Thoughts Please ...

[RICH HARRIS]

Probably a stupid post but there is no structure for catering for all the different types of teams. As a potential organiser we recieved quite a bit of negativity about the format we wanted to use because it was not in line with every one elses (PSP vs Mills) which for us was fine as the teams we were looking to cater for are the ones that play for fun or just want a domestic series to play in. I think the idea of a uk premier league would be excellent and we would support it in any way we could. Problem is to develop a venue it takes a fair bit of investment for posts, netting, maintainance of the site plus all the extra's which are over looked and insurance. With only a handful of teams to play the premiere league it would certainly bump the cost up so would the teams then be happy to play it. This is why we are running the number of events is to spread the cost out and anybody who thinks that you can make money from this is welcome to see our expenses.

There is alot of negativity about lately. After having a few years away from this you dont realise how bad it is until you step away and look. Back 4-5 years ago there was alot more support between teams of all levels for each other and it was like a little (or big) family. Now it seems people are just out to bitch at each other and every one for no real reason. Why??

 

[stongle]

Strange that for the period that UK Tournament Paintball has been in decline is when UK economic growth and incomes have rocketed. Also, as a recreation (or at least the consumables i.e. bullets) has got a lot cheaper. You would have thought Panitball would have been in it's ascendency, except the opposite has happened.

Make something too easy or attainable, and people are generally flippant and couldn't give a flying fcuk about it. I think the proliferation of events and faster and faster guns etc, is merely a response to demand (fuelled by stupidly cheap bullets), so don't think the blame lies with the tournament organisors or equipment manufacturers. Basiclly, the "make it cheaper and everyone will come" argument is a load of sh*t, just like mortgages (I'll come back to that).

As anyone can now pick up a gun and afford to play, any chav can now come along and ruin a fun days balling. And with this flippant attitude, they really couldn't give a fcuk about the game so cheating is absolutely endemic. And it's not of the artful kind. It's just a waste of time playing. And here in lies the problem.

As it's no longer worth playing, or making the effort to play, us older gents or those with the disposable incomes go off and do other things with our money. Buy more houses, second cars, get a Romanian mistress (I have 2 and an ex under the patio) or take up offshore powerboat racing. Or better yet Golf, at least there's only 4 other cnuts you have to play with.

In order to get UK Tournament ball back on track, we need to push the price of bullets back into orbit and the UK economy into recession. I've done my bit by feckless investment in Credit Default Swaps, Collaterilised Debt Obligations and Shorting Banking Stocks (especially Lehman Bros), all we need now is Piper back at a Bullet company and all will be fixed.

 

[RICH HARRIS]

Nicely put, i feel now that the UK scene has lost the fun out of it like when we were in our prime Stongle. Back then it was more of a social thing where going to bed drunk and playing with a hangover was the norm. Ok this aproach was never gonna allow itself to be called a recognised sport but at least we had fun. Mind you the other way has not brought fame and finance to our world yet so maybe its time for back to basics and a re building campaign. Perhaps a tour from the "original" DCF crew is in order

 

[stongle]

That's the thing. None of us were ever going to be the best players in the world, and perhaps our focus was an issue. But no one moaned about making the effort to get from London to Elsham to guest at an event or mind paying 50 quid a case of paint. And despite this proliferation of pauper AGG wannabe players, we can still play the odd event and be the last man shot out, even from the 50.

Too many people wanted to believe the hype and kid themselves, but it got everyone nowhere. We need a system that caters to these masses and the 200 serious players in the country. Unfortunately, I don't think there is anyone whom can think at the macro level to do something about it.

 

[Mikey D]

One thing which nobody has really touched upon which I think is missing in any abundance from any sort of UK ball is prize money, especially if you look at other series in other countries.
I've not been playing all that long compared to most, but I cant think of any UK series in the last 3 or so years where there has been a good prize stash worth actually playing for. No disrespect to anybody named, but the PA had some prize money a few years ago, but didnt that get taken away once somebody pissed off the sponsors? The masters which may be fun to play and popular, but the prizes really aren't good value for money. The Euro 5 man offered some good prizes, but unfortunately giving away more money means you need the teams to play, and so we saw the end of that.

