It's been great to see the response to the date announcement. In the short time between this and my last post, much discussion has ensued amongst communities about getting a representative team up and running.

Here in SA plans have been afoot for a long time. The selection process hinges on results in SA's only big (standard format) tournament, Southern Shrike Bowl, with the top two SA-based players in 2011 and 2012 qualifying. This means there are already four "Steelballs" on the team; myself, Evan (One Eye), Adam (Olaf) and Mikey (lone duck). In the next month or so a "wildcard" entry vote will be undertaken to choose the final two team members.

In NSW an arcane process of result averaging, tournament ranking and numerological divination (I think) has resulted in two current team members (Pete - tribalsinner and Iain - Grumpsh), with more to follow as qualification tournaments occur. I sure as hell don't understand the process, but then I don't need to because I'm South Australian! Regardless, the "Blue Bloods" have also been on it for a while and will certainly be hard to beat.

In the rugged West there are also a series of qualification tournaments set to determine their team, and this process has been underway for a while. Three of what were called the "Western Brawlers" last year have been chosen (Duro -  Frosthammer, Drew - Reaper and Rob - Fanglord13), although a decision still needs to be made whether the team retains this name.

In the tiny outpost of the ACT, the corridors of power are, well, very quiet. In offices with padded leather walls and large wooden desks, the furtive rulers of the land argue over who to send. Of course, the decision is an important one, because the "PM's VI" won this whole shebang last time and are, I'm sure, keen to repeat the performance. Of course, I have no idea if the marble-paved roads of the nation's capital resound with the aforementioned arguments, but I do know that team captain, and individual champion from 2011, Andrew Vulling (Shadow) is on the case.

Up north, the hustle is also on. Last year the "Battle Toads" placed last, needing a ring-in (affectionately dubbed "Marooncard") to make up their numbers. But this time they look to be ready and the call has gone out to the four (or is it five?) leagues of the maroon state. An exact selection process is yet to be determined, but we can be sure that a team will come together soon.

Heading to the other end of the mainland, the Victorians have also begun recruiting under the prodding of self-proclaimed team captain Andrew (JoeKano). A rigorous selection process has been applied that requires, in order, residency, recent tournament attendance, availability and spousal consent. Of course, if more than six qualify under these criteria, only those that can actually stomach a stubby of VB (and, hence, qualify as "Victorian") will end up going (only kidding guys, love ya, really).

Two additional outposts of Blood Bowl glory remain, as yet, unknown. In the humid depths of the Darwinian north, a Northern Territory team has been invited along with a team of unintelligible trans-Tasman international travellers from New Zealand. In both cases we sincerely hope a team can be formed but, at the current time, cannot be 100% certain. We will keep everyone posted on whether we can entice these two "new" teams into the competition. 

And finally, of course, is the hype over the SA Open! Even if you don't make a representative team, the atmosphere of so many coaches from different parts of the country getting together is something you shouldn't miss. In 2011, 12 coaches fought for the NSW Open, with "Hammer" winning out as the first Open Champion. Many interstate coaches have committed to making the trip even if they don't make their representative team, as the experience itself is just incredible. The Open has its own attractions, however, with prizes on offer for the victorious. Especially if you are local to Adelaide, don't miss this event!

Wherever you are coming from and whichever team you're rooting for, let me be the first to wish you the best in the run-up to the tournament. I am truly pumped and can't wait to see old friends and meet new ones in March, next year!

SinisterDexter

Alrighty then, we have a date and place!

After extensive discussions and looking we have finally settled on a venue for the State Championship and SA Open, the German Club. I have been at this little gem of a spot for past Oktoberfests and can honestly say that I think it is a perfect venue for the type of event we are running.

The space is good, they serve good beer, there will be a bar in our room, the tables are the right size, they serve great food and it is in the CBD which means it is central to any accommodation choice anyone makes. It is actually as close as I think Adelaide comes to the Burwood RSL, which is where the first State Championship was held, while still having its own unique flavour.

We have settled on 23 and 24 March 2013. This date avoids Womadelaide, Adelaide Cup and (hopefully, although the buggers are taking their time announcing it) Clipsal 500, but is still inside the period known affectionately here in Adelaide as "Mad March". The Festival and/or Fringe will be in full swing, along with a whole range of other activities and events. That time of year seems to be the period in which almost everything happens (which may be why interstaters don't think anything happens in Adelaide - they don't come in March). Either way, book in your accommodation quickly!

