Team Integrity - Task 2

This week's task is one that you will all enjoy, a classic task that brings out the fondest memories for all Azzrentice fans.

I am going to give you $6bn. With that $6bn, I want you to build a new football team. From scratch. I expect the following:

- Select which of the major professional leagues you want to play in, and why. I will arrange for your team to be placed into the top division of whichever country you select.
- Choose a team name that reflects well on the city, town or region you have decided to be based in
- Build a stadium, youth facilities, everything a club needs to be a success
- Buy a squad of players, bearing in mind FFP. Use TM values for all players.
- Bring in your own staff, manager, coaches etc
- With all this, you need to keep in mind that you will need to ensure once the money is spent, the club looks after itself - wages, sponsorship, tv money, everything has to balance (or at least comply with FFP)

From the losing team, at least one of you will be fired.

I don't know if Viva is going to participate, I'll assume not until I hear otherwise.

Firstly I think we should be in the top division of a country. We get access to more fans and prize money which helps us with FFP (key to the task I suspect)

We need to budget a stadium (council input, naming rights value etc), the right area and country. Playing staff and coaches fall after this for me I think

Bookmarked. Good luck to the three of you.

Has Viva quit or not

Of course he hasn't, he's attention seeking.

I agree with your points GSC, just some brainstorming from me:

I think that the Premier League would be great as it has got to be one of if not the biggest for getting TV Payments, sponsorship etc.

However, if our club isn’t successful then we could be in trouble so perhaps another league? I suppose it could be said for any league though.

I like the idea of being a club similar to Ajax in terms of bringing through youth but I feel that we shouldn’t need to sell players if we don’t want to but if we do, to make a profit on them.

Stadium and location will depend on what country, but I feel being easy to access from public transport etc would be beneficial.

Not sure if I am pointing out the obvious or not? What do you think?

No I agree with those points. I think also the PL has parachute payments going for it.

In terms of location, wed be looking for a city without an established club, I.e Nottingham/Derby might not have PL football but we aren't eating into the fanbases of the existing clubs easily. Londons lucrative but overcrowded I feel.

Happy for you to take the lead on the players, staff, style etc once we have the facilities in place and a budget agreed. Id also agree that younger is better, ascending players with ascending transfer fees even if we don't have to sell.

Another option could be to look into renting a ground like the Ricoh, save short term costs, possibly agree a fee with Coventry to ground share (they could use cash)

I'm more comfortable doing that than the finance side of stuff being honest from the start, I can help out in it though, saying that I would appreciate input on the team building if possible. Good point raised about being in a location where there isn't a team yet or too many teams.

Yeah that's cool. I thought team builder was more your strength than mine, though we should both have input on all parts

I agree with having input on all parts.

I am okay at building teams, I like to get input from others too.

I've been looking around at forums and stuff for cities and teams and the ones I have looked at have teams albeit some of them are lower league.

Early days, but I think the PL is probably the right call. We have no need to negotiate any TV deals, lucrative sponsorship opportunities and good brand awareness should aid us with FFP, which I would imagine is a key part of this task.

For me its worth paying for sustainability in the PL than having cash to spend in a different league but being handicapped by FFP and unable to spend it.

That sounds good so it looks like he Premier League is the one.

Team name is kind of reliant on where we choose to go. I read on a forum when researching that as an example Bedfordshire doesn't have a team like I imagine it means higher up and looking at the list it doesn't seem like there is one in the higher leagues.

Azzy mentions region in the OP, perhaps this could be an option?

Mmm. I'm toying with the idea of the Ricoh arena, ready built, has transport links in place etc. Obviously wed be competing with Coventry City but not sure we couldn't coexist.

Would have to price it up vs a brand new stadium.

Also because Azzys been special in the OP, its around 4 billion in pounds

Scratch that,didn't realise Wasps had bought it

Okay, fair enough.

Do you want me to do anything in particular at the moment to help out?

If you have any ideas shout them out.

Otherwise you can take a look at staff and players you'd want

Okay, what about budget, I realise it is probably dependent on our stadium costs etc but to get a general idea of how much we will have to spend on a squad? I assume we are allowed to pick our coaches from current teams and our manager too?

I believe so. More of a preliminary look for now, ill try and balance off prize money etc tonight

Okay mate, cheers.

GSC for info - Viva said he's taking part.

I didn't know a second task was up until Miky pointed it out.

Hi guys, Premier League is the league to be like GSC said even if we were to go down the parachute payments will help.

Hey Viva. Any chance you can take a look at potential spots. Rather not be in the middle of nowhere, or have too much competition for fans

I'll start looking.

http://www.myfootygrounds.co.uk/AreaMap.asp?view=ENGLAND

I've found this website which shows the 92 teams in England. Lancashire, Yorkshire, London and the Midlands are paccked full of teams.

How about on the border of Wales and England?

Trying to find a reasonable population, Lincoln?

ANy big teams by Lincoln?

There's Lincoln and Boston, neithers above conference

That means we have to make our own stadium?

Viva gets it

Yeah I think so. Unless you can think of any opportunities like the Ricoh where we don't have to?

I've just though of an idea.

Darlington have an empty 25,000 stadium (the Darlington Arena) and no professional team, only close rival would be Middlesbrough but worth considering.

What do you reckon?

Think id have to say no on the basis of:

Attendances for football matches were restricted to 10,000 by local planning regulations,[2] because of poor access roads around the stadium, although the club was allowed to apply for an exception for special occasions

Doesn't seem like itd work for PL

Perhaps Viva could suggest spending a couple of million in the surrounding roads which is still massively cheaper than building a new stadium?

For what it's worth, the task manager of Team Integrity will have minus points against him if he continues to allow contributions from non-team members.

Considering I should be here in Viva's place I find your input unnecessary

He has a point though. We are Team Integrity

Large catchment area, no top flight team nearby how about Bristol?

There's Bristol City and Rovers no?

Ones in the conference and the other players with Crawley in the basement of English football.

They also just won at Wembley doe?

Ok.

Lincoln front runner at the moment? I'll have a look tonight if there's anywhere else we could possibly make our home.

Cool.

Sorry guys, crashed majorly last night. Had a quick look this morning, the Amex which is a decent target for what Id like cost 93m to build according to wikipedia. Dunno what % of that you could get from the council and naming rights.

I'm comfortable with the welsh border region if there's a decent base there

That means we'll be competing with Brighton?

I mean in terms of structure, capacity of stadium etc.