[the phantom]

NEWLY REFORMED ARDA CUP READY TO MOVE FORWARD
by Phantom, MESPN News

Those with connections and quick ears knew for many months that change was coming to Arda Cup, but few realized just how major the changes were until Eru announced them last September. A complete and total reformation of the tournament was the order.

And who could blame him? Most teams were running up enormous debts, and the tournament itself needed greater staffing to assist on tackling issues such as policing the behavior of various organizing host committees- notably those based in Valinor. The idea that the Blessed Realmers were possibly killing opposing fans was something that needed to be dealt with, and the Cup was ill equipped to handle the problem.

And then there was of course the problem of competitive balance. Leagues thrive on competitiveness, and the more teams that feel they are in the running, the better. A salary cap was necessary to be certain. It was one thing for a team to have a dominant run, but Doriath positively crushed all comers in the 2011 Cup, boasting a roster with nothing except top-tier talent. An all-star team.

Once Eru handed down his verdict, the remainder of the year was spent working on ownership buyouts and cutting deals that left everyone unhappy, but no one completely shafted. All teams were dissolved and all contracts voided. Everything would start again from scratch.

And according to an announcement this morning, the clean-up is officially over. The Arda Cup Committee is ready to receive team proposals from potential ownership groups beginning tomorrow. If approved, the groups will have permission to draw up preliminary contracts within the bounds of the new salary rules. And the rules are-

Minimum Total Salary- 35 million
Maximum Total Salary- 120 million
Maximum Individual- 25 million

Reporters at the press conference immediately inquired about the exceptionally large range, and the spokesman was refreshingly honest about it.

"Well, we have new television contracts and site contract rules etc. and we're not entirely certain how much money teams are going to be earning in the end. We have possibilities set in rules based upon how much total revenue the tournament brings in, but we don't know which set of figures we'll end up with as we don't know how much total money we'll actually be bringing in."

"Our estimates have been all over the place, as in the past it was very de-centralized, with individual sites having a lot of freedom to set prices for attendance and food etc. and offering different sorts of perks. Frankly, there was a lot of under-the-table stuff going on as well. There's just no way to pin down a number, so we've given as wide a range as we're comfortable giving."

The spokesman went on to explain that they needed a rather low end just in case teams didn't make much. "It would be ridiculous to demand that teams spend more than they will be making. Our ownership groups deserve the opportunity to field a successful team while still making a profit."

The spokesman said that the high end is to allow for aggressive groups to buy talent and set a good market for high-end players, but added that it would be at their own risk. "If some squad ends up over-spending, that's their problem."

The only thing the spokesman was sure of profit-wise is that teams would make more money the deeper they advanced into the tournament. "It'll be a tiered reward system."

Needless to say, this next month is going to see a complete flurry of activity. Groups have lawyers working on proposals as we speak, and player-agents are no doubt already receiving phone calls. The short off-season is going to be absolutely frantic, and this reporter can hardly wait to see the results.