Hello all,
First of all, sorry to not publish it in french. (Hope someone could help
)
As most of you probably could remember, I am one of the most unpopular NAF players of 2011. Most of my considerations were subjected to a "WC bitterness" point of view which, in fact, has no longer arguments.
I am still concerned about NAF organization, lack of proactive behavior, and bias treatment for his members. I wait 8 (eight) months from the first discussion to let WC pass and to begin to discuss very important things (IMO).
My concerns are related to really improve NAF organization, clarify NAF decisions and bring NAF the opportunity of grow up in a logic manner.
I don't want to take my comments as personal attacks (it will be, anycase).
All the issues presented and examples given are only for clarification purposes. I really think NAF grew up so much to simply keep going on as we made past years, in a semi-professional, friendly way of do things. My opinion is that we have lots of things to get better. This is not a question of personal failure, it is more related with simply inertial movement.
I really want to get feedback, specially from NAF statements, in a clear, way-to-do things or simply in a manner to discard ideas. Clear conclussions from NAF I guess are required; because after 2009 NAF elections no clear goals were published nor achieved. We are just (more or less) in the same way of do things and with the same achievents that I found in 2005 when join NAF.
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NAF ORGANIZATION ISSUES
1.- Organism composition and direction.
NAF TOs: I wonder most NAF TOs are doing a great job. Even do, I think
all NAF positions should be subjected to member election. From my knowledge, just President, Tournament Director and Treasurer are subjected to election.
I suggest
the creation of a Country NAF TO position if necessary to coordinate NAF TO work in countries with more than one TO. And also to organize all country-related NAF events (see below).
EXPERTS: I heard some times about a number of very experienced NAF players who advise NAF decissions in some issues (e.g. WC). I really belive that this
"Expert Comitee" should be both public and elected by members. A number of experts from each NAF country should be defined and voted by NAF members of each country. Otherwise, NAF members could vote a general "Expert Comitee" without country considerations.
Expert decissions should be public and nominative. For the public knowledge of all NAF members (to, eventually, change their votes in succesive elections).
PRESIDENT and other
I think all candidates to be elected
should present an electoral program. Numbering the goals that they want to achieve in coming years. I guess it was done (at least in some way) for NAf president election in 2009, but I did not find it easily.
2.- Decision follow up
I propose NAF President, Tournament Director and Treasurer present a semestral inform of actions taken, problems solved, future considerations and open discussions between and amog NAF organization and Expert Comitee.
3.- Funds
As a non-profit, member supported organization,
NAF should make the money accounts public. For general knowledge about NAF investments in different areas, and to proper follow up NAF organization decisions.
4.- Tournaments
PRIZES: After NAF accounts became public, Tournament Director should actively work to improve NAF support in terms of prizes (casting new teams for Extra Teams, according comapnies support to NAF, etc).
TOURNAMENT RULES: I think is necessary a clear ruleset to have a NAF sanctioned tournament.
By now, NAF is allowing Eurobowl to be NAF sanctioned even not following the present ruleset. As player, I trully belive this is negatively affecting NAF image, as
some veteran players (most of them very well conneted with NAF statements) are simply not following NAF rules, NAF elected positions included. This is a bias treatment among NAF members, as invitational tourneys arenot allowed to be NAF sanctioned. NAF always pretend all NAF members are equal, but in fact it is still rewarding some of them over others.
This situation should be solved by NAF, as Eurobowl is NAF sanctioned, not from countries by itself. This is because no one among country players have decission power in NAF bussiness. The elected Country NAF TO could fix this situation if created, as he(she) will be NAF voice inside the country and country players voice in the NAF.
Answers from NAF untill now just avoid NAF responsability in NAF sanctioning an invitational (or at least, a not fully open) NAF tournament.
I suggest:
- Cancel Eurobowl NAF sanctioning.
- Change Eurobowl registration to open access (first come, first served way).
- Change NAF sanctioning ruleset to permit invitational (or not fully open) tournaments.
NAF TOURNAMENTS:
- Continental tournaments: NAF should consider to support and/or organize a number of Continental tournaments (Europe, America, Australia at least). These tournaments could be proposed, coordinated and even co-organizated by NAF through Country NAF TO. Following a clear ruleset to submit, publish, vote and choose venues (see below). And, for sure,
open access to all NAF members.
- NAF WC: A clear, fixed ruleset is necessary for NAF WC. Venue submissions should be public and follow NAF clear guidelines; Expert Comitee should be public and elected as well (as said before); venue elections should be clear and public too.
5.- Website
FORUMS: I guess NAF have right now the power and credibility to centralize the most important BloodBowl country forums. It is said in terms of hosting and linking, not to move all of them to NAF forum. Maybe a soft change in each forum's fashion could be done in order to unify style.
TOURNAMENT MANAGER: Informatic experts and website designers for sure could
make a Tournament Publisher website to publish ruleset, register players and download results easier than each tourney having its own website. It is also necessary for the tournaments that doesn't have the chance to have a proper website to manage.
NAF RANKING: Data output of NAF ranking should be optimized. I guess communit could provide all data needed to set up NAF ranking output by year, LRB, TR, etc.
6.- Volunteers
As most of readers here already noted, this set of suggestions/questions/reclamations are huge. I guess NAF have enough human critical mass to
perform punctual recruitments of volunteers to achieve particular goals.
Goals could be organized in comitees subjected to NAF President/Tournament Director/Treasurer (depending on topic) or Country NAF TO (even Expert Comitee member) coordination, ensuring the project will go on properly.
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This is my first set of consideration, which, BTW, I'm going to publish in spanish forum for the general spanish players knowledge (as the NAF forum is sadly underused).
My personal feelings about NAF are contradictory. I join NAF 6 years ago in a very enthusyatic way. NAF provided us many advantadges as players.
6 years after, things did not go better in a sensible manner.
- NAF decissions are obscure and secret until done. No participation is requiered out of "friendly veteran players group" that already decide the little is done.
- regarding this, NAF usage of money is also secret, which is directly ilegal for non-profit organizations in some countries.
- Some NAF players could overpass NAF rules in order to get their personal tournament forgetting NAF defense of equality.
- NAF forum is unused and not a reference at all for Bloodbowl players.
- Tournament list are mostly useless as just express the date of the tourney and TR (mostly). Every single tourney should manage registration, tournament managing and results submission.
All this things make me feel a little bit sad. You, guys, elected by 500 out of thousand members have behind you the power of all NAF members, but just because most of them don't care about NAF (just about dice and some discount). I think main NAF goal should be to involve as much as possible as many members it could. Nothing is done it that way.
Hope this make some people think a little at least. If not, then maybe take the dice and run is the better chance.
Thank you.
Accueil 
Ven 18 Nov 2011 - 15:24