseum would be a huge hit with anyone lucky enough to visit.

[Nilpaurion Felagund]

The origin of football in Arda is a much-debated topic among historians. There were about as many theories as there were scholars. Marnen, lead sports editor of the broadsheet Arda, believed that the sport was conceived by the Ainur even before the Ainulindalë, while Iorithil, editor-in-chief of Quenta Noldorin Sport, pointed out that the Quendi of Cuiviénen were the first to codify the rules of football. Grishbukh, Professor Emeritus of Orc Kinetics at the Utumno University, opined that the Orcs were the first to invent the sport, pointing out that the oldest known football pitch was found just outside the gates of Angband.

Football’s origins might be a hotbed of conflicting theories, but there was no debate as to the very first international game—that is, a game between two different peoples. While the Eldar were being transported by Ulmo aboard what was now Tol Eressëa, a game took place between a team of Eldar and the Maiar of Ulmo, a game that ended in a 0-0 draw. To commemorate the event, the Teleri later built a stadium around the pitch where the game was played, a stadium simply called the Tol Eressëa Stadium. Throughout the ages it has been renovated and expanded; now it boasted a capacity of 80 000, as well as the necessities of a modern football arena—VIP seats, floodlighting from special lamps designed by Varda, TV studios, and a press conference room.

After Eru’s decree last year regarding the ban of games on Valinor, Ulmo considered a way to circumvent the ban. If games cannot come to the Blessed Realm, then perhaps a part of the Blessed Realm can come to the games. Consulting with the Elves of Avallónë, he decided to return the island in the bay of Eldamar to its original state. A special team of Maiar (those not playing for the Sea) would move the island from off the coast of Aman, bringing with it a contingent of FC Valinor fans, whose team would play in Dol Amroth.

Their first stop: the port of Pelargir in Gondor.

The sight of the island churning slowly up the Anduin was something to behold. Thousands flocked from the hinterlands of Lebennin and Harondor, even some from Ithilien, to witness the island that had once basked in the light of the Two Trees make its way slowly to the great haven of Gondor. The local stadium Pelargir Park would also be used for the first matchday, playing host to Minas Tirith and Nargothrond. But surely, the hearts of locals would be torn—support the home team, or watch the match between the Sea and Tirion, a game featuring Númenóreans, the ancient Eldar, and the mythical Ainur, a game in a stadium that most Gondorians have never seen before, and, perhaps, would never have a chance to see again.

Football’s coming home, the banner over Tol Eressëa Mobile Stadium reads. For many citizens of Gondor, they might choose to forsake home just to witness history.

Group F Main Host: Tol Eressëa Mobile Stadium (Capacity: 80 000)
Tirion @ The Sea

Matchday 1 Co-Host: Pelargir Park (Capacity: 55 000)
Nargothrond @ Minas Tirith

[Nilpaurion Felagund]

Gondolin. The Hidden Rock. The city on a hill, founded in memory of Tirion-upon-Túna. The most enduring fortress of the Noldor in Beleriand. Winner of the 2010 Arda Cup. One of the powers of football in Arda

The Gondolindrim have long been isolated from the rest of Beleriand, and they have turned to many things to distract them from the rumours of trouble in the world at large. Some have turned to music, some to arts and crafts, but many have turned to sports, most especially football, both as players and as spectators. Almost every young Elf in Gondolin has once played in a youth football team; some have gone on to become senior players in the various local clubs, the biggest of which are AC Gondolin and Inter Gondolin (both of which play in the regional Northwest League). And a few have gone on to become players of great renown for other teams: Glorfindel of Eriador, Turgon of Inter Beleriand, and Ecthelion of Anfauglith have once played for Gondolin in both the youth and the senior levels, and brothers Huor and Húrin, both of Hithlum, have once been loaned to Gondolin as youth players.

Few other cities can boast of such a vast talent base relative to its size. Nargothrond have gone no closer to the cup than the first knockout round. Doriath, a kingdom many times larger than Gondolin, required the services of Túrin, Beren, and Huan to secure the cup. And Angband, for all their power and wealth, have never once played in an Arda Cup final.

