The Union of European Baseball Associations (UEBA)

[Lucky_Will]

For my first ever fictional league series, I’m going to work through a setup that I’ve been messing with since OOTP 19 but only now had the time to finally devote some real effort to. Thanks to the ability to import uniform colors via XML (a feature over which I have repeatedly made myself a nuisance and started posting here specifically to try to get help with), and some needed personal life free time, I’m going to post for as long as folks here can stand it: My mega-sized European Baseball What-If Scenario:

What if the current European soccer pyramid was actually a baseball system?

For your consideration:

• 31 leagues
• 564 teams
• 31,461 players
• 918 logos
• 40ish custom uniforms (with more to come)
• One annual concurrent Champions League tournament
• Quadrennial European Championships (aka The Euros)
• Quadrennial World Cups
• “Big Five” Cup competitions

This has been a labor of love and an ongoing experiment with this game and I’m now going to reset all my test runs to zero and start over from the year 2012 and post the progress here as I go.

To start, here are the top-tier leagues we’ll be following. I’ll go into more detail on each league later.

Leagues
England & Wales - 5 levels
Top league: Premier League, 20 teams, 114 games, 4 Champions League places

Germany - 3 levels
Top league: Baseball Bundesliga, 18 teams, 102 games, 4 Champions League places

Italy - 3 levels
Top league: Serie A, 20 teams, 114 games, 4 Champions League places

Spain - 3 levels
Top league: La Liga, 20 teams, 114 games, 4 Champions League places

France & Monaco - 3 levels
Top league: Ligue 1, 20 teams, 114 games, 3 Champions League places

Portugal - 2 levels
Top league: Liga Portugal, 18 teams, 102 games, 2 Champions League places

Russia - 2 levels
Top league: Russian Premier League, 16 teams, 90 games, 1 Champions League place

Netherlands - 2 levels
Top league: Eredivisie, 18 teams, 102 games, 1 Champions League place

Belgium - 2 levels
Top league: Belgian First Division, 16 teams, 90 games, 1 Champions League place

Austria - 2 levels
Top league: Osterreichsche Baseball-Bundesliga, 10 teams, 54 games, 1 Champions League place

Scotland - 2 levels
Top league: Scottish Premier League, 12 teams, 66 games, 1 Champions League place

Europe - 2 levels
Top league: UEBA Europa League, 2 sub-leagues of 26 teams each, 150 games, 3 Champions League places per sub-league

Tournaments
World
Baseball World Cup, every 4 years
Next tournament: Brazil, December 2014

Europe
UEBA Euros, every 4 years
Next tournament: Ukraine & Poland, December 2012

Europe
UEBA Champions League, annual
Next tournament: July 2012

England
Baseball Association Cup, annual
Next tournament: March 2012

Germany
DBB-Pokal, annual
Next tournament: March 2012

Spain
Copa del Rey, annual
Next tournament: March 2012

Italy
Coppa Italia, annual
Next tournament: March 2012

France
Coupe de France, annual
Next tournament: March 2012

I’ve tried to make the team and competition logos match as closely to their real world soccer counterparts as possible. This can be pretty difficult for more obscure teams and competitions and I’ve tried to avoid too much corporate branding, which can be tough to do in some instances. The Belgian league, for example, basically used their main sponsor’s logo for a while (Jupiler beer). So some names and logos might not line up quite right for soccer purists.

Seasons for all leagues in my playthrough run from April to November, since OOTP can’t work across calendar years like the soccer season does. The setup for each league (except the Europa League) is for the 2011-12 football season.

In each league, teams play each other twice, like in real life, once home and once away, but in two three-game series instead of single games.

It’s a straight up league table, with no playoffs, no wildcards, no ASG, no interleague play. The Europa League is the only league with sub-leagues, and just for fun there’s a 7-game playoff at the end of the season.

Last piece for now: I’ve chosen to start in 2012 because of a few reasons: I wanted to create at least some sense of history with this scenario, so I wanted to start in the past; 2012 is ten years ago, so that’s a good round number; finding accurate logos and logo files that can be customized gets harder the further back in time you go; a lot of lower-level soccer teams have gone under in the past ten years, a lot more before that, and I want to use as many clubs that are still around as I can without getting too deep into the murky details of how Os Belenenses is related to B-SAD (for example).

For real last piece: I’ve never posted a playthrough before, so I’d like to know what types of things people like to see in these threads. Seasons will run from April to November yearly, so it’ll be a lot of info generated, a lot of games to keep track of, and a lot of potential stuff to post.

What info is must-have for a playthrough thread?

What about my setup would you like to see incorporated into my posts?

Next post will be an overview of my pro/rel settings.

[Fullarmor]

This one is a dream of mine.
Isn't it too complicated to navigate through that many leagues? I wish OOTP would have a better interface for those of us who likes to simulate wide and deep. It quickly becomes a scrolling nightmare to me.

Anyway, good luck with your set up!

[Lucky_Will]

Originally Posted by Fullarmor

This one is a dream of mine.
Isn't it too complicated to navigate through that many leagues? I wish OOTP would have a better interface for those of us who likes to simulate wide and deep. It quickly becomes a scrolling nightmare to me.

Anyway, good luck with your set up!

Thanks for the comment!

Moving league-to-league is a bit cumbersome, and it's hard to get a good 10,000-foot view of what exactly is happening across the leagues without knowing what specifically you're looking for.

The World Schedule screen is pretty rough, for example (I'll post a screen shot once I start the playtrhough), it's hard to identify what competition is what, and there's no good "World Standings" screen that would give you an overview of standings in your leagues.

Football Manager has a better setup for some of these features, I think because of the nature of global football versus baseball.

There's some UI challenges for sure, but if you know what you want to find, it's not too bad. If you go in knowing that you're taxing the game to it's intended limits and playing a game in a way that it's not really optimized for, then it's not a big deal.

I'm the one demanding crazy adjustments from the game, so it's up to me to be patient with it...

But the sprawl of the game is one of the reasons I'd like to hear from others about what they might like to see from this type of playthrough.

That would help me focus my data pulls and screenshots instead of just spamming a bunch of standings or random screenshots.

[Lucky_Will]

Promotion and relegation leagues get a lot questions on this board and I think it’s one of the features of this game that is simultaneously fun and sometimes unintuitive. It takes a lot of adjustment to get it to work right and I’ve posted in a lot of places asking for advice on how to get it working.

Check out this Reddit post, and these forum posts for background.

Here’s how my setup works. I’ll walk through the league settings screen tab by tab.

Functions - N/A

League & Teams

League Level: The main leagues of my system are all major leagues. Originally, I had them as minor leagues, which seems to make sense initially, but the way the game handles minor and major league signings means a lot of five star players sign with the minors on weird contracts, and that the big teams don’t look for players in the lower tiers.

So first off, all leagues are major leagues, except what I term the “National Leagues,” which are the sub-pyramid leagues. Those are setup as independent leagues.

League Reputation: These are scaled down based on level and prestige, which corresponds roughly to Champions League places. The big four leagues (England, Germany, Italy, and Spain) are at 10 and France is a 9. Here’s the whole rundown:

10 ENG-1, GER-1, ESP-1, ITA-1, World Cup, UEBA Euros, Champions League
9 FRA-1
8 POR-1, Big Four Cups
7 BEL-1, NED-1, EUR-1, ENG-2, GER-2, France Cup
6 RUS-1, AUT-1, SCO-1, ITA-2, ESP-2, FRA-2
5 ENG-3
3 ENG-4
1 All National Leagues

League Configuration: All leagues except the Europa League are single leagues, i.e., G[(n-1)*6]_Tn_SL1_D1 in game setup terms.

