ok, let's talk unity ...

[WEIRDWOLF]

Originally Posted by WallyJ

Get everyone to agree on equipment (bases and figures) spec's and you are well on the way to unity.

I use to think this but after other attempts at finding a happy medium, it never seems to work out. Coaches like to play the way they play. What a coaches Association would bring to the table is not one set of rules or one size of figures but allow all the various factions to show others the way they play. Again its about education and bringing in new blood.
I think we can all agree that Reg's figures are made for EF as are Miggle and Buzzball and all only work if they are on a base and all only work if they are on a vibrating field. Thus they are all electric football!!! All the other things such as FOB tackling and stick passing, etc are just parts of what EF really is. A coaches association would bring unity through diversity. All forms of EF would be embraced as would all manufacturers. We must educate the public and the only way to do this is through a unity of diversity. The sole purpose would be to bring all EF hobbyists together under 1 roof to show off their best. We wouldn't even have to have a tourney at the convention, in fact their could be a Miggle rules tourney and a Buzzball rules tourney and a Texas Shootout rules tourney and an Anthony Burgess tourney if the proponents of each of these rules sets would want to run it while at the convention.

All in all there is no one way to play EF and that is what we must recognize first and foremost and then follow up with a broad definition of EF.
For instance, model railroading has 5-6 size designations of model railroading from HO scale to O scale to N scale but they are all model railroading. I'm not talking about 100 different scales for EF but rather that FF and Buzzball and Miggle are all EF and the way Reg plays and Mr. National plays and Billy in first grade plays are all EF as well.