Are we just a bunch of saps or do we have any power?

[Biscuit]

it`s not that mate
scenario guys don`t get the deals on kit like tournie players do or paint
don`t stop them playing
eg played a team not long ago who where supported by dye,the team i play for get little to no support (buy 4 boxes of paint get 1 free ) at full price at event, rest of kit is all paid for by players at full price,the game lasted under 1 minute we battered them.
so how can an industry support this .
you should only get support if you are good or earn it ,it should not be just expected

 

[Ronniepimpstar]

The underlying problem is having no focal point to rally behind.. Well.. no focal point everyone trusts.. We have an industry where even at base level people are thinking they're getting ripped off from punter days to tournaments!!

Mother don't want to pay for their kids to play because there are too many rumours of unprofessionalsm and dangers, players don't wan't to be ripped off because they know people are playing for free. We part with our money with nothhing but distrust because soo many have taken it for too long.. now even from a new punter's perspective, paintball is too expensive.

We need rules and guidelines in place like every proffesion in this country, yet it appears when one body tried to, the players themselves couldn't back it.. I.e. the fed cup from what I can gather?! If the fed can't raise funds from the grass roots it serves then what chance do they have? I may be reading between the lines, but it appears that the fed set out to do something special and raise funds to succeed by offering exactly what people wanted and then got let down in the process, thus killing the whole intention.

However I do think the fed could have been a little more transparent in it's actions and certainly allowed more player representation on board.. A man on the streets.. A lot of people who play now, see the names on the fed as faceless.. Those in the know, know of Steve Bull and the like, but most players actually playing now don't know him as the guy who ran one of the best events this country has ever seen.. It's sad but mistrust is rife and trust must be rebuilt. It's o.k. saying this and that will help, but can anyone actually blame Dear john for not believing?! Once bitten twice shy.

 

[Donk]

i haven't read the whole of this thread but what i have read makes sense.

Why is your time too valuable to spend reading what has been posted by other ballers?

You post a massive lecture even though you haven't played a tournie in 2+ years or read the thread, I guess your lecture is as in touch as your rant about mech infernos beating electronic markers too...

 

[DJForbes]

Wouldnt pulling the "sponsors" out from all but major teams make companies need to find a new way for you to want to buy there products ? be that being cheeper or better products ?

 

[no-infernomark]

Why is your time too valuable to spend reading what has been posted by other ballers?

You post a massive lecture even though you haven't played a tournie in 2+ years or read the thread, I guess your lecture is as in touch as your rant about mech infernos beating electronic markers too...

my time is valuable because im doing studies and wok a full time job of 48+ hours a week, so ten minutes reading or ten minutes studying, is non brainer to me.

maybe this is wrong what is wrong with ballers in this country, instead of taking a collective of ideas, they moan about someone's input regardless of what it says. and your little dig is about as mature as my very naive outlook on paint ball when i first started. This my friend, is a forum, where opinions can be said and thoughts raised but maybe with the attitude you portray maybe its best i dont play tournies anymore.

 

[Robbo]

Ronnie, whilst I agree with most of what you say, I have gotta pick you up on one of your suggestions in that you believe the Fed should have been more transparent and as part of this should have had some from of player representation.

It seems ironic to me at least that the industry finally get to together with a view to try and put the tourney scene back in some sort of order and get better value for money for the player and all of a sudden, we got players demanding representation ... FFS, we were only in our first year and all of a sudden people want a voice .... we had Tommy Pemberton as a player's rep and yet we still heard of people wanting this, that and whatever .... it's not that we wanted to keep anyone out or even to run as some sort of clandestine organisation, we just wanted to do the right thing and we got it thrown back in our face but we had only just got started ....

When we had our last meeting, I came away from that feeling pretty sick I tell ya because Ledz dropped the bombshell that we'd all been avoiding in her heads, it kinda bought everything home to me .. he noted [not verbatim],

'the players were asking for the tournaments to be sorted out, we got together, gave them the best supported and best prize packaged event [outside of the MS] the UK has seen for many a year and the very same people who had been asking for help didn't turn up when it was their turn to show commitment, if they don't want the Fed Cup then why should we take all the time and money to put it on [none of us got paid for that] ??..

We all sat there but none of us could answer Ledz, he had hit the nail right smack on its head ..... I think the mindset of all of us changed in those few minutes where we all realised the real problems we faced.

Maybe we get what we deserve Ronnie .. maybe it's as simple as that mate.

 

[Robbo]

No Inferno, re-read your last post mate and tell me you genuinely stand by what you say there ... but let me give you one piece of advice here, before you re-read it, try winding your neck in a couple of feet and try to see it from a different perspective, hopefully a more mature perspective.

 

[Sid Sidgwick]

Not sre how this comes across but here goes.

I feel the level of suport for teams is ridiculous, the top teams (Nexus, Disruption et al) who reprersent our sport at the top levels get a deserved level of support but some teams under that still get some stupid amounts of support, this level of suport in not sustainable but new people coming into the support see it (as its bragged about..."yeah we get paint for x amount or our guns only cost x") and think to themselves why should I pay top dollar if the teams around me aint. These players then look to jump ship at any possible opportunity to a team with better support to save them a few quid thus killing of newly formed teams.

Maybe im wrong, actually no im not, we have had players in the past who have played for our team (who have spent the last few years bashing heads with the likes of disruption etc and we have had great support from BZ with paint incentives but we we have no formal sponsors and all kit we buy is full price) who have left to join other teams so that they could save money.

People should have to be the best or actually put somethin into the game to get something back from the sport, as it pissess players off knowing we have paid £100+ to shoot some guys yet knowing they are paying less than half that and dont deserve the right to have that kind of support.

Jealousy...hell yes, id love to save money but I aint prepared to leave my mates to do so.

 

[cowface]

'the players were asking for the tournaments to be sorted out, we got together, gave them the best supported and best prize packaged event [outside of the MS] the UK has seen for many a year and the very same people who had been asking for help didn't turn up when it was their turn to show commitment, if they don't want the Fed Cup then why should we take all the time and money to put it on [none of us got paid for that] ??..

A solid statement from ledz , i cant see how people can say that companies should get stuck in and do there job for the UK paintball scene when they clearly do by supporting events such as the fed cup and supporting teams that aren’t at the top. The companies and individuals that supported the fed cup got burned and i bet they are reluctant to show that level of support they gave the fed cup again....

 

[Tony Harrison]

No maps, and few Generals

Why do we play paintball?

Some of us play for the love of the game. That's what keeps us coming back, no matter how many times we get beat down, or let down by others.

Unfortunately, players with "heart" are in the minority.

As you know, in the scheme of things, tournament players are not very important - they account for a very small percentage of those who play.

Major League paintball has had a format war for some years now, and I don't see an end in sight.

When visionaries put something on that that is groundbreaking - for example, Rich Harris putting events on at a summer show and on the promenade at Blackpool - teams don't support those events.

Some players expect too much - they expect a discounted or free ride immediately, without paying their dues. When they don't get it, they jump ship to whoever they perceive will get them a cheaper game.

Loyalty is a rare thing in these times.

Again, as has been said before, we need to cultivate the player base at grass roots level, so I'm off to do that.