Gondolin boast three arenas that fall under the AFA’s stadium category A—stadiums with capacities greater than 30 000, excellent pitch conditions, and a sizeable media area for broadcast teams and press conferences. The oldest one, Ondolindë Stadium in city centre of Gondolin, is a multi-purpose stadium currently being converted into a pure footballing arena. The Rock of the Music of the Water, as it’s also known, has been used during the 2008 and 2009 editions of the Arda Cup, but has recently been supplanted by the bigger and more modern Stadium on the Rock, sitting on the edge of a cliff above the plains of Tumladen. Boasting a capacity of 85 000, it hosted last year’s quarterfinal ties between Real Valinor and Rohan, as well as AC Beleriand and Shire-Bree United. And this year it will host five group games (the second game of the last group stage matchday will be played at the nearby Tumladen Park, the third category A stadium in the city.)

Cornflower blue banners were flown upon the gleaming white walls of the Stadium on the Rock, commemorating the return of the city’s daughter, Idril Celebrindal, to the home team. Also returning home (but playing for a different team) is their king Turgon, goalkeeper for Inter Beleriand. Most of Fëanor’s AC Beleriand squad were also familiar with the stadium, having secured their advance to the semifinal within its walls. The only newcomers then were the Dwarves United team; Aulë, Celebrimbor, Galadriel, and the dwarves of Nogrod and Belegost have long expressed their desire to see Gondolin for themselves, and the Middle-earth dwarves and Legolas were happy to be playing in a historic city.

Group B Main Host: Stadium on the Rock (Capacity: 85 000)
17:00 WBT Inter Beleriand - Dwarves United
20:00 WBT AC Beleriand - Gondolin

*Western Beleriand time

[Nogrod]

On the eve of the first round of the Arda Cup 2013 group-phase games the Lonely Mountain and it’s surrounding areas were buzzing with folk from near and far – and the football tourists filled the bookings of each and every hotel, hostel, guesthouse, motel, inn, B&B and camping site in both Dale and Esgaroth as well. And nobody was able to keep track of the irregular campers over the wastelands around the mountain - but everyone could see the spread of lights during the nights over the plains all around Erebor.

The Arkenstone Arena took in around 70 000 spectators but even if from the tickets a little over half went to locals the estimates had the number of visitors to the area everything from even to double that. A reasonable quess would be between 50 000 and 100 000 visitors.

According to the official AFA statistics based on the ticket-sales the following races and creatures had bough tickets to the games at Erebor, in alphabetical order: Balrogs, Beornings, Crebain & Crows, Dragons, Dúnedain, Dwarves, Eagles, Elves (Noldor, Silvan, Teléri), Ents, Goblins, Humans, Maiar, Nazgûl, Orcs, Spiders, Trolls, Trushes, Wargs, Wights, Wizards and Wolves.

There was also a moment of astonishment when a Haradian ship anchored to the Esgaroth docks a few days before the games full of Haradrim football-fans with their bright-coloured gear, wuwuzelas and a huge (and alive) mascot-tyger. It turned out they had been sold wrong tickets. But being good sports they decided to stay – well they had no chance of catching their intended group D matches anyway – and gave a nice colour (if not that nice a sound) to the first round of games, seemingly enjoying their exotic northern-experience to the fullest.

Now it is a great feature of interardan sports that with the players in the teams mixing also the supporters learn to mix together. That must have been something foreseen by Eru himself when he let the Arda Cup take seed in the hearts of the differents creatures around Arda.

And that spirit was probably most clearly exhibited at the Lonely Mountain the night before the first games when from the camping-ground’s fireplace you could find a warg, an ent, a Nazgûl and a wizard raising a glass for an elf’s success (for Thranduil to score heavily) and to their mutual friendship supporting the Wilderland team – or seeing the great eagles and dragons cheering loudly together with the dwarves in a Dale pub where a TV-report recapitulates Bard’s and Beorn’s highlights from the last year’s Cup.

Or well, which the AKM’s reporter found the most exhilarating; finding a small group of the Haradrim, Laketowners, northern Dúnedain, Rivendell elves, old Noldor of the West and a few Wights from the dock-area of Esgaroth discussing enthusiastically about different flutes and flute-playing techniques and their emotional effects while sharing drinks and barbecuing under the rising moon.

To be honest it has to be said there was the dark side as well. The number of homicides (and all the “other-cides”), assaults, mobbings, fights, robberies, theft, general offences, insults and every kind of grievance from too much noise and too much litter to strange smells and high prices at the groceries multiplied. But had it been a random-collection of different kind of creatures suddenly coming together with such numbers anywhere else but around Arda Cup it would probably have been a disaster.