Rules

Roster Expansion date: All teams run their schedules based on a shared end date, the first or second Sunday in November, so I have this set the same for all leagues

Enable Amateur Draft: This is something that came up in the reddit post I linked to above. For the top tier leagues, I have an amateur draft enabled. For lower leagues I don’t. This is to bring a stream of players into the game annually, and with the top leagues active it more or less creates enough players to fill up the universe with players. So lower leagues have an amateur draft unchecked.

Financials

This screen took some research. Essentially, I went hunting for the financial and attendance information for European football for 2012. Sites like transfermarkt.de are pretty helpful, also FIFA and Football Manager video game sites have a lot of great data.

The specific numbers vary by league, but generally the tier one teams are super rich, the lower tier teams are not.

The other teams are various steps down from the Premier League, since that’s the league with the most revenue. The percentage adjustments (“Mass adjust current financial values”) is a good way to do it and when I originally had it set up using that feature it went something like this:

ENG-1: 2012 settings
ENG-2: 2012 settings -50%
ENG-3: 2012 settings -75%
ENG-4: 2012 settings -95%

Options

Auto pro/rel works fine in a strict table setup, but if you have divisions or sub-leagues, the game doesn’t divvy it up correctly. Even if you have “per Sub-League” selected, it will choose the teams just fine, but it doesn’t place them correctly, so for example, it might look something like this:

Relegate teams to league: {UEBA Europa Conference League}
Number of teams to relegate: {1} {per Sub-League}

Team Destination Division
{Slavia Praha (Northern League)} {ECL - NoC}
{Galati Otelul (Southern League)} {ECL - NoC}

Promote teams to league: {UEBA Europa League}
Number of teams to promote: {1}{per Sub-League}

Team Destination Division
{Levski Sofia (Southern Conference} {UEL - NoL}
{Riga Skonto (Northern Conference} {UEL - NoL}

Notice that the game would automatically send both teams to the same sub-league in each direction, despite each team coming from a different sub-league.

Also, sometimes, when making changes to a league structure (like if a team folds or a league expands), the game will try to do pro/rel right then, which could be a mess. So uncheck automatic pro/rel.

Players

I adjusted the player creation modifiers for all leagues. The general formula is [League reputation] x 0.1, so the Big Four leagues are basically all 1.000 or slightly higher (as you can see), while France is 0.9, Portugal is 0.8, etc. This ensures that the players created for each league aren’t OP. This comes into play sometimes when a team has an incomplete roster. The game will ask you if you want to use country defaults (option Yes) or adjusted PCM (option No). I always select No, particularly because countries from Europe don’t have very high default player creation modifiers. I want players from England or Germany to be good ballplayers.

If your league is based in a traditionally strong baseball country, then you can probably select option Yes and go with game defaults for created players.

I also adjusted the national composition for each league to reflect the real world. This helps make sure that there’s a stream of players from other continents arriving in Europe.

Stats & AI

No changes to this screen really. Although I’ve toyed with the idea of changing each league slightly to make maybe Germany more low-scoring and built around defense, Spain on baserunning and steals, and England on strong pitching, for example, so that each league feels a little different. Might be worth exploring.

Global Settings

Highlights from this screen include 100% accurate scouting, which is just because I play in Commissioner mode and like to watch the world happen.

Also important is the relative ratings setting. Set that to your top tier league.

AI Settings

I adjusted these based on some feedback from the Reddit post. See my attached screenshot.

Pro/Rel General Tips

I execute the actual pro/rel on 1 Jan each year. This lets things like the Champions League and World Cup play out and closes the book cleanly on stats and history.

Don't get lazy on manual pro/rel, just when you think everything is set up right, you'll forget about the league assignment gotcha or violate one of your own rules without noticing.

Problems with a team getting promoted and then going on to a 100-win season inspired my original Reddit post. This had to do with both PCM settings and player contracts due to setting the lower leagues as minor leagues. I still have no real idea why that is, but setting up lower leagues as major leagues and making a small draft pool for the big leagues seemed to help.

Definitely check out u/ParisHL’s comments on my Reddit thread and the various Pro/Rel threads in this forum. There’s no real secret sauce for pro/rel, it takes a lot of little tweaks to get it working right.

Next post will kick off a series of league-by-league overviews.

Please weigh in with what you'll want to see once the seasons start.

I don't want to just data dump every time anything happens, so are there specific player screens I should keep an eye on? Is highlighting real world rivalries or matchups valuable?

Let me know what you want to see.

After rundowns of the leagues we'll get into the season starting with the Big Five cup tournaments. 

[Cole]

Incredibly amount of detail here. I've been inspired by yourself and another user who posted a European quickstart in the other forum to maybe start a pro/relegation European league with a twist.

It will be MUCH smaller scale than yours... But I'm wondering if you'd post some of your logos here so I can use them?

Specifically, the Premier League logo, the Champions League logo and the Europa EUBA logo.

Thanks!

[Lucky_Will]

Originally Posted by Cole

Incredibly amount of detail here. I've been inspired by yourself and another user who posted a European quickstart in the other forum to maybe start a pro/relegation European league with a twist.

It will be MUCH smaller scale than yours... But I'm wondering if you'd post some of your logos here so I can use them?

Specifically, the Premier League logo, the Champions League logo and the Europa EUBA logo.

Thanks!

Hey Cole,

Thanks for the kind words. I've attached those three logos for you (the Champions League logo is there, it's just white on transparent). Enjoy.

I'll have more logos in the days to come. Tomorrow I'll post my first country's pyramid: England; and you'll get a look at the teams in the pyramid.

Anything you want to see me post as the season goes along?

[Lucky_Will]

The top of the English pyramid is the Premier Baseball League, founded in 1992 by breakaway clubs from the old First Division. The Prem has become one of the top leagues in the world and England is considered the home of baseball in Europe (by the English anyway).

The Prem is the only league I’ve made full caps and jerseys for (pants in progress).

At the end of the season the promotion relegation numbers are:

1. Premier League: 3 down
2. Championship: 3 up, 3 down
3. League One: 3 up, 4 down
4. League Two: 4 up, 2 down
5. National League: 2 up

The National League consists of all English pyramid teams that have played in the real world League 2 or higher since 2012.

Premier Baseball League
England and Wales
20 Teams
114 Games

1. Arsenal Gunners | Emirates Stadium | London
2. Aston Villa Villans | Villa Park | Birmingham
3. Blackburn Rovers | Ewood Park | Blackburn
4. Bolton Wanderers | University of Bolton Stadium | Bolton
5. Chelsea Blues | Stamford Bridge | London
6. Everton Toffees | Goodison Park | Liverpool
7. Fulham Whites | Craven Cottage | London
8. Liverpool Reds | Anfield | Liverpool
9. Manchester City Cityzens | Etihad Stadium | Manchester
10. Manchester United Red Devils | Old Trafford | Manchester
11. Newcastle United Magpies | St. James’ Park | Newcastle-on-Tyne
12. Norwich City Canaries | Carrow Road | Norwich
13. Queens Park Rangers | Loftus Road | London
14. Stoke City Potters | Stoke Ground | Stoke-on-Trent
15. Sunderland Black Cats | Stadium of Light | Sunderland
16. Swansea City Swans | Liberty Stadium | Swansea, Wales
17. Tottenham Hotspur | White Hart Lane | London
18. West Bromwich Albion | The Hawthorns | West Bromwich
19. Wigan Athletic | Wigan Stadium | Wigan
20. Wolverhampton Wanderers | Molineux | Wolverhampton

