Input on a 2021 ACF Regionals super-site

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caroline
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Input on a 2021 ACF Regionals super-site

Post by caroline »

ACF would like to inquire about teams’ opinions about hosting a 2021 Regionals “super-site” of top teams from around the country. Such a tournament would allow these teams to have an intense competitive experience while also giving other teams a chance to be regionally competitive. (As a reminder, 2021 Regionals will not be a Nationals qualifier; ACF is working on an alternative plan for 2021 Nationals qualification at this time.) We would appreciate your opinions on the following:
  • Whether you are in favor of the general idea of a Regionals super-site
  • The amount of teams: we would like to limit the number of teams playing such a super-site in order to avoid depressing regional site attendance and competition level in smaller regions, but we are still discussing the exact number of teams. Please keep in mind that the field size should also be conducive to a feasible schedule.
  • Whether site registration should be invitation-only, first-come first-serve, or work on another system
  • Whether a super-site’s existence would affect your desire to attend Regionals (and how)
A survey on these topics has been emailed out to teams who played Fall and Winter, which we encourage you to fill out so we can analyze responses as efficiently as possible, but players are also encouraged to post their thoughts here. Teams can also fill out the survey using this link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIp ... g/viewform
Caroline Mao • 毛宇晨 [they/she]
Barnard College '22, American International School of Guangzhou '18
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VSCOelasticity
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Re: Input on a 2021 ACF Regionals super-site

Post by VSCOelasticity »

    This would be a lot of fun, and makes me more excited for Regionals! (Presuming that Florida is invited/my teammates want to register).

    I personally think 20ish teams would be nice. Something that approximates the top two brackets of Nats. I don't think this would depress regional sites more than a 10ish team/one top bracket would.

    Invitation-only would be tricky. What is the metric? The pre-season poll? Winter/IKEA ppb? But, on the other hand, a first-come first-serve approach could defeat the purpose of a super-site if a bunch of teams signed up before the likes of Stanford A, Illinois A, Chicago A, or Columbia A.

    An idea that came to mind is: invites could be sent based on the pre-season poll, but then a team's invite expires if they do not get their packet in by the second packet submission date. After that date, teams not originally invited would be added based on a waitlist queue, if there is room.

    My only concern is staff. I feel like a super-site would slightly increase the number of teams playing Regionals while simultaneously decreasing available staff, as some nationals contending teams would play at the super-site instead of staffing their regional site. With sites for both Fall and Winter asking for staff up until the day before the tournament, the slight reduction in staffers/increase in players could cause logistical issues for regional sites.

    There are some possible counterarguments (that I can think of/that have been brought to my attention on Discord) to the above paragraph that would obviate any staffing worries:
    • Teams playing the super-site wouldn't actually provide that much staff to regional sites
    • The loss of staff is offset by the reduced turnout for Regionals as compared to the turnout for Fall and Winter
    • Hold the super-site on a different date
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