So, I just realised I might be really weird

[LewisQ]

Thanks for reading, deecee110!

The new season is underway in Avrilia, with three trophies already awarded. The New Year Cup (for the four senior clubs in the Northern city of Collington) witnessed a shock, as Eppeshall beat giants Pearsons on penalties in the final after a 1-1 draw. In the city of Insford (Sakatar province), Bluestripes continued their customany dominance by defeating Insford Town 2-1 in the final of the Challenger Goblet.

This tournament also witnessed a somewhat baffling milestone in the history of Avrilian football, as 54,568 people - a national record - turned out to see Insford Rail beat Capelprice in the quarter-final. This was Insford Rail's first game in their new 56,000-seater stadium. Quite why so many people trooped in to witness one third-tier team beat another 1-0 (with a penalty) in the last eight of a municipal cup competition is beyond me - see the post below for the full, bizarre backstory. 

Sakatar City defeated the Avrilian national selection 5-2 on aggregate to win the season-opening ForceSport Super Cup. All six provincial championships are now underway, along with Pro League First.

The Eastern Premier Trophy was the last provincial championship to kick off (it started this Sunday), but has already produced a doozy of a feat, as Mablonda's Keith Engel had an eventful morning against Port Sunday, scoring an unusual "hat-trick" which consisted of his own side's opening goal and two own-goals in a 2-2 draw.

 

Edited March 5, 2018 by LewisQ

[LewisQ]

A unique event in Avrilia this past week. In the first round of the NFA Cup, Pro League First side Sandcombe recorded a 4-0 win over Eastern village team Londale F.C. Nothing so extraordinary about that - except that all four goals came from penalties scored by midfielder Alex Walshe. I had a look at the highlights, and all four penalties went low to the keeper's right. 

In other news, third-tier Insford Rail continue to attract crowds of 53,000+ to their brand-new stadium. The stadium, part of the municipal authority's CITY II initiative, is the most impressive in Avrilia. However, the mammoth attendance figures are slightly misleading. The stadium also hosts the most luxurious, state-of-the-art entertainment complex in the country. The Museum of Football is a particular attraction, along with a major art gallery, five-star hotel and spa, a huge number of performance spaces - currently hosting residencies by some of Avrilia's top stars - and a rideable, outdoor model railway which circles the stadium and features mock-ups of every city (and station) in Avrilia. There's also the opportunity to play five-a-side against a rolling selection of Avrilian football legends. These heavily-discounted attractions are only available on match-days, partly explaining the mammoth attendance figures, which include tourists flocking from throughout the country.

Again, the above is my attempt to rationalise quite why tiny Insford Rail are pulling in such enormous crowds.

[Minuy600]

I have some questions about this pretty great database: What country did you replace with Avrilla? And did you change the flag and some details like the amount of inhabitants or is that simply hard coded into the game already?

[Smkx_Muldoon]

I've just discovered this topic. I'm only 2 pages in but it's brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. Will catch up later tonight when I have some time.

[Smkx_Muldoon]

I love the idea of the Christmas Cup and as it's played in real time, it's become a tradition to you. How do you play in real time, do you try and do one FM day per real life day, or just stop at the next FM match and wait until that day arrives?

[bbuullddoogg]

Just discovered this thread also and totally love it! We are encouraged to stop using our imagination when we become adults. Well done for bucking the trend.

 

It would be nothing like this but I keep thinking of restructuring the leagues in Europe to different regions with multiple divisions. I feel like if you can do this, I can definitely do that! You've almost inspired me to start...

[LewisQ]

On 17/04/2018 at 18:40, Smkx_Muldoon said:

I love the idea of the Christmas Cup and as it's played in real time, it's become a tradition to you. How do you play in real time, do you try and do one FM day per real life day, or just stop at the next FM match and wait until that day arrives?

Hi, @Smkx_Muldoon. I open up FM 10 every day and advance it to the end of the current day, taking note of all the games and results, and major news stories. Depending on how many games are played, it takes me from 30 minutes to an hour per day (unless my own team have a game, in which case I play it through on full). Sometimes the game skips ahead more than one day if there are no matches to be played, and sometimes I'll miss a couple of days and catch up if I'm particularly busy with work or away from home etc.

[Snorks]

and this thread is just one example of why this is such a great game!

I used to, in the past, invent a club of my own, Mattyville United and start them in the lowest available league.

Have to admit that now I tend to play a random club from the start and a career save.