English Baseball League Championship
England and Wales
24 Teams
138 Games

1. Barnsley Tykes | Oakwell | Barnsley
2. Birmingham City Blues | St Andrew’s | Birmingham
3. Blackpool Seasiders | Bloomfield Road | Blackpool
4. Brighton & Hove Albion Seagulls | Falmer Stadium | Brighton
5. Bristol City Robins | Ashton Gate | Bristol
6. Burnley Clarets | Turf Moor | Burnley
7. Cardiff City Bluebirds | Cardiff City Stadium | Cardiff, Wales
8. Coventry City Sky Blues | Coventry Arena | Coventry
9. Crystal Palace Eagles | Selhurst Park | London
10. Derby County Rams | Pride Park Stadium | Derby
11. Doncaster Rovers | Keepmoat Stadium | Doncaster
12. Hull City Tigers | KCOM Stadium | Kingston-upon-Hull
13. Ipswich Town Blues | Portman Road | Ipswich
14. Leeds United Peacocks | Elland Road | Leeds
15. Leicester City Foxes | King Power Stadium | Leicester
16. Middlesbrough Boro | Riverside Stadium | Middlesbrough
17. Millwall Lions | The Den | London
18. Nottingham Forest | City Ground | Nottingham
19. Peterborough United Posh | London Road Stadium | Peterborough
20. Portsmouth Pompey | Fratton Park | Portsmouth
21. Reading Royals | Madejski Stadium | Reading
22. Southampton Saints | St. Mary’s | Southampton
23. Watford Hornets | Vicarage Road | Watford
24. West Ham United Hammers | Boleyn Ground | London

English Baseball League One
England and Wales
24 Teams
138 Games

1. Bournemouth Cherries | Dean Court | Bournemouth
2. Brentford Bees | Community Stadium | London
3. Bury Shakers | Gigg Lane | Bury
4. Carlisle United Cumbrians | Brunton Park | Carlisle
5. Charlton Athletic | The Valley | London
6. Chesterfield Spireites | Chesterfield Stadium | Chesterfield
7. Colchester United U's | Community Stadium | Colchester
8. Exeter City Grecians | St James Park | Exeter
9. Hartlepool United Monkey Hangers | Victoria Park | Hartlepool
10. Huddersfield Town Terriers | Kirklees Stadium | Huddersfield
11. Leyton Orient | Brisbane Road | Leyton
12. Milton Keynes Dons | Stadium MK | Milton Keynes
13. Notts County Magpies | Meadow Lane | Nottingham
14. Oldham Athletic | Boundary Park | Oldham
15. Preston North End Lilywhites | Deepdale | Preston
16. Rochdale Dales | Spotland Stadium | Rochdale
17. S****horpe United Iron | Glanford Park | S****horpe
18. Sheffield United Blades | Bramall Lane | Sheffield
19. Sheffield Wednesday | Hillsborough | Sheffield
20. Stevenage Boro | Broadhall Way | Stevenage
21. Tranmere Rovers | Prenton Park | Liverpool
22. Walsall Saddlers | Bescott Stadium | Walsall
23. Wycombe Wanderers | Adams Park | Wycombe
24. Yeovil Town Glovers | Huish Park | Yeovil

Looks like the boards' content filter doesn't like the mighty Irons! I tried a link to their webpage or Wikipedia article, but the filter got me there too. Wouldn't even have thought about it if the boards hadn't censored it out. Looking forward to finding out what other teams break the rules!

English Baseball League Two
England and Wales
24 Teams
138 Games

1. Accrington Stanley | Crown Ground | Accrington
2. Aldershot Town Shots | Recreation Ground | Aldershot
3. Barnet Bees | The Hive Stadium | Harrow
4. Bradford City Bantams | Valley Parade | Bradford
5. Bristol Rovers | Memorial Stadium | Bristol
6. Burton Albion Brewers | Perelli Stadium | Burton-on-Trent
7. Cheltenham Town Robins | Whaddon Road | Cheltenham
8. Crawley Town Red Devils | Broadfield Stadium | Crawley
9. Crewe Alexandra | Gretsy Road | Crewe
10. Dagenham & Redbridge Daggers | Victoria Road | London
11. Gillingham Gills | Priestfield | Gillingham
12. Hereford United Bulls | Edgar Street | Hereford
13. Macclesfield Town Silkmen | Moss Rose | Macclesfield
14. Morecambe Shrimps | Globe Arena | Morecambe
15. Northampton Town Cobblers | Sixfields Stadium | Northampton
16. Oxford United U's | Kassam Stadium | Oxford
17. Plymouth Argyle | Home Park | Plymouth
18. Port Vale Valiants | Vale Park | Stoke-on-Trent
19. Rotherham United Millers | New York Stadium | Rotherham
20. Shrewsbury Town Shrews | New Meadow | Shrewsbury
21. Southend United Shrimpers | Roots Hall | Southend-on-Sea
22. Swindon Town Robins | County Ground | Swindon
23. Torquay United Gulls | Plainmoor | Torquay
24. Wimbledon Dons | Plough Lane | Wimbledon

English National League
England and Wales
13 Teams
72 Games

1. Barrow Bluebirds | Holker Street | Barrow
2. Cambridge United Yellows | Abbey Stadium | Cambridge
3. Fleetwood Town Cod | Highbury Stadium | Fleetwood
4. Forest Green Rovers | The New Lawn | Nailsworth
5. Grimsby Town Mariners | Blundell Park | Grimsby
6. Harrogate Town Sulphurites | Wetherby Road | Harrogate
7. Lincoln City Imps | Sincil Bank Stadium | Lincoln
8. Luton Town Hatters | Kenilworth Road | Luton
9. Mansfield Town Stags | Field Mill | Mansfield
10. Newport County Exiles | Rodney Parade | Newport, Wales
11. Salford City Ammies | Moor Lane | Salford
12. Sutton United U's | Gander Green Lane | Sutton
13. York City Minstermen | York Community Stadium | York

The Baseball Association Cup is the English cup competition and starts on 1 March. It runs for seven rounds, seeded by position.

The Prem season starts the last Saturday in April or the first Saturday in May.

The Championship, League One, and League two start the first Saturday in April.

The National League starts on the first Saturday in July.

Next up: Germany!

[Lucky_Will]

The top of the German pyramid is the Bundesliga, officially the 1. Baseball Bundesliga.

Bundesliga teams who are playing the in Champions League this year (Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, Bayer Leverkusen) have a full uniform set.

