|
|
Post by sIsam on Sept 2, 2004 13:01:15 GMT -5
12 teams to compete in groups of 6
Group A: Tenerife (Spa), Baku (Aze), Sant'Orsola Asystel Novara (Ita), Kalisz (Pol), Belgrado (SeM), Besiktas (Tur)
Group B: Bergamo (Ita), Urallotchka (Rus), Cannes (Fra), Las Palmas (Spa), Biesko Biala (Pol), Vakifbank Gunessigorta (Tur).
Top three teams from each group after home/away round robin will qualify for play-offs and from there three will qualify for the Final 4 to join the host which is yet to be determined.
|
|
|
|
Post by foreignball on Sept 2, 2004 16:29:25 GMT -5
All teams are only from 6 countries. Do TUR, ITA, SPA and POL have 2 NT champs?  |
|
|
|
Post by Murina on Sept 2, 2004 19:34:48 GMT -5
All teams are only from 6 countries. Do TUR, ITA, SPA and POL have 2 NT champs? Picky, picky... 8 countries actually. TUR, ITA, SPA, POL, SeG, RUS, AZE, FRA I haven't been paying as close attention as I would like, but I think they are having trouble getting the teams that qualify to participate... For example: last season France had qualified 2 teams to participate in ECL (Cannes - Didn't finish last in pool, and Villobron (?) finished top 4 in TTC). Cannes played ECL last year, but the team that finished 2nd in PRO A (I forget who it was) didn't play ECL... I'm pretty sure there were other similar situations. |
|
|
|
Post by foreignball on Sept 2, 2004 23:01:53 GMT -5
Did count them wrong, my bad.
The point actually was about teams selection. It used to be a team (the actual champ) per country plus the last season winner. I think it was fair. At least the name of the event implies only the champions have the right to participate. Several years ago some really weird qualification rules were implemented – by rankings, by last year finish, whatever. Basically those advance bigger/richer clubs so they can participate almost every year and make more profits (same thing with the EURO soccer champ league). Quite a few teams seem to have subscription for the event because they have played in this event every year since the rules change took place. In some years they were not even close to their Nat Champ title.
|
|
|
|
Post by Murina on Sept 3, 2004 0:12:42 GMT -5
Did count them wrong, my bad. The point actually was about teams selection. It used to be a team (the actual champ) per country plus the last season winner. I think it was fair. At least the name of the event implies only the champions have the right to participate. Several years ago some really weird qualification rules were implemented – by rankings, by last year finish, whatever. Basically those advance bigger/richer clubs so they can participate almost every year and make more profits (same thing with the EURO soccer champ league). Quite a few teams seem to have subscription for the event because they have played in this event every year since the rules change took place. In some years they were not even close to their Nat Champ title. I know what you are talking about...: Slovenia shouldn't have had a ECL spot last year, but there was Nova KBM in anyway... Last time I read the ECL rules (a year or so ago) it was up to each federation to designate before hand which champions would qualify for ECL and TTC. The possibilities were National League Champion, National Tournament Champion, and if the country does not have both a NL and NT, then the runner up of whichever they have can qualify. If the same team wins both the NT and NL, the runner up from the event the federation decided ahead of time qualifies. It could have been that some teams won their national tournament, but finished poorly in their national league. A team's place in the ECL has nothing to do with their qualifing for next year's ECL. Ex1: Perugia made final 4 last year, but won't participate this year. Ex2: Eczacibasi held Turkey's only spot in ECL last year, but will play in CEV Cup this year. From last years ECL: SCG should have lost one spot in ECL and did. SLO should have lost their spot in ECL and did. HUN should have lost their spot in ECL and did. CRO should have lost their spot in ECL and did. SUI should have kept their spot in ECL but has no team in ECL. From last year's TTC: GER should have earned two spots in ECL but has no teams in ECL. BEL should have earned a spot in ECL but has no teams in ECL. TUR should have earned a second spot in ECL and did. In the last 3 years women's ECL has gone from 16 teams to 15 teams to 12 this year... The men's ECL has held steady at 20 teams. I haven't studied the men's tournaments! |
|
|
|
Post by sIsam on Sept 3, 2004 0:33:35 GMT -5
Some teams/countries opt to compete in Top Teams or CEV Cup instead of IECL because they do not have the funds for IECL. Germany does this a lot on women's side and this year Belgium too. In Turkey, for example, Besiktas who finished 2nd to Vakif were given the option of participating either in CL or in Top Teams. They opted to CL. Eczacibasi was third so they go Top Teams. If Besiktas had wanted to go to Top Teams, Eczacibasi would have participated in CL for Turkey in addition to Vakif.
As you say previous year's result does not impact a specific team's return but it affects the number of squads their country gets to the specific tourney. The maximum is two for CL and with a rule change this year, in addition to 2 spots in CL a country gets 1 spot at Top Teams (which is supposed to be the 2nd prestigious tourney in Europe but usually stays behind CEV Cup due to the past two team limitation in IECL + Top Teams).
|
|