[Minuy600]

Is there a way to see the standings of the league you're playing in? I'm very interested in this save, it's a bit of a shame not to see a whole lot of information on it.

[LewisQ]

On 25/05/2018 at 21:26, Minuy600 said:

Is there a way to see the standings of the league you're playing in? I'm very interested in this save, it's a bit of a shame not to see a whole lot of information on it.

Hi @Minuy600, here are the current tables from Pro League Premier and Pro League First. Unfortunately, the third tier is separated into sixteen Qualifying Groups, so it's not really practical to upload them all here!

Sakatar City, who are romping to their eighth title in nine years, just endured an incredible run of five games in five days. Four of these were Municipal Cup group-phase matches against lower-league opposition, which City navigated safely, setting a new Avrilian record of consecutive unbeaten games by defeating Omegans 1-0 at Bow End (by which time only a ragtag of youth team players were left standing).

The last game in the punishing five-team run came against Northern giants Pearsons in an NFA Cup quarter-final. City left 2-0 inside five minutes, before Pearsons hit back to level things at 2-2 before the break. There were no further goals in normal time, but teenage striker Adam Walker was unleashed from the bench to score a magnificent hat-trick, a remarkable game finishing 6-3 to Sakatar City.

Sakatar City should beat Lakeley Newtown in the semi and face Picavella Strollers, who overcame F.C. Freistadt 1-0, in the final. City trounced Picavella 7-0 in last year's final, and the third-tier Southerners have shown remarkable resilience to reach the final again in 2018.

Just a reminder that I've been playing through this save in real-time since 2010, and am posting from my fourth different residence since the save began!

[ManchesterCentralFUN]

7 hours ago, LewisQ said:

Hi @Minuy600, here are the current tables from Pro League Premier and Pro League First. Unfortunately, the third tier is separated into sixteen Qualifying Groups, so it's not really practical to upload them all here!

Sakatar City, who are romping to their eighth title in nine years, just endured an incredible run of five games in five days. Four of these were Municipal Cup group-phase matches against lower-league opposition, which City navigated safely, setting a new Avrilian record of consecutive unbeaten games by defeating Omegans 1-0 at Bow End (by which time only a ragtag of youth team players were left standing).

The last game in the punishing five-team run came against Northern giants Pearsons in an NFA Cup quarter-final. City left 2-0 inside five minutes, before Pearsons hit back to level things at 2-2 before the break. There were no further goals in normal time, but teenage striker Adam Walker was unleashed from the bench to score a magnificent hat-trick, a remarkable game finishing 6-3 to Sakatar City.

Sakatar City should beat Lakeley Newtown in the semi and face Picavella Strollers, who overcame F.C. Freistadt 1-0, in the final. City trounced Picavella 7-0 in last year's final, and the third-tier Southerners have shown remarkable resilience to reach the final again in 2018.

Just a reminder that I've been playing through this save in real-time since 2010, and am posting from my fourth different residence since the save began!

What year is it ingame. 

[PThomason01]

8 hours ago, LewisQ said:

Sakatar City should beat Lakeley Newtown in the semi and face Picavella Strollers, who overcame F.C. Freistadt 1-0, in the final. City trounced Picavella 7-0 in last year's final, and the third-tier Southerners have shown remarkable resilience to reach the final again in 2018.

Just a reminder that I've been playing through this save in real-time since 2010, and am posting from my fourth different residence since the save began!

 

59 minutes ago, ManchesterCentralFUN said:

What year is it ingame. 

I'm going to take a wild guess and say 2018.

[herne79]

9 hours ago, LewisQ said:

Just a reminder that I've been playing through this save in real-time since 2010, and am posting from my fourth different residence since the save began!

Wow.  If that and the creation of your own footballing world doesn't deserve some sort of medal from SI, I don't know what does .

@Neil Brock

[Neil Brock]

This is unbelievable :

[YKW]

Continued love and appreciation @LewisQ !

As it happens, I was recently luckily enough to take a trip to Avrilia! We arrived in Terecuda City during the dead of day, but as soon as things livened up we managed to take a helicopter trip and catch the view!

 

I'll have to give you the full story at some point, as it was a great trip. 