At the end of the season the promotion relegation numbers are:

1. Bundesliga: 3 down
2. 2. Bundesliga: 3 up, 2 down
3. 3. Liga: 2 up

3. Liga consists of all German pyramid teams that have played in the real world 2. Bundesliga or higher since 2012.

1 Baseball-Bundesliga

Germany
18 Teams
102 Games

1. Augsburg Fuggerstadter | Augsburg Arena | Augsburg
2. Bayer Leverkusen Werksneun | BayArena | Leverkusen
3. Bayern Munchen Roten | Baseball Arena Munchen | Munich
4. Berlin Hertha | Olympiastadion | Berlin
5. Borussia Dortmund Schwarzgelben | Westfalenstadion | Dortmund
6. Borussia Monchengladbach Fohlen | Borussia-Park | Monchengladbach
7. Freiburg Brasilianer | Schwarzwald-Stadion | Freiburg
8. Hamburger SV Dinos | Volksparkstadion | Hamburg
9. Hannover 96 Roten | HDI-Arena | Hannover
10. 1899 Hoffenheim Kraichgauer | Rhein-Neckar-Arena | Hoffenheim
11. Kaiserslautern Roten Teufel | Fritz-Walter-Stadion | Kaiserslautern
12. Koln Geissbocke | RheinEnergieStadion | Cologne
13. Mainz 05 Nullfunfer | Mainz 05 Arena | Mainz
14. Nurnberg Legende | Max-Morlock-Stadion | Nuremburg
15. Schalke 04 Konigsblauen | Veltins-Arena | Gelsenkirchen
16. Stuttgart Schwaben | Mercedes-Benz Arena | Stuttgart
17. Werder Bremen Werderaner | Weserstadion | Bremen
18. Wolfsburg Wolfe | Volkswagon Arena | Wolfsburg

2 Baseball-Bundesliga
Germany
18 Teams
102 Games

1. Aachen Alemannen | New Tivoli | Aachen
2. Cottbus Energie | Stadion der Freundschaft | Cottbus
3. Dresden Dynamo | Rudolf-Harbig-Stadion | Dresden
4. MSV Duisburg Zebras | Schauinsland-Reisen-Arena | Duisburg
5. Eintracht Braunschweig Lowen | Eintracht-Stadion | Brunswick
6. Eintracht Frankfurt Adler | Waldstadion | Frankfurt
7. Erzebirge Aue Veilchen | Erzgebirgsstadion | Aue
8. BSV Frankfurt Bornheimer | Volksbank Stadion | Frankfurt
9. Fortuna Dusseldorf Rheinlander | Merkur Spiel-Arena | Dusseldorf
10. Greuther Furth Kleeblatter | Sportpark Ronhof Thomas Sommer | Furth
11. Ingolstadt 04 Schanzer | Audi Sportpark | Ingolstadt
12. Karlsruhe Eurofighter | Wildparkstadion | Karlseruhe
13. 1860 Munich Lowen | Grunwalder Stadium | Munich
14. Paderborn 07's | Benteler-Arena | Paderborn
15. Rostock Hansa | Ostseestadion | Rostock
16. St. Pauli Freibeuter | Millerntor-Stadion | Hamburg
17. Union Berlin Eisernen | Alten Forsterei | Berlin
18. VfL Bochum Unabsteigbaren | Ruhrstadion | Bochum

3 Baseball Liga
Germany
12 Teams
66 Games

1. Aalen VfR | OSTALB Arena | Aalen
2. Arminia Bielefeld Blauen | Bielefelder Alm | Bielefeld
3. Darmstadt 98 Lilien | Merck-Stadion | Darmstadt
4. Heidenheim Baren | Voith-Arena | Heidenheim
5. Holstein Kiel Storche | Holstein-Stadion | Kiel
6. Leipzig Red Bulls | Red Bull Arena | Leipzig
7. Magdeburg Blau-Weiss | MDCC-Arena | Magdeburg
8. VfL Osnabruck Lila-Weiss | Stadion an der Bremer Brucke | Osnabruck
9. Jahn Regensburg Jahnneun | Jahnstadion | Regensburg
10. Sandhausen Dachs | BWT-Stadion | Sandhausen
11. Wehen Wiesbaden W's | BRITA-Arena | Wiesbaden
12. Wurzburg Kickers | Flyeralarm Arena | Wurzburg

The DBB-Pokal is the German cup competition and starts on 1 March. It runs for six rounds, seeded by position.

The 1 and 2 Bundesliga (Bundesligen?) seasons start in mid-May.

3 Liga starts on the first Saturday in July.

Next up: Spain!

[Lucky_Will]

The top of the Spanish pyramid is La Liga.

La Liga teams who are playing the in Champions League this year (Barcelona, Real Madrid, Valencia, Villareal) have a full uniform set.

At the end of the season the promotion relegation numbers are:

1. La Liga: 3 down
2. Segunda Division: 3 up, 2 down
3. Segunda Division B: 2 up

Segunda Division B consists of all Spanish pyramid teams that have played in the real world Segunda Division or higher since 2012.

La Liga
Spain
20 Teams
114 Games

1. Athletic Bilbao Leones | San Mamés Stadium | Bilbao
2. Atletico Madrid Indios | Estadio Metropolitano | Madrid
3. Barcelona Blaugrana | Camp Nou | Barcelona
4. Espanyol Periquitos | RCDE Stadium | Barcelona
5. Getafe Azulones | Estadio Coliseum Alfonso Pérez | Getafe
6. Granada Nazaries | Nuevo Estadio de Los Cármenes | Granada
7. Levante Granotas | Estadi Ciutat de València | Valencia
8. Malaga Boquerones | La Rosaleda Stadium | Malaga
9. Mallorca Piratas | Visit Mallorca Stadium | Palma
10. Osasuna Gorritxoak | Estadio El Sadar | Pamplona
11. Racing Santander Montanese | El Sardinero | Santander
12. Rayo Vallecano Franjirrojos | Campo de Beisbol de Vallecas | Madrid
13. Real Betis Verderones | Estadio Benito Villamarín | Sevilla
14. Real Madrid Blancos | Santiago Bernabeu | Madrid
15. Real Sociedad Reales | Anoeta Stadium | Donostia
16. Sevilla Blanquirrojos | Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium | Sevilla
17. Sporting Gijon Rojiblancos | El Molinón | Gijon
18. Valencia Murcielagos | Estadio de Mestalla | Valencia
19. Villarreal Submari Groguet | Estadio de la Cerámica | Villareal
20. Zaragoza Manos | Estadio La Romareda | Zaragoza

Segunda Division
Spain
22 Teams
126 Games

1. Alcorcon Alfareros | Estadio Municipal de Santo Domingo | Alcoron
2. Alcoy Deportivo | Estadio El Collao | Valencia
3. Alicante Hercules | Estadio José Rico Pérez | Valencia
4. Almeria Rojiblancos | Estadio de los Juegos Mediterráneos | Almeria
5. Cartagena Albinegros | Estadio Cartagonova | Cartagena
6. Celta de Vigo Celestes | Estadio Municipal de Balaídos | Vigo
7. Cordoba Califas | Estadio Nuevo Arcángel | Cordova
8. Deportivo de La Coruna Herculinos | Estadio Municipal de Riazor | A Coruna
9. Elche Franjiverdes | Estadio Martínez Valero | Elx
10. Girona Blanquivermells | Estadi Montilivi | Girona
11. Guadalajara Morados | Estadio Pedro Escartín | Guadalajara
12. Huelva Abuelo | Nuevo Colombino | Huelva
13. Huesca Azulgranas | Estadio El Alcoraz | Huesca
14. Las Palmas Pio Pio | Estadio Gran Canaria | Las Palmas
15. Lugo Albivermellos | Estadio Anxo Carro | Lugo
16. Real Murcia Pimentoneros | Estadio Nueva Condomina | Murcia
17. Real Valladolid Albivioletas | Estadio José Zorrilla | Valladolid
18. Sabadell Arlequinats | Estadi de la Nova Creu Alta | Sabadell
19. Soria Numantinos | Nuevo Estadio Los Pajaritos | Soria
20. Tarragona Gimnastic | Nou Estadi de Tarragona | Tarragona
21. Tenerife Insulares | Estadio Heliodoro Rodríguez López | Santa Cruz de Tenerife
22. Xerez Buleria Mecanica | Estadio Municipal de Chapín | Jerez

