Copa Rushmori XL - Sign-Up Thread (ONLY Rushmore)

[Nephara]

yo

[The Askari Union]

yo

(in a tiny, squeaky, disposable puppet voice) yo

[Firinsymnia]

Ye

[Savojarna]

We're in!

[Southwest Eastnorth]

Oh hey count us in!

[San Isidro Labrador]

SIL is back!

[Cassadaigua]

Fillies!

[Eura]

Eura signs up.

[Rushmore]

In. And confirming intention to submit this bid for CR:
viewtopic.php?f=7&t=515660

Would it be possible to get a copy of the bid posted in this thread, if only for transparency's sake?

Also, I am sure some of us would love it if people having any questions specifically pertaining to the Rushmore chapter of this bid could get the chance to have them answered here instead of there.

[South Jeolerina]

I will just post the relevant details here, for the motivation, general IC information, as well as why this is considered "4 bids combined into 1 megabid", please refer to the TGI bid thread. Some of the frequent Q&As may have also been answered there.

The Football Federation of South Jeolerina (FFSJ), on behalf of the Gothanitan Isles Football Confederation (GIFC), will be submitting a bid for the Copa Rushmori. ICly, this will be part of a 4-part megabid by the GIFC for 4 football regionals that will be concurrently held in different parts of the Gothanita Isles.

This host bid will also be open to co-operations. Participants in the CR may contact me should they be willing to be co-hosts (OOCly or ICly) with me on this bid.

So, on to the details.

Format
A standard 2-stage system will be used for this tournament. The only differences will be the use of the Aggregated Group Stage (ICly referred to as the "Jacquan format", though unlike our dear friend? enemy? thing which we don't want to be related to? the Casaran, this is no official name as of present) over a traditional Group Stage. This was first trialed as the first part of the 13th Independent Associations Championship. This time round, however, there will be no Group Stage employed, instead, teams for the knockout round will be selected based on performance in the Aggregated Group Stage.

Given that there are neither a fixed number of groups, nor a fixed size for every group, the format is pretty flexible in terms of numbers. To determine what kind of format I am looking out for, I would prioritize having a workable format based on the number of pots available. The number of matches in the first stage will be purely determined by the number of pots, as seen in the box below:

4 pots (1st choice) - Teams will play against 2 teams from every other pot except their own, for a total of 6 matches against 6 unique opponents.
5 pots (3rd choice) - Teams will play against 1 team from every pot including their own, for a total of 5 matches against 5 unique opponents.
6 pots (2nd choice) - Teams will play against 1 team from every pot except their own, for a total of 5 matches against 5 unique opponents.
7 pots (4th choice) - Teams will play against 1 team from every pot including their own, for a total of 7 matches against 7 unique opponents.

The reason for having intra-pot fixtures in the case of odd number of pots is to avoid the use of a bye, so on the day where it would be a "bye" for a standard group stage format, teams will play against another team in their pot. This is completely intended as a way of reducing the issues associated with a bye and groups with an odd-number of teams.

For the people unfamiliar with what an aggregated group stage is, basically, instead of assigning a fixed group, we will assign opponents. Like a group stage, you will play teams based on a seeding system (and therefore, maintaing the strength of schedules) and fixtures will be known before the start of the tournament. Unlike a group stage, your opponents may not necessarily play the same teams as you; and your results are compared across the tournament (aka an aggregated table), not against your opponents in the same group. At least 3550% of the teams should make it into the knockouts (Round of 16 if we have 3244 teams or less; Round of 32 otherwise). Because there is also no notion of a "group", therefore, the first round of the knockout stage will be seeded purely by aggregated rankings, and therefore, it is possible for "group-stage rematches" to occur at the first knockout round. This is purely to simplify things.

Points will be used to rank teams, with 3 points for a win and 1 for a draw. The following will be used as the tiebreaker for ranking teams for the first stage of the tournament:

Tiebreakers
1. Goal Difference
2. Head-to-head points, if applicable (only if teams tied have all played each other)
3. Head-to-head goal difference, if applicable (only if teams tied have all played each other)
4. Wins
5. Record against common opponents among tied teams, if applicable (only if teams tied have 1 or more common opponent)
6. Coin Flip (Scorinated match(es) using only RP Bonus among tied teams)

*If any tiebreaker can resolve the relative positions of at least 1 team in a multi-way tie, the remaining tied teams shall be compared once again from the start, ie. Goal Difference.

Scorination/RP bonus Details
Matches will be scored using xkoronate 0.3.3, using NSFS, with max CR coefficient + max roster bonus + max RP bonus obtainable being the maximum for every matchday. No home advantage will be turned on, although the host nation(s) will obtain an additional bonus equivalent to the max RP bonus for 1 matchday prior to the start of the tournament. Matches will be scored every 48 hours. Between the group stage draw and the first matchday, at least 72 hours will be granted to allow time for every participant to understand their fixture list. A spreadsheet will also be used to allow participants to view their fixture list.