But not too quickly. We are looking at some accommodation options for teams or individuals to use. I can't promise anything, but I'm hoping we can wrangle some good prices for group bookings. Watch this space for more details. Either way, there is accommodation of all stripes nearby, from backpackers to luxury hotels.

Hopefully this announcement will allow interstate teams or individuals who were wavering to bed down some details and get on over. Can't wait to see everyone there.

SinisterDexter

2011 saw the first AusBowl State Championship and NSW Open, in Sydney. It was the culmination of a great deal of work by James Russell-Wills (Rabid Bogscum) and Mike Speirings (Speiroz). In the wake of that, extremely successful, event the South Australian team agreed to host and organise the second Stat Championship, to be held in 2013. In between, the AusBowl Team Championship was run by Ben Vanzino (BeefyGoodness) in Canberra in 2012.

Through a roundabout method of direct and indirect consultation with the community, combined with the elbow grease of those who were prepared to put their hands up to run events, the AusBowl 'stable' of tournaments has, almost, been hammered into a set format.

The AusBowl State Championship is a biennial (held every second year) tournament to be hosted in a different city each time it is held. It will pit teams representing regions of Australia and/or New Zealand against one another. The exact number of teams may vary each time, although the basic unit of representation is the state or territory. In New Zealand (and, potentially, Singapore, etc), the country as a whole is considered a representative region (although this could potentially be split further). Each team consists of somewhere between four and eight players (six has been the standard thus far). The winning team of the ASC receives the AusBowl Trophy, created for ASC1 by James Russell-Wills. In 2011 the winner was the ACT team, the PM's VI.

The "Open" was first held in NSW under the name the "NSW Open" and is a sister tournament to the ASC. This tournament is designed for those that do not make a representative team to come along and partake in the frivolity of the tournament atmosphere. It is extremely rare to get such a mixture of coaches from different parts of the Asia-Pacific region together in one place, so it is important to give everyone the opportunity to be a part of it. In 2013 the SA Open will run alongside the ASC2 and will be open to anyone who wants to join in. There will be an entry fee, but prizes will be on offer for the winners. The first winner of the Open was Hammer in 2011.

The AusBowl Team Championship is also a biennial tournament to be hosted in a different city each time it is held, although it is designed to be held on the opposite year to the State Championship (ie - the first one was 2012, the second should be 2014). The Team Championship is an open team tournament similar to the World Cup, with teams of four players competing for victory. The first Team Championship occurred in ACT and was won by the SLOBB Bone Idlers, a team from Sydney (and the SLOBB league). As yet no-one has elected to run the second event. 

As we speak the various thresholds that have been holding back organisation of the ASC2 have been passed. Southern Shrike Bowl 2012 was required to be completed to double check the rules set, and this occurred earlier this month. We were also waiting for an announcement regarding the exact dates of the Clipsal 500, as this may have clashed with the running dates. This has not yet occurred, but we can wait no longer...

We are currently checking dates with the intended venue, but are looking at 23-24 March 2013 in the Adelaide CBD. Expect to see a formal announcement very soon.

We have also been hard at work setting down the rule set, contacting sponsors and sourcing funding. As entry is free for ASC2 representative team members, funding must come from fundraising of Steelball team members. I have been busy painting a White Scars Space Marine force to raffle off (and try to pull some funding from the large player base of 40k) and BenSquig has been doing likewise with a dark elf team. Olaf has worked incredibly hard with his dice sales and provided the kitty to begin the process. Vain and Olaf are also colluding on a special project that will hopefully be announced soon. The full Steelball squad will be finalised soon, which will allow fundraising to begin in earnest. I have also sourced some prize support from a range of sponsors (many thanks to those that have been able to help).

Unfortunately we have hit a number of roadblocks along the way. At least two of the organising committee members have undergone career changes during the past 18 months, and young children have a way of soaking up time as well. I moved the Naracoorte at the start of 2012, which has further impeded our ability to meet and plan.

We do have a long way to go, and we'll be working very hard over the next six months to ensure it comes together. This blog will serve as a way of informing the community of where we're at and, perhaps, documenting our triumphs and setbacks as we go.

One thing's for sure, it will be a hell of a journey!

SinisterDexter