Footy Euro GP 2009 - Yes, 2009

Footy Class General Discussion (Footy)
1

It’s not yet quite official but …

It is our intention to run the Footy Euro GP again in 2009. Unofficial contacts with the Birkenhead Club suggest that they would like to host the event again - and the views of everyone who came this year are definitely that the hospitality was so tremendous that going anywhere else would be silly.

It has been suggested that the ideal dates are the weekend of 18-19 July 2009. Once again we will attempt to get people under the same roof - the social side was one of the best things about this years event.

Once again, costs will be kept down. Obviously if you fly from the USA or NZ or some equally far flung outpost of the empire :devil3: it costs a little more than going round the corner to McDonalds, but I don’t think people who came here found it expensive. And remember that the horror stories you in the US hear about how expensive the UK is these tays are generally be told London prices. For food, drink, accomodation, etc, the North (where Liverpool/Birkenhead is) is MUCH cheaper.

We’ll keep you informed as things progress. If anyone who came (or did not come) last year has any suggestions, either e-mail them to me or post them on this site. There’s only 11 months to go.

:zbeer::zbeer:

2

Angus, this is fantastic news!
I would consider that Birkenhead was without doubt the best meeting in 2008.

This was a brilliant opportunity to meet those people who you often see writing on forums and a chance to meet both old and new friends from all over the world to exchange ideas and share the camaraderie that Footy’s seem to magnetise amongst its followers.

I will definitely be attending so please consider me as your 1st confirmed attendee.

The 11 months will go by in the blink of an eye, so I would encourage any one else who would like to visit the UK to seriously consider this as a
“must do” venue and to forward book your tickets. You will not be disappointed!

The accommodation you managed to organise was very reasonable and the breakfast was limitless.

Our hosts were the epitome of warmth and friendship; the club house offered all the facilities required to make this venue a memorable occasion that will sure to be repeated in 2009.

Congratulations Angus

Best wishes
AndyT

3

I’m very pleased to see that there will be a repeat of this great event!

There’s no way that I can encourage people enough to attend. USA Footy sailors, get there! Find a way to make it happen, and you’ll have a great time.

The Brits are wonderful hosts. I never felt more welcome anywhere I have traveled. The B&B’s are terrific…much different from those in the US that are expensive and cater to snobs. In the UK, B&B’s are inexpensive, very homey, and the full British breakfast is an unbeatable way to start your day.

The racing venue at Birkenhead is really nice, complete with clubhouse to shelter you from any rain that MIGHT occur.

Pubs are plentiful, and they serve a FULL pint of beer…some of the best beer I’ve had, actually. BTW, the beer isn’t warm…nor is it ice cold…so you might say it’s just about right.

2008 was a great time…if we can get some more of you to go across the pond, 2009 will be much better still!

Bill H

4

What a great event and location this was in 2008. The hospitality shown by the club members was brilliant… I shall be there Angus, for both days this time. So, lets get that barbecue organised at the clubhouse for the Saturday evening!!

5

Now that is a good idea

6

My 10 pennyworth…
I love the idea of the the Eurocup, however…

Would it not be better to hold it during the school holidays ? (all the state schools in this area do not break up until the last weekend in July)

With regard to venue, I appreciate that Birkenhead was a fantastic event, but it is a very long way from the south coast, so how about somewhere more central. Oxford spings to my mind, there is an established club there and loads of to do for the non sailors. Moreover it is easy to get to from the major airports with or without a car (there is an hourly coach service from Heathrow, Gatwick and Stanstead).
NOTE. I have no connection with Oxford MBC, I just happen to like the city.

Mark

7

I think Mark has made a good point here. Not necessarily about the school holidays as that doesn’t affect me any more.

But shouldn’t we perhaps be thinking of sharing our goodness about a bit. For example, last year’s Nationals was hosted by Bourneville I believe, and this year they were at Watermead. Shouldn’t we be thinking of sharing out the prestige of at least these two events - the Nationals and the Euro GP amoungst the other host clubs.

Yes, I cannot deny that the Euro GP at Birkenhead 2008 was a well organised and executed event, and thanks must go to Russell Potts and Graham Elliott for making it possible at such short notice. But, Birkenhead is rather out on a limb for something intended to be more than just a local Open event.

The one thing that both Bourneville and Birkenhead did had in their favour was their purpose built club houses. The thing here is that as long as it isn’t wet then having no clubhouse is not a problem, as at Watermead. But if Birkenhead hadn’t had a clubhouse we would have been soaked to the skin more than once.

We mustn’t forget that we are a club without a home and rely heavily on the goodwill of clubs around the country for hosting our events when they have no in house Footy experience. At the moment I suspect there are not many clubs asking to host Footy events - they have, in the nicest possible way, been Angussed. Lets make sure we don’t offend them too much by denying them the opportunity to stage a big gathering.

. . . . just a thought.