Segunda Division B
Spain
22 Teams
126 Games

1. Alaves Babazorros | Mendizorrotza | Vitoria
2. Albacete Queso Mecanico | Estadio Carlos Belmonte | Albacete
3. Amorebieta Azules | Urritxe | Etxano
4. Burgos Blanquinegros | Estadio Municipal de El Plantío | Burgos
5. Cadiz Banda | Estadio Ramón de Carranza | Cadiz
6. Castellon Orelluts | Nou Estadi Castàlia | Castellon
7. Eibar Armeros | Ipurua Municipal Stadium | Eibar
8. Extremadura Azulgranas | Estadio Francisco de la Hera | Almendralejo
9. Fuenlabrada Azulones | Estadio Fernando Torres | Fuenlabrada
10. Leganes Pepineros | Estadio Municipal de Butarque | Leganes
11. Leon Cultural | Estadio Municipal Reino de León | Leon
12. Llagostera Blanquivermells | Estadi Municipal Palamós Costa Brava | Badalona
13. Logrones Union | Estadio Las Gaunas | Logrono
14. Lorca Beisbol Club | Estadio Francisco Artes | Carrasco
15. Mirandes Jabatos | Estadio Municipal de Anduva | Miranda de Ebro
16. Oviedo Azules | Estadio Carlos Tartiere | Oviedo
17. Ponferradina Blanquiazules | Estadio El Toralín | Ponferradina
18. Rayo Majadahonda Majariegos | Estadio Cerro del Espino | Majadahonda
19. Real Jaen Lagartos | Nuevo Victoria | Jaen
20. Reus Ganxets | Estadi Municipal de Reus | Reus
21. Sevilla Atletico Nervionenses | Jesus Navas | Sevilla
22. UCAM Murcia Universitarios | La Condomina | Murcia

The Copa del Rey is the Spanish cup competition and starts on 1 March. It runs for 6 rounds, seeded by position.

The La Liga season starts the last Saturday in April or the first Saturday in May.

The Segunda Division season starts in mid-April.

Segunda Division B starts on the first Saturday in May.

Next up: Italy!

[Lucky_Will]

The top of the Italian pyramid is Serie A. Italy has a localized word for "football" that's actually fairly unique: "Calcio." It comes from "Calcio Fiorentino," a rugby-esque game that originated in Florence. To try to capture this unique term, I chose the word "palla" as a standalone nickname for baseball in Italy. "Palla" is simply the word for "ball" in Italian and is part of an Italian term for baseball: "Pallabase." So any Italian club that uses "calcio" in the real world uses some form of "palla" in mine.

Serie A teams who are playing the in Champions League this year (Milan, Inter, and Napoli) have a full uniform set.

At the end of the season the promotion relegation numbers are:

1. Serie A: 3 down
2. Serie B: 3 up, 2 down
3. Lega Pro: 2 up

Lega Pro consists of all Italian pyramid teams that have played in the real world Serie B or higher since 2012.

Serie A
Italy
20 Teams
114 Games

1. Atalanta Nerazzurri | Stadio de Bergamo | Bergamo
2. Bologna Veltri | Stadio Renato Dall'Ara | Bologna
3. Cagliari Isolani | Sardegna Arena | Cagliari
4. Catania Elefanti | Stadio Angelo Massimino | Catania
5. Cesena Cavallucci Marini | Cavallucci Marini Park | Cesena
6. Chievo Gialloblu | Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi | Verona
7. Fiorentina Viola | Stadio Artemio Franchi | Florence
8. Genoa Grifone | Stadio Comunale Luigi Ferraris | Genoa
9. Internazionale Milan Nerazzurri | San Siro | Milan
10. Juventus Bianconeri | Allianz Stadium | Turin
11. Lazio Aquile | Stadio Olimpico | Rome
12. Lecce Salentini | Stadio Via del Mare | Lecce
13. Milan Rossoneri | San Siro | Milan
14. Napoli Azzurri | Stadio Maradona | Naples
15. Novara Azzurri | Stadio Silvio Piola | Novara
16. Palermo Aquile | Stadio Renzo Barbera | Palermo
17. Parma Crociati | Stadio Ennio Tardini | Parma
18. Roma Giallorossi | Stadio Olimpico | Rome
19. Siena Bianconeri | Stadio Artemio Franchi | Siena
20. Udinese Zebrette | Stadio Friuli | Udine

Serie B
Italy
22 Teams
126 Games

1. AlbinoLeffe Celeste | Stadio de Bergamo | Albino
2. Ascoli Picchios | Stadio Cino e Lillo Del Duca | Ascoli Piceno
3. Bari Galletti | Stadio San Nicola | Bari
4. Brescia Rondinelle | Stadio Mario Rigamonti | Brescia
5. Cittadella Citta | Stadio Pier Cesare Tombolato | Cittadella
6. Crotone Squali | Stadio Ezio Scida | Crotone
7. Empoli Azzurri | Stadio Carlo Castellani | Empoli
8. Grosseto Grifone | Stadio Olimpico Carlo Zecchini | Grosseto
9. Gubbio Lupi | Stadio Pietro Barbetti | Gubbio
10. Juve Stabia Vespe | Stadio Romeo Menti | Castellammare di Stabia
11. Hellas Verona Mastini | Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi | Verona
12. Livorno Amaranto | Stadio Armando Picchi | Leghorn
13. Modena Canarini | Stadio Alberto Braglia | Modena
14. Nocerina Mastini | Stadio San Francesco d'Assisi | Nocera
15. Padova Biancoscudati | Stadio Euganeo | Padova
16. Pescara Delfini | Stadio Adriatico | Pescara
17. Reggina Amaranto | Stadio Oreste Granillo | Reggio di Calabria
18. Sampdoria Blucerchiati | Stadio Comunale Luigi Ferraris | Genoa
19. Sassuolo Neroverdi | Mapei Stadium | Sassuolo
20. Torino Tori | Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino | Turin
21. Varese Leopardi | Stadio Franco Ossola | Varese
22. Vicenza Virtus Biancorossi | Stadio Romeo Menti | Vicenza

Lega Pro
Italy
24 Teams
138 Games

1. Alessandria Grigi | Stadio Giuseppe Moccagatta | Alexandria
2. Avellino Lupi | Stadio Partenio-Lombardi | Avellino
3. Benevento Stregoni | Stadio Ciro Vigorito | Benevento
4. Carpi Biancorossi | Stadio Sandro Cabassi | Carpi
5. Como 1907 Lariani | Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia | Como
6. Cosenza Lupi | Stadio San Vito-Gigi Marulla | Cosenza
7. Cremonese Tigri | Stadio Giovanni Zini | Cremona
8. Foggia Satanelli | Stadio Pino Zaccheria | Foggia
9. Frosinone Canarini | Stadio Benito Stirpe | Frosinone
10. Latina Leoni Alati | Stadio Domenico Francioni | Latina
11. Monza Bagai | Stadio Brianteo | Monza
12. Pisa Nerazzurri | Arena Garibaldi | Pisa
13. Pordenone Ramarri | Stadio Guido Teghil | Pordenone
14. Perugia Grifoni | Stadio Renato Curi | Perugia
15. Pro Vercelli Bianche Casacche | Stadio Silvio Piola | Vercelli
16. Reggiana Granata | Mapei Stadium | Reggio
17. Salernitana Granata | Stadio Arechi | Salerno
18. SPAL Biancazzurri | Stadio Paolo Mazza | Ferrara
19. Spezia Aquilotti | Stadio Alberto Picco | La Spezia
20. Ternana Fere | Stadio Libero Liberati | Terni
21. Trapani Granata | Stadio Polisportivo Provinciale | Trapani
22. Venezia Leoni Alati | Stadio Pierluigi Penzo | Venice
23. Virtus Entella Diavoli Neri | Stadio Comunale | Chiavari
24. Virtus Lanciano Frentani | Stadio Guido Biondi | Lanciano

The Coppa Italia is the Italian cup competition and starts on 1 March. It runs for seven rounds, seeded by position.