Teams will be well rewarded for their RP, with the RP bonus scaled such that it is possible for an unranked nation to obtain as much, or even more rank, as compared to the top ranked nation who just posted a roster. Statistics on RP bonus, similar to what has been employed for the ongoing Cup of Harmony, will be provided every matchday. Note that teams need to post a roster to be given a rank equivalent to their coefficient in their ranking system.

Given the possible IC connections, as well as the host nation's intention of bidding for multiple concurrent tournaments, we will try to align the schedules of the tournaments where humanely possible, dependent on when host bids are voted upon. Therefore, there is a possibility of the CR being held on similar schedules on other competitions part of the overall megabid. Please be assured that if the hosting bid for AOCAF and/or MAC and/or CE fails, this hosting bid will proceed as per normal.

Background of the bidder
The user behind South Jeolerina and TGI is more well known by his main, Poafmersia (or PotatoFarmers), famous for his predicted KPB rankings and amazing spreadsheets in every single WCQ cycle since his first. Apart from their spreadsheet exploits, they have also been a member of the IFCF committee, as well as having hosted the 13th Independent Associations Championship (a football tournament, as Poafmersia); the 38th World Lacrosse Championship (as South Jeolerina) and the 2nd Sepak Takraw World Cup (as Otksarin).

We are open for any questions, specifically regarding the bid as a whole, or how the CR portion will be ran.

[Takeshwar]

tak

[Soldera]

Meep meep

[Soldera]

The United Kingdom of Soldera may have relatively recently participated in the World Cup and in prior Copa Rushmoris, but the United Kingdom is eager to show off its newly-built football facilities to the Rushmori region. We believe that serving as a host for the upcoming 40th edition of the Copa Rushmori would be a major feather in our cap and would also serve as a validation for the progress we have made thus far in establishing football as a viable sport in our country.

Therefore, we seek to initiate our own bid for Copa Rushmori hosting duties.

Format
We seek to use a standard single round robin group stage with all matches being contested in Soldera. The specific format of the group stage will depend upon the actual number of nations signed up, but we foresee a format that would potentially allow for anything from a Round of 16 for group winners and runners up to a potential First Round to serve as a play-in or a full-on Round of 32. The knockouts will take place in Soldera with a third place playoff preceding the final by 24 hours. As usual, ranks will be used to rank teams with three points for a win, one point for a draw, no points for a loss, etc.

Group Stage Tiebreakers
1. Head-to-head points
2. Head-to-head goal differential
3. Wins
4. Overall goal differential
5. (ICly) Coin flip (OOCly: RP bonus)
6. Playoff match

Scorination/RP bonus
Matches will be scored using xhoranate 0.3.3, using NSFS, with max coefficient + max roster bonus + max RP bonus. No home advantage will be applied. Matches will be scorinated every 48 hours unless I inform otherwise. There will be at least three RL days between the group draw and Matchday 1.

RP bonus will be cumulative and will not degrade at any point. The intention is for an unranked nation that RPs consistently to have a fair chance to beat a highly ranked team that hasn't RP'd. Any nation that seeks to have its ranking applied must post a roster including a style modifier of +5 to -5. If you do not include a style modifier, zero will be chosen for you. You may change this style modifier once during the tournament, which must include an IC reason that's RP'd AND a TG to me requesting the change. I have a Discord, but please do not contact me there to request changes to your style modifier.

About Soldera
While the United Kingdom has not hosted an international event before, the user behind Soldera is also the user behind Sarzonia. As Sarzonia, I've co-hosted World Cup 57 and two Cups of Harmony. In addition, I solo-hosted World Bowl XIV, which was at the time the largest World Bowl in history with 72 participant nations. It remains tied with World Bowl XV for the largest World Bowl ever. In addition, I also hosted several smaller tournaments including two editions of the Jenna Raven Cup (aka the Women's World Cup) and four editions of the NS World Cup of Masters.

Any questions, please feel free to ask/offer feedback.

[Note: Edited to clarify that World Bowl XIV was a solo hosting effort. The original text implied that I also co-hosted that tournament.]

[Eastfield Lodge]

This filled up quickly...
Add me as well please.

[Srednjaci]

Can we play this

[Pasarga]

In, possible host bid as well.

In this "XL" edition of the Copa Rushmori, the PFA wishes to bring the tournament back to one of the founding members of the tournament in the dual islands and thusly is presenting this bid in an attempt to win the hosting rights to the tournament.

Format
While the final number of entrants is yet to be determined, we feel comfortable that the tournament will consist of thirty-two entrants as the last three editions have done so. As such, the bid will look to use a standard 8 groups of 4 teams each in a single round robin group stage, where the top two in the group will advance into the knockout stages. There will be 48 hours between scorination, bar the 3rd Place Playoff, which will take place 24 hours after the Semifinals. All matches will be held in Pasarga, with the Final taking place in Torgos where the tournament was first conceived.

Tiebreakers
1. Goal Difference
2. Head to head result
3. Wins
4. IC Coin Flip (OOC: RP bonus)
5. Goals For

In the event of three+ tie, the tiebreakers will be applied to break the first tie and then reset to break the second and so forth.