Cheers,

firstfooty

8

as a partecipant to birkenhead 2008, I would like to add my word to this point

1 - without doubt, a yearly footy international event is very important to our model class future :

  • for us , to exchange ideas, to meet people have fun and drink beers
  • to give to model community a “promotional face” of footy as a true international class ( the smallest one, but one of the funniest )

2 - dreaming of an european championship based on several events ( spring - portugal, summer - england, autumn - italy ) it seems logical to improve something already tested such as the EuroGP in liverpool

3 - A town not far from a low cost airport is an absolute priority in order to keep budgets low.
And Liverpool is one of these

so it seems logical that the choice of liverpool as the best place for euroGP 2009

last but not least, university accommodation are very comfortable and absolutely cheap

I would like to see an increasing number of boats comining from a lot of different nations arriving at liverpool airport next summer !

Flavio

Folgore ITA 5

9

Euro GP is very much may baby - by profession I am a translator, in my general patterns of thought I am a committed internationalist, and I firmly believe that the small size of the Footy makes it the ideal international class.

As a counter to my dear friends and colleagues Moth and Firstfooty: in comparison with someone who sits in an oversized aluminium cigartube for 1000 miles from Milan or 3500 miles from Boston, the difference in travelling differences between Liverpool and Oxford is tiny FOR A WEEKEND EVENT - and remember that there are Footys north of Banbury as well.

The fact that Liverpool is my native city means that I have contacts and local knowledege. Even if I cannot do it myself directly, I have a good chance of being able to ‘Angus’ someone into collecting foreign gursts (and I think we should very much regard foreign competitors as guests) from the nearby ‘cheap’ airport (Liverpool) and the intercontinental gateway (Manchester). My apologies to Flavio (I know he isn’t looking for him, but here they are): if we hadn’t had an unexpected dlitch there would have been someone al Liverool John Lennon Airport to meet him off a fligt arriving at 23:00.

If someone in the south-east is prepared to commit to making a similar comittment to excellence in hospitality, I’m listening, although time is getting short. If not, my preference is very much to go with what we know.

On FirstFooty’s very sensible point about sharing thing around: at present the Euro GP is in my view the Crown Jewel of British Footy events. Ideas have been put about privately (OK, guv, honest, by me - it’s a fair cop) suggesting a sub-competition within the Euro GP for three-boat national teams. Events of this type have been run in the past in full-size boats. Those that have been based on a single, immobile, centre have often survived for quite a long time. Those that have shifted around, or followed the winner have generally petered out sooner - just look at what happened when the NYYC lost the America’s Cup!:devil3::lol:

I think that the reason is that such events rquire quite a high degree of ‘ownership’. The Footy class organisation is certaibly not strong enough to provide that ownership, and although I am incredibly impressed by the way that my colleagues in UK are taking up the reigns in preparation for my retirement in a year’s time, I am not sure that we can pull that trick off nationally either [Please do not take any affront at this gentlemen. My respect for you is genyuinely huge].

This is the last call for input. If we don’t get any more views here, I think that we shall have to make a formal request to Birkenhead quite soon. Time passes and diaries fill.

Cheers,

:zbeer:

10

Calloo, callay, O frabjous day
He chortled in his glee

Euro Footy 2009 is on, up and running with a new and even better format. The Euro Footy event itself will take place on 18-19 July 2009 in Birkenhead (as last year). Our most profound thanks to the Birkenhead club for having us back and, in particular, to Graham Elliott for helping it happen. Provisionally the OOD (=PRO to you lot over there) will once again be Trevor Jenkinson. We hope that we will once again be able to create the very special atmosphere of this year’s event.

Better still, the UK National Championship will be held just one week later at Hampton Court Model Yacht Club, in the grounds of King Henry VIII’s Hampton Court Palace. This is handy for anyone who wants to do an early dart from either of London’s Heathrow and Gatwick Airports. Liverpool/Birkenhead is of course readily accessible from within Europe through Liverpool John Lennon Airport or, as an intercontinental gateway, through Manchester International/Ringway.

More interest: we have not yet received anything totally official, but the jungle drums have it that, following Flavio Faloci’s manful performance with the beautiful Folgore this year, the Italians intend bringing a small navy and to put up an international perpetual trophy for national teams of three boats.

Finally, Bill Hagerup has asked me to tell him as soon as possible after the dates are fixed so that he can book the tickets well ahead. He intends to bring Sheilah – and we very much hope that others will bring family, partners and whatever: unfortunately UK quarantine regulations make bringing Fido difficult!

So come on, join in. We will shortly be putting up a web-site where people can record their interest or enter. No commitment – but if you are interested, say so. We are already guaranteed more foreign entries than last year: put down your interest and you will get other people to think the unthinkable – and maybe (just maybe) everyone will end up coming!

Looking forward hugely to seeing you all.

11

Angus this is indeed good news.
Count me in for both events - I had a fantastic time
Lawrence Hartley wants to do both events as well.

Brilliant news numbers are starting to grow already

12

I can confirm jungle drums about the perpetual trophy,

as provisional agreed with angus the initial idea is to enact a “footy admiral cup”

may be first year we shall start with two boats teams, or with “friend+friend” team in order to have enough competitors

anyway, as usual, angus have invented a new trick to boost class activity

I can also confirm that here in italy footy activity is steady growing…even with a very confidential project of an “all italian footy”

stay tuned…

flavio
folgore ita 5