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That 1200 is what you CAN spend it IS NOT what you have to spend to be competitive. This hobby is like any other hobby as far as cost you can spend alot of money for no reason or be sensible and shop around or ask for help. I have given away teams that are competitive anywhere and it cost less than 100 bucks.
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It 's why I spoke about "open box" format. It's a thing that I saw in slot racing clubs. After some time, all the members of a club start to buy option parts, racing material, electronic controller, etc...and create racing classes for that type of cars.
Of course, if a beginner come into the club, he'll see he has to pay the club entry fee (let say 50usd) + a super pro electronic controller (200uSD), a race prepared car (around 200usd). AND he will have to prepare and tweak the car, because all that money will not make him competitive.
What is "open box format" ? It's a way to organize fair competitions. The guys pay a fee to enter a race. That fee (let say 70usd) will cover the cost of a standard brand new car, never used, in box. The organizators also have some spare new motors and specialized tires matching their race track.
When the race opens, every guy receive his car, motor and tires. No matter you're in the club for years of since yesterday. Equallity. They just put the tires on the car, and make the race. That type of tournaments is interesting because beginners and "pros" share the same material and same event.
On a season playing, same thing. They open several classes for everyone. Stock (means not modified) cars, modified cars, unlimited modified cars.
They also open at least ONE special schedule and a ranking for beginners/intermediate pilots (= for example, new comers with less than 1year in the club). So beginners can win or class themselves in a specific league matching their skills, in one word, progress, during the league season.
On a miniature football club/league, do the same. See what your members prefer concerning bases and figures, and make special events, schedules and rankings for these new comers.
FOr me, it's a lot better way to bring new people than giving them complete pro teams and stuff like that. THe good old story of "tell a man to fish" thing.
For example, imagine these events :
open box tournament : everyone (pro or beginner) will obtain a new bag of miggle painted 11man team, and about 24 bases (proline rookie, for example) new in bags.
they all have to tweak their bases before the event. No special tools or treatments. The good ones helps the worst ones. Perhaps special regular league ranking bonus points if you help the newcomers to do it, if you don't have "natural born teachers" in your league
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OR you can make a thing even simplier : one of the regular coach tweak enough bases equally to complete all the teams for the tournament. Then, put them in hats (one for linemen, one for receivers, one for loopers, etc...) and each coach in the tournament will pick up randomly 11 bases for his bag of miggle figures. Then, play the tournament, and let see what happens.
For regular season league, make a special newcomers ("rookie" or "freshman") league. Limit the rosters and the type and numbers of bases.
Just ideas from behind the fence
Perhaps those ideas could seem silly or even naive, but believe me, I had some chats with really good slot racers (international champions during the 60's-70's-80's, from France, USA, germany), and they ALL said that the hobby has been killed in the 80's because of the "race for better weapons" stuff.
During that aera, slot racing was not playing with scalextric or aurora stuff anymore, people built big wood race tracks, they didn't use stock plastic car anymore, but metal high spec chassis, rewired motors, "tweaked" cars, special controlers and stuff like that...ANd the hobby almost died with the Veterans of it, because nobody was able to afford the cars, the tracks, and noboby was able to tweak the car the "professional way" these veterans did.
Hopefully, because of the new model running cars appearing in the 90's (plastic), easily available and affordable for almost everyone, the slot racing hobby breathed again. Back to roots sort of thing.
I believe the analogy with MF is really obvious.