The Serie A season starts the last Saturday in April or the first Saturday in May.

The Serie B season starts in mid-April.

Lega Pro starts on the first Saturday in May.

Next up, to round out the Big Five: France!

[Lucky_Will]

The top of the French pyramid is Ligue 1.

Ligue 1 teams who are playing the in Champions League this year (Lille, Lyon, and Marseille) have a full uniform set.

At the end of the season the promotion relegation numbers are:

1. Ligue 1: 3 down
2. Ligue 2: 3 up, 2 down
3. Championnat: 2 up

The Championnat consists of all French pyramid teams that have played in the real world Ligue 2 or higher since 2012.

Ligue 1
France and Monaco
20 Teams
114 Games

1. Ajaccio Ours | Stade François Coty | Ajaccio
2. Auxerre Diplomates | Stade de l'Abbé-Deschamps | Auxerre
3. Bordeaux Girondins | Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux | Bordeaux
4. Brest Pirates | Stade Francis-Le Blé | Brest
5. Caen Vikings | Stade Michel d'Ornano | Caen
6. Dijon Hiboux | Stade Gaston Gérard | Dijon
7. Lille Dogues | Stade Pierre-Mauroy | Lille
8. Lorient Merlus | Stade du Moustoir | Lorient
9. Montpellier Paillade | Stade de la Mosson | Montpellier
10. Nancy Chardons | Stade Marcel Picot | Nancy
11. Nice Aiglons | Allianz Riviera | Nice
12. Olympique Lyonnais Gones | Parc Olympique Lyonnais | Lyon
13. Olympique Marseille Phoceens | Stade Vélodrome | Marseille
14. Paris Saint-Germain Parisiens | Parc des Prince | Paris
15. Rennes Rennais | Roazhon Park | Rennes
16. Saint-Etienne Verts | Stade Geoffroy-Guichard | Saint-Etienne
17. Sochaux Lionceaux | Stade Auguste Bonal | Sochaux
18. Thonon Roses | Parc des Sports | Thonon-les-Bains
19. Toulouse Violets | Stadium de Toulouse | Toulouse
20. Valenciennes Atheniens | Stade du Hainaut | Valenciennes

Ligue 2
France and Monaco
20 Teams
114 Games

1. Amiens Liconres | Stade de la Licorne | Amiens
2. Angers Noirs et Blancs | Stade Raymond Kopa | Angers
3. Arles-Avignon Lions | Avignon Parc des Sports | Avignon
4. Bastia Turchini | Stade Armand-Cesari | Bastia
5. Boulogne Rouges-et-Noirs | Stade de la Libération | Boulogne
6. Chateauroux Berrichons | Stade Gaston Petit | Chateauroux
7. Clermont Lancers | Stade Gabriel Montpied | Clermont
8. Guingamp Costarmoricains | Stade de Roudourou | Guingamp
9. Istres Aviateurs | Stade Parsemain | Istres
10. Le Havre Athletic Club | Stade Océane | Le Havre
11. Le Mans Mucistes | Stade Marie-Marvingt | Le Mans
12. Lens Sang et Or | Stade Bollaert-Delelis | Lens
13. Metz Grenats | Stade Municipal Saint-Symphorien | Metz
14. Monaco Monegasques | Stade Louis II | Monte Carlo, Monaco
15. Nantes Canaris | Stade de la Beaujoire | Nantes
16. Reims Rouges et Blancs | Stade Auguste-Delaune | Reims
17. Sedan Sangliers | Stade Louis Dugauguez | Sedan
18. Stade Lavallois Tangos | Stade Francis Le Basser | Laval
19. Tours Ciel & Noir | Stade de la Vallée du Cher | Tours
20. Troyes Capitales | Stade de l'Aube | Troyes

Championnat de France National
France and Monaco
17 Teams
96 Games

1. Ajaccio Gazelec | Stade Ange Casanova | Ajaccio
2. Beziers Blaugranas | Stade Raoul-Barrière | Beziers
3. Bourg-Peronnas Bleus | Stade Marcel-Verchère | Bourg-en-Bresse
4. CA Bastia Noirs | Stade Armand-Cesari | Bastia
5. Chambly Oisiens | Stade Pierre Brisson | Chambly
6. Creteil-Lusitanos Beliers | Stade Dominique Duvauchelle | Creteil
7. Dunkerque Maritimes | Stade Marcel-Tribut | Dunkirk
8. Grenoble 38s | Stade des Alpes | Grenoble
9. Nimes Crocodiles | Stade des Costières | Nimes
10. Niort Chamois | Stade René Gaillard | Niort
11. Orleans Loiret Guepes | Stade de la Source | Orleans
12. Paris Bleus | Stade Sébastien Charléty | Paris
13. Paris Red Star | Stade Bauer | Saint-Ouen
14. Pau Pionniers | Stade du Hameau | Pau
15. Quevilly Jaunes et Noirs | Stade Robert Diochon | Rouen
16. Rodez Sangs et Or | Stade Paul-Lignon | Rodez
17. Strasbourg Coureurs | Stade de la Meinau | Strasbourg

The Coupe de France is the French cup competition and starts on 1 March. It runs for six rounds, seeded by position.

The Ligue 1 and 2 seasons start the last Saturday in April or the first Saturday in May.

The Championnat starts on the first Saturday in May.

That rounds out the Big Five leagues. Next we'll dive into the other leagues around Europe, starting with Portugal and Belgium.

[dynaboyj]

I feel like we need a separate forum/subreddit for OOTP P/R players and setups. I've run several P/R leagues before but you posting your setup and conversations with other players about how to optimize the game for it is so helpful. Thanks, and this is really interesting!

[Lucky_Will]

Originally Posted by dynaboyj

I feel like we need a separate forum/subreddit for OOTP P/R players and setups. I've run several P/R leagues before but you posting your setup and conversations with other players about how to optimize the game for it is so helpful. Thanks, and this is really interesting!

I’m all for it!

I’ve run some test runs on this setup just to try to spot major errors and hang ups but I haven’t done a deep dive until now and I’m interested to see what comes out from it.

Any ideas on what I should focus on posting once I start the season?

[Lucky_Will]

Portugal

The top of the Portuguese pyramid is Liga Portugal. Of note, the game has the Azores and Madeira as separate countries because they are autonomous regions of Portugal. So if you're trying to place a club in Tenerife, you've gotta change the country from Portugal to the Azores. I'm not sure what this might mean for this world's version of Ronaldo, who is from Madeira but obviously plays (played?) for Portugal. I think Portugal is the only country that has this in my setup, not counting the UK and the French league, which has Monaco included.

Liga Portugal teams who are playing the in Champions League this year (Benfica and Porto) have a full uniform set.

At the end of the season the promotion relegation numbers are:

1. Liga Portugal: 2 down
2. Segunda Liga: 2 up

The Segunda Liga consists of all Portuguese pyramid teams that have played in the real world Liga Portugal since 2012.