Competitiveness isn't just bred from trying to beat your rivals and have the bragging rights, but taking away something to be proud of like a fat cheque or a good stash of kit makes a big difference. we want more, the organisers dont want to give out more, but if I know the team is playing £500 an event, but then 1st place prize is £1000, im gonna try my heart out!
Money obviously doesn't come out of nowhere, but for the price of entry at some events you'd expect more than a voucher, or a few jerseys which the organiser most probably was given by a vendor in order to entend and sell paint/kit etc.

it's quite a touchy subject which could open a can of worms so im going to stop there, but isn't that what this thread is about?

 

[Robbo]

I'm sorry to disagree Mikey but prize money never motivated me one bit.
I played all my career with and alongside some of the game's greatest pro players and I don't think any one of them was motivated by prize money.

The money might have been the icing on the cake but as for being a prime incentive?
Nah mate !
You go ask Ollie what motivated him to be best the player in the world and he will tell you 'it's the thrill of competition itself, to refine his skills (improve), to win' .....

We got, from what I keep hearing, a healthy site business going on over here, and it's growing..... the answer seems to lay in the transition from that to tourney ... we have to work out if the transition rates have declined, and if so why?
Or the transition rate ratio is still the same which indicates they migrate across but are less satisfied with the product when they attend hence the resultant decline we witness today.

This is the nub of a correct analysis ....

Once determined, we can set about coming up with answers to put it right .... thinking caps on guys ...and here it might be an idea for a few site owners to have some input and I think maybe Barry Fuggle could be a valuable contributor because he has not only been in the game for lord knows how long, he is also a part owner of the Millennium series and well respected in the industry for being pretty level headed.
I'll make him an offer he can't refuse to post here maybes

 

[Mr. Suicide]

I agree with the idea of a national league. I think it'd make stuff more competitive.

It'd be way more diverse as well as you'd be playing teams you've never played before, only heard of, and the best teams in each league will have a chance to see if they really are better.

Like before though, it needs a lot of thought and leadership. I can't imagine this happening any time soon to be fair.

Luke.

 

[Dusty]

Converting people from woodland to supair is not easy. Average Joe punter wants to come along and crawl in the mud, be Rambo for a day.

To help the conversion process here in Ireland we hold an SOD (speedball open day) once a month or so, and invite new players, old players, all players to play nothing but tournament paintball in a relaxed environment. Everyone turns up and we mix the teams so new players and experienced players are never against each other as it can be very off putting. So far it has spawned a couple of new teams and a lot of new players looking for teams.

Maybe something along those lines could be used?

 

[Mr. Suicide]

That's the same sort of thing that happened with me, but it was way more casual. The site I started at was more of a Speedball arena with different scenarios, and a couple of us learned more about paintball from the manager.

I tend to ask customers at the site I work at what their favourite field was, and if it's the speedball field I'll normally ask them if they've thought about playing paintball.

So far I've introduced a couple people into sup'air by giving them a list of websites and stuff to look for on the internet.

Maybe some sort of tournament paintball pack would be an idea? Like a brochure haha. I know it sounds stupid, but something explaining what tourny ball is without boring people? I'm a bit sad guys heh.

Luke.

 

[Buddha 3]

I'm sorry to disagree Mikey but prize money never motivated me one bit.
I played all my career with and alongside some of the game's greatest pro players and I don't think any one of them was motivated by prize money.

The money might have been the icing on the cake but as for being a prime incentive?
Nah mate !
You go ask Ollie what motivated him to be best the player in the world and he will tell you 'it's the thrill of competition itself, to refine his skills (improve), to win' .....

We got, from what I keep hearing, a healthy site business going on over here, and it's growing..... the answer seems to lay in the transition from that to tourney ... we have to work out if the transition rates have declined, and if so why?
Or the transition rate ratio is still the same which indicates they migrate across but are less satisfied with the product when they attend hence the resultant decline we witness today.

This is the nub of a correct analysis ....

Once determined, we can set about coming up with answers to put it right .... thinking caps on guys ...and here it might be an idea for a few site owners to have some input and I think maybe Barry Fuggle could be a valuable contributor because he has not only been in the game for lord knows how long, he is also a part owner of the Millennium series and well respected in the industry for being pretty level headed.
I'll make him an offer he can't refuse to post here maybes

To make a long story short, we basically need two things then: Customer/player recruitment and customer/player retention.
Pull them in and keep them in.