Thoughts Please ...

[Mark Toye-Nexus]

Yes!

I have a better idea, lets reform the Preds, BSQ, Demolition, NWC, Shades, Banzai, Lions, Rat Pack, Bad Company, Short Timers et al, and pretend the last 15 years never happened...

Thing is, there never was a major UK league (at least not in my eyes)
The Mayhem Masters was always the event everyone wanted to win, and previous to that - the 'Mayhem warm-up'. Koow Doow and Hook Wood put on good events that kept people busy in-between. Paintball was played by men, and if someone was 18 (a-la Dave Spittle) they were considered 'the kid'. Unfortunately, and no offence to the youf of today, the sport is dominated by kids who are too young to drive, or think its cuh-razy to put stickers on the cars they do have access to. They have no money, and spend thier time looking for used gear on the cheap rather than supporting thier local stores.

Where are the store teams? Every store used to have at least 2 teams. The fields also had teams, where are they? Its useless to expect kids to organise themselves into cohesive units. It needs someone with drive and determination. Where are those guys, the Captains?

Before you have a league, you need the strong/stable teams. Before you have them you need the strong leaders - people who are in the game, own a field or store, and are genuinely enthused about the game.

Pete, you're an old romantic, and I love how you and Chris still want to make things happen and shake up the scene. I'm not sure you really want to go around the merry-go-round again, simply because you've said you don't (quite a few times), and I don't think a whole new league is the answer either.
Are the existing venues going to capitulate and follow the lead - doubtful. Therefore you further segment the market.
Do you have enough top teams to draw the lower teams in - No, not unless I'm missing something.
For me, the answer is to start small(er). The UK needs a big annual flagship event, in addition to the MS event, where there are big prizes and universal support (possible because it does not clash with other peoples series). When thats up and running, people will want to train for it, practice for it and most importantly, actually play it.
Does the event need Pete Robinson to be involved in order to be successful? Yes, absolutely it does, Chris too, and Ledz, and absolutely everyone else too.

As I read the thread I was kinda formulating a response - and then I read this and you'd beaten me to it.

'Way back when', the season WAS Mayhem, nothing else mattered. Then there was the Gold Cup, Campaign Cup, and the other 5 man (NSG?). 4, maybe 5 events that were stand alone but attracted all the serious teams together.

Now why not have a 'UK Cup'? The P8ntballer Cup maybe as P8ntballer has the cudos and is not negatively associated with teams (as manufacturers seem to be in some players eyes).

It could be backed by the manufacturers to help fund it in part.

Start with one annual event I say. Keep it to UK teams.

Edit: didnt know about pgi till 2 minutes ago

 

[bizy43]

been watching this closely and there has been many posts saying we need more new players, i dont agree i've seen many new teams, started/helped started a few myself and i've always been by far the most experienced player, most have been own guns or just played 1 or 2 events.

i think the problem is retention of teams & players so many move on to other things and for many reasons money not always but the main reason cited when the're asked

another problem is no real governing body sunday morning pub football is better administrated (by the fa) than any part of european paintball (cant comment on us ball)

theres been much said about getting youngsters involved again not sure on this either, now to quilifiy myself i have 3 teenage sons and i know how fickle they are how little money they have with no transport and how much they cant be bothered to get up on a sunday morning when theres a long drive and its wet and cold and the xbox is by there bed, only 1 of my sons played and he is now in the army so jobs or uni also get in the way. i know of a few teams will not have teenagers unless family as they can be more trouble than is worth it. i know there are exceptions but thats the point they are exceptions

another problem is the forums. anyone can have there say good on one hand but a post/idea posted up can be shot down because someone has a grudge or they counter there own idea it dont take much to sow seeds of doubt then theres another person not flourishing then how long b4 there lost to the sport

sponsership also seems to go more to teams than events some teams have loads of em so many they forget them in speaches when they placed. maybe that could be looked into a bit more make the events cheaper and better

there have been a lot of great posts on this thread simon giles budha 3 missq ledz to name but a few

the nspl got close last season but it went wrong somewhere maybe syd might have thoughts on this

i think there are enough tournies, teams, players
but
there are no governing bodies which we should all belong to like the fa where they could administrate the various events and formats and unify to create a british cup maybe something like campaigne or mayhem used to be
just my thoghts martyn
thanks for reading

 

[O.G reborn]

trying to make sense of it all

Well, I am sure I should have read all the posts beforehand but I have not so apologies if what I am saying has already been said.

Seems to me that a National league would help to revitalise the sport in the UK but not without bringing together the existing structures (tournaments). Obvious I know but how to do it.