Scorination and RP Bonus
If awarded the tournament, matches will be scored using NSFS 3, with no home advantage applied. Maxrank will be set to the highest ranked competitor + 1 max MD worth of RP bonus, as this is believed to create the fairest outcomes. Pasarga will be given one full matchdays worth of max RP bonus in order to simulate home advantage. The Copa Rushmori ranks will be used and used to determine the pots for the group stage draw. There will be a minimum of 72 hours between the draw and Matchday 1.

RP bonus will be cumulative and will not degrade. A significant roster bonus will be used in order to incentivize at least minimum participation in the tournament. Rosters posted before Matchday One will be awarded twice their normal bonus, rosters posted before Matchday Two will be awarded their normal bonus, and rosters posted post Matchday Two will receive half their normal bonus. Style modifiers will be used but limited to +3 to -3. If you do not indicate a style modifier, your modifier will be set to 0. The RP bonus that will be used will be significant to allow fair opportunity for well RPing entries to achieve a result. Quality will be valued over quantity, you do not need to write pages of content to achieve a high RP grade.

Hosting Experience
The user behind Pasarga has hosted more WCC tournaments than anyone else, along with multiple regional tournaments in both the Copa Rushmori and AOCAF, the curator for the Di Bradini Cup, AOCL, and CdC, as well as the former curator of the Hockey Champions' League, and a member of the IFCF Hosting Pool. With this being one of the memorable editions of the Copa Rushmori, I am bidding to bring about an IC celebration to the tournament, bringing it to one of the three nations that founded the tournament (along with Nethertopa, C&M, and later with support from Sargossa).

Any questions about the bid or feedback given, feel free to ask either here, through TGs, or DM me on Discord.

[Space Elephants]

Thundering Herd

[Graintfjall]

Soldera: The other bidders will be awarding themselves a host bonus, do you plan on doing same?

While there's no guarantee they will respond here, I'm curious whether other recent hosts (Astograth/Savojarna, Mytanija, Eura, Hispinas) did this, as I don't remember it being mentioned in bids.

Pasarga: Given there are already 34 signups not counting puppets, will you be rejecting the last 2 signups?

South Jeolerina: The AGS worked well in IAC but that tournament has a different participant make-up. In IAC, it skimmed out a large number of unranked, non-RPing members. The CR has a much lower proportion of such members. At present, with 34 signups, it looks like you'd be running the first group stage just to eliminate 2 teams? 5 if you throw in the puppets.

[Gnejs]

Like to participate, if still open for sign-ups. No worries if not doable.

[South Jeolerina]

South Jeolerina: The AGS worked well in IAC but that tournament has a different participant make-up. In IAC, it skimmed out a large number of unranked, non-RPing members. The CR has a much lower proportion of such members. At present, with 34 signups, it looks like you'd be running the first group stage just to eliminate 2 teams? 5 if you throw in the puppets.

Ah, no I miscounted. I was mainly thinking about a 32-ish number for the CR and CE when I wrote the original bid, and a 48-ish number for the AOCAF. Now we have crossed the bar, and we are at 38 signups, the Round of 16 is still in play. My next optimal numbers are 40 (4 pots), 42 (6 pots), 44 (4 pots) and 45 (5 pots), anything more will likely be 48 teams and only then will we end up with a Round of 32.

[Soldera]

Soldera: The other bidders will be awarding themselves a host bonus, do you plan on doing same?

Yes, but a very modest one, and only during the group stages. I had a mind to not give one with the IC reason being my domestic football is still trying to find its footing, but in the end, I don't know how significant the bonus I would give Soldera would be for the team to qualify for the knockout rounds.

Obviously, if Soldera were to advance to said knockout rounds, I would seek third party scorination.

[Pasarga]

Pasarga: Given there are already 34 signups not counting puppets, will you be rejecting the last 2 signups?

Well firstly, I am happy to see the tournament having such involvement and growth. As for your question, no, I am willing to expand beyond the 32 team format. I'd prefer to have 40 to use 8x5, but am willing to adapt to other numbers to include all those who wish to participate in this edition of the tournament. An expanded tournament would reduce the possible RP gained per MD but keep the intention the same to allow RPing nations a fair chance at pulling results.

[Yue Zhou]

Thanks for bidding, all. I have faith in all three bidders to competently run this edition of the CR, and it's great to see so much interest in hosting the event.

Questions for South Jeolerina and Soldera:

1. Given that both of your nations are relatively new to Rushmore, is there anything particular you plan to do while hosting to better familiarize other RPers with your nation?
2. Which pot would your nation be put in for the draw if they are chosen to host?

[South Jeolerina]

Questions for South Jeolerina and Soldera:

1. Given that both of your nations are relatively new to Rushmore, is there anything particular you plan to do while hosting to better familiarize other RPers with your nation?
2. Which pot would your nation be put in for the draw if they are chosen to host?

1. Worldbuilding. The history of South Jeolerina has quite a few gaps, with some interactions with other nations across regions missing. The RPs and RP prompts as part of ny hosting will hopefully spark something and allow me to fill those goals.
2. Whichever pot SJ is in by the post-CR39 ranks.

[Graintfjall]

Thanks for answering the questions, all three.