Home Nations III sold out and ready to host coaches from all over Europe!
- Jock Wright
- Sep 8
- 4 min read
Whilst Team England Juniors are set to debut in Loughborough
And it seems that the word is out. Tickets for The Home Nations third edition went on sale yesterday at 11am, and were promptly snapped up within eight minutes reaching the increased capacity of sixty teams for the Open.
Jock’s reaction was immediate,
“It’s a lot of fun to be the host of such a well received tournament and to be able to welcome coaches from far and wide is a privilege. Wobert and I build the framework, but the event is awesome because of the coaches that come. So many coaches are coming back for their third year-in-a-row, they’re very much old friends by now. I can’t wait for July to come round to do it all over again.”
Missed out on getting a place in the Home Nations? There’s a waiting list
Blink and you will have missed it! The Home Nations III hit capacity in record breaking time. Jock, Tournament Organiser, is going to discuss with the venue whether from a practical point of view we can take any more teams in this coming edition of Home Nations.
The key focus is ensuring the event experience is the very best it can be for coaches and of course as the event grows in size the complexity of the logistics grows with it. Until we know if there is any additional capacity available you can complete the registration form to join the waiting list on a first come first served basis. Please don’t send any registration fees - Jock will update those keen to join whether we can accommodate them in the near future.
Update - Home Nations Open increased to 70 teams
Newslfash! As of Monday 8 September 11:30am. It's been confirmed by Loughborough Students' Union that there is scope and capacity to increase the number of coaches to 328 giving us space for seventy teams in the Open alongside the Home Nations Bowl. Captains who were on the waiting list have been sent a message to let them know there is space for their teams.
Team England set to launch a junior team who’ll make their first appearance at The Home Nations
A first that The Home Nations is proud to play a small part in is the launch of Team England Juniors. A team of four under-eighteen English coaches will be selected to pull on the white shirt with the red rose and represent England alongside the main squad who’ll be competing in both the Bowl and the Open.
They’re the future of the game and the community and it’s a great initiative that current England Captain, Wulfyn, has led on. When asked why the Juniors was important he had this to say,
“Understandably the game of Blood Bowl has grown up with the coaches who discovered the game in the 80’s and 90’s. This means the majority of the community tend to be middle-aged men. It’s important that we strive to make the community as welcoming and inclusive as possible so that anyone and everyone feels they belong, which includes young people.
Team England Juniors is an important step in encouraging young people into the game and ensuring the future of the community is a healthy one. By giving young coaches the opportunity to represent their country I’m hoping it fires young coaches’ imagination as they fall in love with the game.”
The Home Nations will have coaches from no fewer than ten countries
The Home Nations reach continues to expand as coaches from all over the continent are set to descend on Loughborough next summer. No doubt for those travelling from afar popping into Warhammer World just up the road in nearby Nottingham could well be on the agenda.
The Home Nations in its short history has had coaches attend from as afar afield as the US and this year proves no different as we have coaches from ten different nations set to attend including; England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Ireland, France, Italy, Malta, Poland and Sweden.
The Home Nations is a tournament of friendship without borders
Whilst the premise of The Home Nations sees national teams compete, it’s friendly and good spirited competition. However, what is really great about the tournament is how it brings coaches from all over into contact with each other where unexpected friendships can flourish.
There’s no better example of that from the friendship struck up between the Scottish and Maltese Blood Bowl communities over the last couple of years. Malta will have attended every year of The Home Nations whilst Scottish coaches have attended the last two editions of Blood Bowl on the Rock, typically held in the first week of June.
Janninu, Maltese community leader, and leading member of the NAF World Cup organising team was effusive in his remarks about the connections formed through the tournament,
“Team Malta was invited to attend the original Home Nations Bowl by Jock, which was a real honour to be asked. From there our friendship with him and the wider Scottish community has grown in the last couple of years with reciprocal visits.
This year at Home Nations II we even had a joint team in the Open as Boneripper, a young Maltese coach, joined a Scottish team. We’re excited for next summer already, the community in the UK and Ireland is very friendly. Our last couple of visits remind me why I love our wider Blood Bowl family. The Home Nations is a must-attend event for many of the Maltese coaches and in no small part down to the friendships struck up over the last couple of years.”
The Road to the Home Nations starts here
We’ll keep teams up-to-date with the latest news as the tournament draws nearer over the weeks and months.
For example, an obvious big question on the radar is will The Home Nations III be played under the impending new Season 3 rules? Well that depends on what Poland, next year’s Eurobowl hosts decide.
For now, thank you to all the coaches who wasted no time in showing their support for the tournament. It's really appreciated by the TOs, who’re looking forward to next summer and delivering the spiciest edition of the Home Nations yet!
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