First of all, how do we decide which teams are in the National league (NL)? Do we fill the NL with those British teams placed highest in the Millennium rankings or with teams qualifying through the UK's major tournaments? How do we maintain a NL structure with teams going off to play international tournaments?

Is the NL affiliated with the Millennium series (MS) in such a way that points scored within the NL go towards qualification for the MS?

Lots of questions so here are some thoughts on how it might work.....

Lets say that there are three major UK based domestic tournaments (could be more just using this as an indicative number) the top 5 teams from the top divisions within these leagues qualify for the NL the NL then operates 6 legs throughout the season (2 per domestic league venues) this way non NL teams get to see the countries best teams playing.

Work with the MS to work out an aggregated scoring mechanism for points scored by NL teams playing in the MS.

Basically, the domestic leagues feed the NL but benefit from hosting legs of the NL. See the best players at these three venues but also allow for teams playing non UK events

I will think some more about this but there must be a way of making it work

 

[Robbo]

been watching this closely and there has been many posts saying we need more new players, i dont agree ......

Biz, i read up to this point I ended the quote above, I decided I couldn't be asked to read the rest but forced myself to ...lord knows why I did after reading your opening line but I did.
If you think that this industry doesn't need new blood, then everything you write after that point is completely invalidated......and so it proved to be.

You make mention of the fact you think forums are a problem, and maybe this is the only thing you got somewhere near right but the irony is, the reason forums are a problem is because of posts like yours.
People who know very little about our sport (or the younger element) may erroneously believe you have some idea of what you write about ......and I am saying you are way off the mark.

This industry does need new blood, the reason we are in this cr@phole is not because we haven't organised ourselves and when I read the following gem, it almost made me fall off my seat.

You wrote :-

'sponsership also seems to go more to teams than events some teams have loads of em so many they forget them in speaches when they placed. maybe that could be looked into a bit more make the events cheaper and better'

Hmmmmm, I rest my case

 

[MissyQ]

There are words on some of these posts that are spelt so poorly that I almost think people are doing it on purpose. Its actually hurting my eyes. They're not even close.
Maybe thats part of the problem?

 

[Echowitch]

His post is really quite all over the place agreed and doesn't read well, but I think Bizy's trying to say we need to focus more on retaining the people we have and not lose them. I'm guessing he's just preferring to focus on that rather than just say bring new people in. No point in bringing them in if we can't keep them We need to get them in, hook them, and then keep them. I honestly can't believe that he would not want new people joining the sport.

Forums.....erm the P8ntballer forums members may not be Angels but they aren't monsters who hunt down newbies deliberately and try to put them off. So not sure what he's on about there. If he was referring to some other forums I could understand.

If he means bad attitudes, then yes that can be a problem, but that's not just online. Bad attitude players who swear, throw their markers around, start arguments and even fights and set a bad example put people off. After all why should you have to endure that sort of abuse, (directly or indirectly,) when you could do something else instead. Most people shrug it off, mutter various expletives at the person in question under their breath and get on with it. Others are a little more....sensitive...and are put off.

Sponsorship....huh ? lol

 

[Echowitch]

There are words on some of these posts that are spelt so poorly that I almost think people are doing it on purpose. Its actually hurting my eyes. They're not even close.
Maybe thats part of the problem?

Yep agreed, some people need to use Firefox as their browser. It has a built in Spell Check.

 

[MissyQ]

Yep agreed, some people need to use Firefox as their browser. It has a built in Spell Check.

That's not the answer.



Stay in school kids.

 

[Mark Toye-Nexus]

That's not the answer.



Stay in school kids.

LOL, and I bet you re-read your post a few times before posting it!!

Anyway, apart from staying in school, learning how to spell etc;

Of course we have to attract new blood, all walks of everything experience churn and ensuring that is covered is just the start of the equation.

Increasing all levels of all ballers, ensuring spend at all levels, ensures industry health, corresponding re-investment in money and time, innovation and from there it snowballs back to the customer in multiple benefits.

If there isn't growth, there isn't the attraction for business.

I haven't read all this thread so apologies if I miss some of the points but I've been saying from some time now that the scene here was degrading and it wasn't just my rose tinted bifocals either!

The game isn't worth playing to some extent - value for money seems to have been eroded to a point where other alternatives involving much less effort and much more game time for much less money must be attracting the youff away.

Mark

 

[bizy43]

if you wanna flame me for being dyslesic then fine get on with points about flamers on here made. wanna argue other points pm me will expand my thoughts for you. but robbo re read, it did'nt say no new blood needed said we are already getting plenty just need to keep em and organise them properly and make events as cheap as possible ie sponsers