One thing I should mention though: While at an S&M Dungeon in Fontana I bumped into a few guys who ended up being National League referees! One guy in particular, his name was Eric (Ellis I think), had some very interesting opinions on some of the slightly more sinister sides of Avrilian football. He seemed to believe that it was no co-incidence that Fontana United 98 had seen increased success since the town had legalised large scale gambling. I didn't think that meant anything particular, but he then went on to imply that he and others had colluded to ensure the success of East Allen. Gaining promotion and winning the league the following season was certainly suspicious, I agreed. 

I couldn't really be sure if he was just a crazy, rambling drunk but he insisted that he had been within the system so long that he could see exactly how it worked. Apparently it all started with Mablonda. Their success in the early 00's had instigated a political shift too significant to be ignored. The "next Mablonda," or so he put it, would be a meticulously created illusion designed to allow total control over the political beliefs and passions of the country. I scoffed and began to choke on smoke, forcing me to extinguish my cigarette on the outstretched palm of my loyal Sakatari slave - who was also serving as my chair at the time. 

But Eric was insistent. Avrilian football had long been grotesquely illuminated by the burning light of match fixing and corruption. 

The Altchan network were in on it too, he said. They had commissioned a pioneering show which they had speciously claimed was designed to investigate match-fixing. It's real purpose, Eric said, was to control public perception of the possibilities. He also claimed that the Sakatar City '70 vs Gold Swords '66 virtual match was just a trial run for something much bigger. In the future there would be no real football, just a series of digitally constructed matches designed to take the Avrilian people on a rollercoaster of emotions. A digital match in front of full stadium of digital fans. Why would Insford Rail, who barely saw gates of one thousand, need a 50,000 seater stadium? I agreed it was strange.

Is the City II project really a lie?! I'd keep an eye out for any funny business, Lewis. 

[MBarbaric]

If Trump somehow hears about this, I think Avrilia might find itself under sanctions from the USA and possible invasion. Freedom to Avrilia!!!

[DetCommander]

LewisQ 

A kindred Spirit I have spent more time on data editor making my nation than actually playing it! 

 

 

[LewisQ]

On 07/08/2018 at 17:11, YKW said:

 

Is the City II project really a lie?! I'd keep an eye out for any funny business, Lewis. 

I can confirm that none of the above is true, and that Eric Ellis's recent beating by persons unknown is entirely coincidental and being investigated with the utmost seriousness.

Sakatar City have wrapped up their fourth consecutive title and have repeated last year's feat of winning the quintuple (ForceSport Super Cup, Sakatar Grand Provincial, Pro League Premier, NFA Cup and Sakatar Municipal Cup). They are now gearing up for an unprecedented clean sweep.

With the regular season over for Pro League Premier clubs, City have a chance to charge their batters before taking their tilt at the Christmas Cup. It will be a tall order; although City have utterly dominated Avrilian football over the past nine years, they have only won two Christmas Cups in that period.

A curious tradition attaches to the Christmas Cup; as a mark of respect and hospitality, the home team wears a modified kit which incorporates elements of their opponents' colours and design. These are one-off kits which aren't sold commercially, and stem from the days when Christmas Cup hosts used to actually wear their opponents' shirts or socks.

 See below for Sakatar City's modified kits for the group stage of the Christmas Cup, compared to their regular kits for the 2018 season.

 

Edited September 28, 2018 by LewisQ

[RWClarke]

Just enjoyed a read through this thread. Absolutely love it, great work! On a smaller scale, I've designed & branded one or two fictional clubs and thrown them into the database to see what would happen. Recently I threw the small local town of Frodsham into the National League North with a overly high budget. They blew the majority on appointing Terry Butcher, sacked him rather quickly within the first season, and eventually settled in League One for a bit, then imploded financially and plummeted back down. Always a great time killer.

Edited September 28, 2018 by RWClarke

[LewisQ]

Just an update from Avrilia: Sakatar City completed the first ever clean sweep in Avrilian history when beating Gold Swords 4-1 in the Christmas Cup Final on Christmas Eve. Gold Swords took the lead with a free-kick from Chris Patterson, but a fine breakaway goal from Brett Davies levelled things up at half-time. Chris McGillen scored his 52nd goal of the season from the penalty spot, before assisting Lionel O'Connor for the clinching third goal and scoring a 53rd goal of the season late on (this took his tally over the past two seasons to 100 goals).

For the record, Sakatar City's clean sweep consisted of:

ForceSport Super Cup (pre-season super cup competition against national select XI)

Sakatar Municipal Cup (cup competition for senior clubs in the capital city, Sakatar)

Sakatar Grand Provincial (provincial cup)

National Football Association Cup (main cup competition)

Pro League Premier

Christmas Cup

[LewisQ]

An update from Avrilia, as my save approaches the end of its tenth year. I'm still playing through in real time.

