Many reading this will probably have no interest in it, but I'm posting it here to be sure that as many clan members see it as possible.
There has been lots of confusion about the two different clans and what people are 'allowed' to do as far as competitive play, forming smaller teams, etc. So here it is officially:
First, Some History
When this site was small, I mean like < 1000 members, some esteemed members approached me about forming a TF2F clan. This team would be created and managed by a fierce soldier named Serious Cat who, as legend has it, once rocket jumped over the entire map on Dustbowl CP 1 and destroyed an entire defending force with a single nuclear crit rocket... OK, I made that part up :-), but he was bad ass and he wanted to form the fiercest TF2 team on the planet. Things were pretty loose back then and I said, "sure, go for it, I'll support you however I can".
Well, he did go on to form a pretty wicked team, but due to some real life issues he had to step away from running the clan, TF2 and gaming in general for quite a long time. But the [TF2F] clan continued on with new leadership and performed very well in tournaments and such.
Meanwhile, the site was growing very fast and there was a need for more people to 'become a part of something' with the site. So we started the so-called 'casual' clan known as {TF2F} (with the squiggly brackets) to help build a sort of sub-community within the site. As most know, this has been a big success, with the 'squigs' as they're called, now numbering 86 esteemed members! Despite the fact that it's a 'casual' clan, there are some very skilled members, although skill is not really a criteria for joining.
Recently the [TF2F], aka the Squares, disbanded - leaving a single clan, which personally I think is best.
So, What's The Problem?
Now that we have so many good clan members, we are starting to have new issues like:
1) What do I do if I want to be a part of {TF2F} but also want to compete in tournaments?
2) Can we use the private servers for matches or practices?
3) What if I want to compete with one or two non-{TF2F} members on my team?
Finally, Here Are The Answers
I've thought about this a lot. I want to support or best members however I can, while still treating everyone as equally as possible:
1) What do I do if I want to be a part of {TF2F} but also want to compete in tournaments?
If you want to form a competitive team or clan, you are free to do so. Your team should have their own tags, not related to TF2F. We'd expect you to continue to display your {TF2F} tags as usual, but you can also display your comp team tags as well if you want. When you are competing it obviously makes sense to temporarily remove all tags except your comp team tags, and that is fine.
2) Can we use the private servers for matches or practices?
If a team made entirely (or almost entirely) of {} clan members wants to make use of our private servers for competitive play, let me know. I want to support our clan members as much as possible. We will decide if that's doable on a case-by-case basis. We have limited resources now that we are back on shared servers, but we do have some resources available. You would need to share time with other comp clans, so if you can't play nice with others then please don't even ask.
3) What if I want to compete with other non-{TF2F} members on my team?
You are free to form your own teams, but you need to respect the admins of the site. That means if you are using our resources, no one that is currently banned from the site or servers will be allowed to practice on your private servers. If you have your own server, then go for it, but we are not going to be unbanning anyone so they can be on your comp team.
I'm sure there will be more questions, but I hope this at least clears up a few of the questions about this. Feel free to message me on Steam or email at webmaster (AT) teamfortress2fort.com if you do.