Liga Portugal
Portugal
16 Teams
90 Games

1. Beira-Mar Auri-Negros | Estádio Municipal | Aveiro
2. Benfica Aguias | Estádio da Luz | Lisbon
3. Braga Arcebispos | Estádio Municipal | Braga
4. Coimbra Academica | Estádio Cidade | Coimbra
5. Famalicao Azuis e Brancos | Estádio Municipal | Famalicao
6. Feirense Azuis | Estádio Marcolino de Castro | Feira
7. Gil Vicente Galos | Estádio Cidade | Barcelos
8. Maritimo Verde-Rubros | Estádio do Marítimo | Funchal
9. Nacional Alvinegros | Estádio da Madeira | Funchal
10. Olhanense Leoes | Estádio José Arcanjo | Olhao
11. Pacos de Ferreira Castores | Estádio Capital do Móvel | Pacos de Ferreira
12. Porto Dragoes | Estádio do Dragão | Porto
13. Rio Ave Vilacondenses | Estádio dos Arcos | Vila do Conde
14. Setubal Vitoria | Estádio do Bonfim | Setubal
15. Sporting CP Leoes | Estádio José Alvalade | Lisbon
16. Vitoria de Guimaraes Conquistadores | Estádio D. Afonso Henriques | Guimaraes

Segunda Liga
Portugal
15 Teams
84 Games

1. Arouca Arouquenses | Estádio Municipal de Arouca | Porto
2. Aves Vermelhos | Estádio do CD Aves | Aves
3. Boavista Panteras | Estádio do Bessa | Porto
4. Chaves Flavienses | Estádio Municipal Eng. Manuel Branco Teixeira | Chaves
5. Estoril Canarinhos | Estádio António Coimbra da Mota | Estoril
6. Farense Leoes | Estadio de São Luís | Faro
7. Leiria Uniao | Estádio Dr. Magalhães Pessoa | Leiria
8. Madeira Uniao | Campo do Adelino Rodrigues | Funchal
9. Moreirense Verdes e Brancos | Parque Joaquim de Almeida Freitas | Moreira de Conegos
10. Os Belenenses Azuis | Estádio Nacional | Lisbon
11. Penafiel Rubro-Negros | Estádio Municipal 25 de Abril | Penafiel
12. Portimonense Alvinegros | Estádio Municipal | Portimao
13. Santa Clara Acoreanos | Estádio de São Miguel | Ponta Delgada
14. Tondela Auriverdes | Estádio João Cardoso | Tondela
15. Vizela Vizelenses | Estádio do BC Vizela | Vizela

The Liga Portugal season starts on the first Saturday in June. Segunda Liga starts on the first Saturday in July.
 
Belgium

The top of the Belgian pyramid is the First Division.

The First Division team in Champions League this year (Genk) has a full uniform set.

At the end of the season the promotion relegation numbers are:

1. First Division: 2 down
2. Second Division: 2 up

The Second Division consists of all Dutch pyramid teams that have played in the real world First Division since 2012.

Belgian First Division
Belgium
16 Teams
90 Games

1. Anderlecht Purple & White | Constant Vanden Stock Stadium | Brussels
2. Beerschot Ratten | Olympisch Stadion | Antwerp
3. Cercle Brugge Groen en Zwart | Jan Breydel Stadium | Brugge
4. Club Brugge Blauw-Zwart | Jan Breydel Stadium | Brugge
5. Genk Blauw-Wit | Fenixstadion | Genk
6. Gent Buffalos | Ghelamco Arena | Gent
7. Kortrijk Kerels | Guldensporen Stadio | Kortrijk
8. Lierse Pallieters | Herman Vanderpoortenstadion | Lier
9. Lokeren Oost-Vlaanderen Tricolores | Daknamstadion | Lokeren
10. Mechelen Yellow-Red | Achter de Kazerne | Mechelen
11. Mons Dragons | Stade Charles Tondreau | Mons
12. OH Leuven Aardeekhoorntjen | Den Dreef | Leuven
13. Sint-Truiden Kanaries | Stayen | Sint-Truiden
14. Standard Liege Rouches | Stade Maurice Dufrasne | Liege
15. Westerlo Kemphanen | Het Kuipje | Westerlo
16. Zulte-Waregem Paarden | Regenboogstadion | Waregem

Belgian Second Division
Belgium
8 Teams
42 Games

1. Antwerp Reds | Bosuilstadion | Antwerp
2. Charleroi Zebres | Stade du Pays | Charleroi
3. Eupen Pandas | Kehrwegstadion | Eupen
4. Oostende Kustboys | Diaz Arena | Ostend
5. Royal Mouscron Peruwelz Hurlus | Le Cannonier | Mouscron
6. Seraing Metallos | Stade du Pairay | Seraing
7. Sint-Gillis Union | Stade du Pairay | Sint-Gillis
8. Waasland-Beveren Leeuwen | Freethiel Stadion | Beveren

The First Division season starts the first Saturday in June.

The Second Division starts on the first Saturday in July.

Next up: The Netherlands and Russia!

[Cole]

Originally Posted by Lucky_Will

I’m all for it!

I’ve run some test runs on this setup just to try to spot major errors and hang ups but I haven’t done a deep dive until now and I’m interested to see what comes out from it.

Any ideas on what I should focus on posting once I start the season?

I think it depends how quickly you plan to move through it. There's a LOT to follow, so likely only following major stories/tournaments/promotions/relegations etc as opposed to trying to follow all leagues to a degree.

[Lucky_Will]

Originally Posted by Cole

I think it depends how quickly you plan to move through it. There's a LOT to follow, so likely only following major stories/tournaments/promotions/relegations etc as opposed to trying to follow all leagues to a degree.

Agreed. Pace is something I’m trying to think through. I probably won’t have the ability to keep posting every couple of days after the season starts, so to avoid getting bogged down, I’m thinking probably simming two weeks at a time, and then focusing a on big picture for the top leagues: relegation battles and Champions League places. And the Champions League and international tournaments when they come around.

Also might find the top rated players in the world and keep tabs on them.

Might also devote time to big rivalries when they come up, regardless of the standings. So when Panathinakos and Olympiakos play, or Celtic and Rangers, maybe slow down and get into those series a bit more.

Right now I’m reading through the boards trying to find things I think are fun so I can include those when I post.

I’m happy to hear suggestions from any and all corners. A few more league posts to go, then a bit of housekeeping and we’ll get started on the Cup Tournaments.

Some of this is drawing it out because I’m finishing up some of the uniforms and logos (and Panini stickers!).

[luckymann]

Originally Posted by Lucky_Will

Agreed. Pace is something I’m trying to think through. I probably won’t have the ability to keep posting every couple of days after the season starts, so to avoid getting bogged down, I’m thinking probably simming two weeks at a time, and then focusing a on big picture for the top leagues: relegation battles and Champions League places. And the Champions League and international tournaments when they come around.

Also might find the top rated players in the world and keep tabs on them.

Might also devote time to big rivalries when they come up, regardless of the standings. So when Panathinakos and Olympiakos play, or Celtic and Rangers, maybe slow down and get into those series a bit more.

Right now I’m reading through the boards trying to find things I think are fun so I can include those when I post.

I’m happy to hear suggestions from any and all corners. A few more league posts to go, then a bit of housekeeping and we’ll get started on the Cup Tournaments.

Some of this is drawing it out because I’m finishing up some of the uniforms and logos (and Panini stickers!).

This is an AMAZING achievement, kudos to you sir - I shall be following along eagerly.

I think you start broad and then as things progress certain elements will present themselves to you as worth following. I find the most challenging thing is noticing these in the first place, Lord knows how one goes about doing so with so much going on. I'd take your time early on to give yourself the best chance of doing so, then pick up the pace once you've found your groove.

Just my thoughts. Given all you've done here I reckon you'll be great at the rest of it, too.

Nice going.