2019 HEADLINES

• Sakatar City's total domination continues, as they pick up their 9th title in 10 years. However, they (we) won't repeat their 2018 clean sweep of available trophies, having lost 0-1 to city rivals F.C. Freistadt in the Municipal Cup final. They did, however, win the Forcesport Super Cup, NFA Cup and Grand Provincial Cup in addition to the league. They're now in the last sixteen of Christmas Cup.
• Sakatar City striker Chris McGillen, the greatest goalscorer in Avrilian history, has won yet another Double Fehador medal for 40 goals in a season (although he is slowing down - he scored 53 in 2018 and 57 in 2017).
• The historical Big Four finished in the top four position (1: Sakatar City 2: Gold Swords 3: Bluestripes 4: Pearsons)
• West Insford's long stay in Pro League Premier has ended. They were relegated along with Malternan. Amergina, despite a nightmare season, survived the relegation play-off against Picavella Strollers of Pro League First.
• East Allen easily won the Pro League First title, promoted alongside Kohlenburg (who also won the Southern provincial championship).
• Terecuda City suffered a second successive relegation, dropping out of the Pro Leagues for the first time this century. Capelprice Gardens of Insford also went down, along with Clariners and Union, who were relegated in heartbreaking circumstances on the last day. 
• The bizarre story of Insford Rail continues. The railway team, traditionally the seventh-biggest in the city of Insford, moved into a brand spanking new stadium built by the local council, and have been filling it with 53,000 fans - easily the biggest average attendance in the country - on a regular basis. Nonetheless, they didn't challenge for promotion from Pro League First and were eliminated at the group stages of the Christmas Cup.
• Northlands, one of the most geographically remote teams in Avrilia, finally made it back into the Pro Leagues. Lakeley and Holmgrove also return to the Pro League, with Outerwood (another Insford side) the final team to make it through the gruelling National Play-Off Round process.
• For the first time since I started this save, a team racked up ten goals in a match. Pro League Premier side Yluf Argan thumped Eastern Naval 10-0 in the group stages of the Eastern Premier Trophy. Eastern Naval, traditionally one of the weakest sides in Avrilian football, had something of an excuse; due to their participation in the Services Trophy, they were playing their third game in three days. Yluf Argan went on to win both the Eastern Premier Trophy and the Eastern Football Association Northern Plate. Eastern Naval, weirdly, went on to have their best season in a decade, finishing fourth in their league Qualifying Group.
• The Christmas Cup group stage reached its conclusion at the weekend. The last 16 ties will be played this week, with the final, as ever, taking place on Christmas Eve.

Want to know anything else? Just ask!

[Minuy600]

Great to see you back

Do you have the final table of every season of the PLP and PLF in a way? I'd gladly make a big ol' ranking of the clubs that have participated over the seasons, would be a pleasure.

[Jibby123]

Bonkers, but brilliant.  

[LewisQ]

3 hours ago, Minuy600 said:

Great to see you back

Do you have the final table of every season of the PLP and PLF in a way? I'd gladly make a big ol' ranking of the clubs that have participated over the seasons, would be a pleasure.

That'd be great! Posted them below the spoiler tag. Note that it shows the seasons as e.g. 2009/2010 rather than just 2010 for some reason, even though the Avrilian season runs February-December.

Spoiler

 

Edited December 3, 2019 by LewisQ

[Declan Cahill]

On 22/06/2014 at 03:38, LewisQ said:

This is my confession.

Like a lot of people, I had an imaginary country when I was young. I first conjured mine in about 1995, when I was 14 years old. Having a fairly precocious interest in geography and politics, this hobby involved the creation of maps, newspapers, and an entire cultural and historical backstory. My country reflected my own personality and circumstances, life events etc.

Being obsessed with football, however, it also involved the painstaking construction of an entire sporting ecosystem. I used the fairly primitive, but highly customisable, PC game Striker to create a four-division league, which I played through meticulously for several seasons. Eventually, I grew out of the hobby, but the details, history and narratives of my own private football league remained embedded in some unassailable recess of my mind.