In the press conference on the eve of the first games the spokespersons of all the teams participating appealed for peace and love and enjoyment of the games, and the Erebor police-force informed they had gotten strong reinforcements from Nogrod, Iron Hills and Moria to go after regular thieves, pickpockets and those willing to exploit the gathering of crowds.

Everyone knew there was no messing with the dwarven officials and so most everything was going orderly a day before the games.


First games will be held at the Arkenstone Arena, Erebor.

4pm. Eriador vs. Misty Mountains (daylight game)
7pm. Erebor vs. Wilderland (artificial-light game)


The thrill and excitement!

[Nogrod]

Menegroth is Menegroth:exquisite, lavish, exuberant… and also beautiful, uplifting and hallowed. Unless you are from Valinor when the first part of the list doesn’t apply, or from the most backwards recesses of Hithlum or Breeland when the latter doesn’t. But to most fans gathering for games of group C of the Arda Cup 2013 it was both – and even more. To many it was the fulfilment of years of savings and a dream come true.

Overall football is a democratic sport in as the stadiums hold reasonably big crowds and the tickets are very much affordable. But with some teams and some venues it is different. And Menegroth Stadium, or “the Cave” of Doriath is one of them. Despite it’s nickname there is nothing prosaic, lowbrow or underground in it culturally. It is as far from real punk as Green Day has ever been.

But if you can afford the tickets – or are enthusiastic enough to save for them – well it is a footballing heaven and a multi-sensuous experience, well a kind of gesamtskunstwerk one might admire even if his tastes were different. It is one of the greatest venues football has ever been been played and one of the most controversial, just because of all that.

This year the lifting of the Girdle of Melian has brought in to the Thousand Caves a host of visitors from the great houses of Bëor and Haleth and other early tribes of men. A decently large following has also come after the team Shire-Bree, even if it is times smaller the one of the early men. A few random football fanatics from all over Arda have also been buying tickets according to the AFA stats, ranging from singular easterling lords with their entourages to bands of enthusiastic Númenorean Elwing- and Dior-fans.

A few Balrogs and Nazgûls were also allowed to enter as guests, but they needed to pay a ransom aforehead – which would be returned to them if they behaved.

The greatest band of visitors were in no need of Melian opening the girdle as it only bans persons lesser than her to enter. Led by Tulkas and the other Valar of team Real Valinor the great host of Westerners; Valar, Maiar and Elves across-the-sea came in an exuberant parade filling the spectators on the road with awe and hallow.

Those men, hobbits and common elves of the ME who knew history enough to understand who they were drinking the exquisite wines and eating extravagant pastries for free with inside Menegroth were cherishing the moment as the highlight of their lives – less educated ones were just struck with the grace and splendour of the Westerners – and would tell the story to their granchildren as well.

The Breelanders soon learned they had been reserved the part of the statists – as long as the general attitude of the media and the other spectators went. Theirs would be the team everyone just needed to win to have better chance of qualifying. And soon they started to feel themselves looked down upon in general – even if only a few of them were hobbits.

The early houses of men and the elves had cordial relationships – as always – but there was some chill in the air as team Hithlum was fighting for the qualification with some seriousness, but the hosts were having the same mind-set. And Real Valinor sure looked intimidating to both of them.

On top of that the visitors from the Undying Lands acted annoyingly self-confident in the eyes of all the Middle-Earthers only adding to the tension underneath the polite and amiable behaviour everyone kept up.

Most fans gathering into the Thousand Caves were only too aware of the fact that this was one of the groups of death this year. But as all the major publicity continued around Real Valinor, Hithlum and Doriath, the Shire-Bree fans became even more jumpy: so when it was reported that Gandalf had met Nienna and fallen to his knees to salute her many were ready to believe the games were pre-arranged.

But the group-lottery had made most of the crowds looking after other things than Gandalf's bows.

First matches will be played at the “The Cave” aka. Menegroth Stadium, Doriath.

6pm. Hithlum vs. Real Valinor
9pm. Doriath vs. Shire-Bree United

The homecrowds sure wait for the “Night-match”, but all the footballing-world will look forwards to the afternoon game!