G

[Lucky_Will]

Originally Posted by luckymann

I think you start broad and then as things progress certain elements will present themselves to you as worth following. I find the most challenging thing is noticing these in the first place, Lord knows how one goes about doing so with so much going on. I'd take your time early on to give yourself the best chance of doing so, then pick up the pace once you've found your groove.

Thank much for the feedback! I think you're right and I hope some elements come up organically that I can seize on. My season will start with the Big Five cup tournaments, so with luck that will give me some material to dig into and find what's worth reporting.

I'm also reading through the links in your profile! Your NeL and College scenarios are great and the type of thing I'm hoping to be able to do, although probably a bit more zoomed out most of the time because of the size of my world.

Thanks again for following along and for the input!

[Lucky_Will]

The Netherlands

The top of the Dutch pyramid is the Eredivisie.

The one Eredivisie team in Champions League this year (Ajax) has a full uniform set.

At the end of the season the promotion relegation numbers are:

1. Eredivisie: 2 down
2. Eerste Divisie: 2 up

The Eerste Divisie consists of all Dutch pyramid teams that have played in the real world Eredivisie since 2012.

Eredivisie
Netherlands
18 Teams
102 Games

1. ADO Den Haag Ooievaars | ADO Den Haag Stadion | The Hague
2. Alkmaar Zaanstreek Kaaskoppen | AZ Stadion | Alkmaar
3. Amsterdam Ajax | Johan Cruyff Arena | Amsterdam
4. Arnhem Vitesse | GelreDome | Vitesse
5. De Graafschap Superboeren | De Vijverberg | Doetinchem
6. Feyenoord Rotterdam Stadionclub | Stadion Feijenoord | Rotterdam
7. Groningen Trots | Euroborg | Groningen
8. Heerenveen Superfriezen | Abe Lenstra Stadion | Heerenveen
9. Heracles Almelo Heraclieden | Erve Asito | Almelo
10. NAC Breda Yellows | Rat Verlegh Stadion | Breda
11. Nijmegen NEC | Goffertstadion | Nijmegen
12. PSV Eindhoven Boeren | PSV Stadion | Eindhoven
13. RKC Waalwijk Leeuwen | Mandemakers Stadion | Waalwijk
14. Roda JC Kerkrade Koempels | Parkstad Limburg Stadion | Kerkrade
15. Rotterdam Excelsior | Stadion Woudestein | Rotterdam
16. Twente Tukkers | De Grolsch Veste | Enschede
17. Utrecht Domstedelingen | Stadion Galgenwaard | Utrecht
18. Venlo Honden | De Koel | Venlo

Eerste Divisie
Netherlands
8 Teams
42 Games

1. Cambuur Yellow-Blues | Cambuurstadion | Leeuwarden
2. Deventer Go Ahead Eagles | De Adelaarshorst | Deventer
3. Dordrecht Schapenkoppen | Stadion Krommedijk | Dordrecht
4. Emmen Rood-Witten | De Oude Meerdijk | Emmen
5. PEC Zwolle Blauwvingers | Zwolle Stadion | Zwolle
6. Sittard Fortuna | Fortuna Sittard Stadion | Sittard-Geleen
7. Sparta Rotterdam Kasteelheren | Sparta Stadion | Rotterdam
8. Willem II Tilburg Tricolores | Koning Willem II Stadion | Tillburg

The Eredivisie season starts in mid-May. The Eerste Divisie starts on the first Saturday in July.
 
Russia

The top of the Russian pyramid is the Russian Premier League.

RPL teams who are playing the in Champions League this year (Zenit, CSKA Moscow) have a full uniform set.

At the end of the season the promotion relegation numbers are:

1. RPL: 2 down
2. RNL: 2 up

The Russian National League consists of all Russian pyramid teams that have played in the real world RPL since 2012.

[B]Russian Premier League[/B
Russia
16 Teams
90 Games

1. Anzhi Makhachkala Orly | Anzhi Arena | Makhachkala
2. Dynamo Moscow Menty | VTB Arena | Moscow
3. Krasnodar Byki | Krasnodar Stadium | Krasnodar
4. Kuban Krasnodar Kazaki | Kuban Stadium | Krasnodar
5. Lokomotiv Moscow Parovozy | RZD Arena | Moscow
6. Moscow CSKA | VEB Arena | Moscow
7. Nizhny Novgorod Volgari | Lokomotiv Stadium | Nizhny Novgorod
8. Perm Amkar | Zvezda Stadium | Perm
9. Rostov Muzhiki | Rostov Arena | Rostov
10. Rubin Kazan Volzhane | Ak Bars Arena | Kazan
11. Saint Petersburg Zenitchiki | Krestovsky Stadium | Saint Petersburg
12. Sovetov Samara Krylia | Solidarnost Samara Arena | Samara
13. Spartak Moscow Krasno-Belye | Otkritie Arena | Moscow
14. Spartak Nalchik Djigits | Spartak Stadium | Nalchik
15. Terek Grozny Volki | Akhmat-Arena | Grozny
16. Tom Tomsk Sibiryaki | Trud Stadium | Tomsk

Russian National League
Russia
14 Teams
78 Games

1. Alania Vladikavkaz Barsy | Republican Spartak Stadium | Vladikavkaz
2. Arsenal Tula Pushkari | Arsenal Stadium | Tula
3. Khimki Krasno-chyornye | Arena Khimki | Khimki
4. Moskva Torpedo | Eduard Streltsov Stadium | Moscow
5. Orenburg Gasovik | Gasovik Stadium | Orenburg
6. Rotor Volgograd Sine-golubyye | Volgograd Arena | Volgograd
7. SKA-Khabarovsk Krasnyye Zvezdy | Lenin Stadium | Khabarovsk
8. Saint Petersburg Dynamo | Fisht Olympic Stadium | Saint Petersburg
9. Saransk Mordva | Start Stadium | Saransk
10. Tambov Shmeli | Mordovia Arena | Tambov
11. Tosno Lesniki | Petrovsky Stadium | Tosno
12. Ufa Gorozhane | Neftyanik Stadium | Ufa
13. Ural Yekaterinburg Shmeli | Central Stadium | Yekaterinburg
14. Yenisey Krasnoyarsk L'vy | Central Stadium | Krasnoyarsk

The RPL season starts on the first Saturday in June. The RNL starts on the first Saturday in July.

Obviously there's a lot of "unpleasantness" (to use my best understatement) with Russia going on. In the real world this has resulted in Russian teams being disqualified from the World Cup (the team was denied participation in the last round of qualification) and European club competitions. I haven't decided how I want to handle this when the game gets to 2022, but we'll cross that river when we get there.

The same goes for COVID in 2020, now that I think about it. Yeesh, the real world can be a real bummer. But that's a ways off! Two more league overviews to go!

Next up: Austria and Scotland!

[jasg224]

First off, I just want to say wow, what a great job creating this database! Looking forward to following more of this and seeing where you take this.

Second, I have a question of personal interest to me as it's been a project of mine to do a database in this style. I'm currently working on "copying" the Football Manager 23 database (thank God for the editor) to OOTP. As a side note, you can check this 2020 thread of mine that has Premier League and I think some Championship jerseys if you're interested.
Anyway, my question is: did you mess at all with the Player Development Settings? I have no data on it, but it seems to me like football is a younger sport with a lot of U23 players participating very actively and even being superstars at such a young age. Baseball has moved in this direction lately (see Ronald Acuña, Juan Soto, Vlad Jr, etc.) but it still seems like baseball players develop slower and play for longer than football players. Is this even something you took into account for your playthrough or did you keep these settings at default?