A few years ago, I was enduring a fairly rough time in my life. I'd lost my job and descended into a rut. I no longer gamed much, but bought a copy of FM 10 for old time's sake. Not having the energy or enthusiasm to tinker with the editor and make the League of Ireland realistic enough to be playable, as I'd always done with previous editions, I hit upon the crazy idea of reviving my childhood league.

This was a mammoth undertaking, involving much dredging-up of old memories and filling of blanks. I reconstructed the map of my fictional country, divided it into its six historic provinces and got to work. I was surprised how readily it all came back. The three great clubs which had dominated the landscape, "my own" club from the capital city who had never quite ascended to those heights, our smaller cross-town rivals, the three major clubs from the western province with their age-old rivalries...

58,000+ database changes later (this took a while!), I had carved out a ridiculously-detailed footballing landscape which my even 14-year-old self would have thought excessive. It consisted of a 16-team Pro League Premier, 16-team Pro League First, sixteen 7-team qualifying groups below that and a plethora of national, provincial and municipal cup competitions. I even delved beyond the pyramid to sketch out the larger local parks leagues and the four-team academies league.

This endeavour entailed creating full squads for each league club (I let the non-league sides take care of themselves - I'm not crazy!). Since then, I've played through the entire league season in real-time for four years, controlling the team I'd "supported" as a kid, but drinking in all the goings-on around the country. I used the low-reputation US Virgin Islands in order to create a hermetically-sealed environment with little to no movement in or out.

Last winter, I finally got round to setting up an inter-provincial competition, which involved a new database and a new game based on the best players from the club database (at six squads of 30, including plenty of newgens who weren't in the original database, this was a bit of a slog, but the competition was hugely enjoyable).

It literally only occurred to me the other day that playing a single career in real-time for four seasons might be a tad eccentric. That said, by its nature it doesn't take up much of my time (two games a week or so, and I leave it running on my desktop so I can assess what's happening throughout the league at my leisure). Sad as it seems, playing the season-ending Christmas Cup final on Christmas Eve has become a (private) pillar of my festive period, even when I haven't qualified and am just spectating.

So what's the verdict, doc?

Took me 3.5 years to play 7 seasons with Ballymena united. Best fun I had. Went into serious detail. Watched games of players I scouted, all matches comprehensive highlight.

[Minuy600]

Just finished the club histories (with points based on finishing position in opposite order)- now all that's left is the All-Time ranking. Stay tuned.

[LewisQ]

Just to flesh things out, as the tenth year of the Avrilia save comes to a close: 

For the first time ever, the Christmas Cup final will be between deadly rivals Bluestripes and Gold Swords. Sakatar City thumped Mablonda 8-1 away (a record) in the last sixteen, but then shockingly lost 2-1 away to Pro League First side Province F.C. in Tarviho (North West province). 

In the semis, Bluestripes narrowly saw off Pro League First outfit, Whitealley Heaton, a small club from inner Sakatar city who have enjoyed great success over the past 5-10 years.  Veteran playmaker Simon Forde made the difference with a stunning hit from thirty yards. Gold Swords comfortably beat Province 3-0 at Galanta Hall.

The final is, as they say, a mouth-watering affair between the Insford and Aroa giants, but many will remember the truly awful 2015 NFA Cup final contested by the pair, which Bluestripes won on penalties after a sterile 0-0 draw.

After a long season, there are now just two games left to play on Christmas Eve, as Trotleigh take on Skarmwell in the Four Villages Cup final. Trotleigh will entertain high hopes of winning, after, incredibly, reaching the NFA Cup final this year, where they lost 4-0 to Sakatar City. 2019 was the third consecutive year in which a team from outside the Pro Leagues reached the NFA Cup final and lost to Sakatar City.

The Four Villages Cup final will, as is traditional, be played at 3 p.m. on the afternoon of Christmas Eve, before millions of Avrilians turn their eyes to the National Football Stadium in Sakatar for the Christmas Cup final.

[LewisQ]

In further news, a controversial new proposal by Minister for Sport & Recreation Edward Casey (Social Radicalist Party, Liberty Faction) is set to be debated over the close-season. The Minister proposes a completely new and unique format for Avrilian football, to take the emphasis off the Pro Leagues, which utterly dominate the footballing landscape. Under the Minister's proposals:

• All 144 senior teams (32 x Pro League, 112 x NPO) would be required to field women's teams, youth teams and community teams (amateur) in parallel leagues
• The overall National Football Championship would be determined by combining the results of each of these teams under a pre-determined points system
• The Pro Leagues and NPO structure would continue as they are, but placings would count towards the National Football Championship

It's understood that Minister for Professional Sport Billy Reynolds (Social Radicalist Party, Programme Faction) and Minister for Pro League Football Wilhelm Teumer (Social Radicalist Party, Programme Faction) oppose the proposals.

[LewisQ]

The last day of the season saw Gold Swords defeat their deadly historic rivals Bluestripes in the final of the Christmas Cup. In a tetchy, bad-tempered game, Bluestripes hit the front early when a brilliant pass from Anthony Schwartz put in winger Alan Weiss on the right . Weiss's superb finish to the top corner was cancelled out just moments later, when Gold Swords striker Sam Allen slipped between the centre-halves to finish to the near post.

Bluestripes had way more of the play in the second half, but Gold Swords had the better chances. Gold Swords had playmaker Chris Bush sent off for a second bookable offence, but Bluestripes couldn't capitalise. Deep in extra time, with penalties looming, Gold Swords defender Rob Miles out-jumped four Bluestripes players to head a free-kick across goal and into the net. Final score: Bluestripes 1-2 Gold Sword AET.

Since 2012, only club outside the traditional big four of Bluestripes, Gold Swords, Pearsons and Sakatar City has won any of the three biggest trophies (Pro League Premier, NFA Cup, Christmas Cup). 

In the other traditional Christmas Eve event, the Four VIllages Cup final, Skarmwell Players beat Trotleigh Football & Cricket Club 1-0 in Trotleigh. It was a second cup final defeat of the year for Trotleigh, who, incredibly, made it all the way to the NFA Cup Final before losing to Sakatar City. 

[Minuy600]

Better late than never

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1em_qi1IKJq3jzRbVGiHwY9AhURGy8_yutdN_Rww9zwg/edit#gid=0

Includes the PL Premier's all-time ranking and a special finishing position list with points classifying what teams dominated (spoiler: It's not Fishermen) and who only made quick appearances in the pro leagues.

I would've added the PL First all-time rankings too but we have 2 hours left before the decade ends and this becomes less fun to edit... so i'll leave it empty and only fill it, and other requests you may have, on demand.

[LewisQ]

On 31/12/2019 at 21:03, Minuy600 said:

Better late than never

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1em_qi1IKJq3jzRbVGiHwY9AhURGy8_yutdN_Rww9zwg/edit#gid=0

Includes the PL Premier's all-time ranking and a special finishing position list with points classifying what teams dominated (spoiler: It's not Fishermen) and who only made quick appearances in the pro leagues.

I would've added the PL First all-time rankings too but we have 2 hours left before the decade ends and this becomes less fun to edit... so i'll leave it empty and only fill it, and other requests you may have, on demand.

Thanks so much for taking the trouble to do this, it's amazing! Gives me a new perspective on this monster I've lived with for a decade!

Also amazed that my team (Sakatar City) has scored 724 league goals, and slightly embarrassed that we've only conceded five goals fewer than Gold Swords. Never a dull moment. 208 of City's 724 goals were scored by Chris McGillen (in 247 league appearances). He's scored 341 in 402 overall.

And poor Kohlenburg! One season in Pro League Premier is a poor record for their overall performance in Pro League First. Lots to chew over here, thanks again!

 

 

[LewisQ]

A month into the new season, three trophies have already been handed out:

PEARSONS won Collington city's New Year Cup again, beating United Athletes 6-2 in the semi-final before overcoming Eppeshall 4-0 in the final. 

In Insford city, BLUESTRIPES won a sixth consecutive Challenger Goblet, defeating hosts Insford Rail 2-0 in front of 53,000 fans at the Insford Rail stadium.

Meanwhile, the Forcesport Super Cup, the traditional curtain-raiser between the champions and an Avrilian XI, once again went the way of SAKATAR CITY, who triumphed 7-3 on aggregate.

Forcesport, the cable company which sponsored the competition, was nationalised during the winter, after concerns that Avrilian sports coverage was being spread too thin. The Forcesport channels have been wound down, with all staff moving to TTV Sport. Forcesport will remain in place as an independent production company for sports documentaries. Controversially, the handsome prize money for the Forcesport Super Cup - seen as something of a bonanza for the champions, if they can win it - will now be paid out of government coffers.

[abu645]

Are you still going with this Lewis? I'd love to know.

Your thread inspired me to start my own database back in 2014 and I'm still using it now - updated for each new version.

All the best!