Its not about changing your team name or even mixing players from different teams as such but it is about getting recognition for your efforts, which putting your towns name in the title, will help.
If the PA Cup had been played without town names would Manchester appeared on a primetime BBC show? NO! If you want to put a Paintballing team on that show who were the best you would pick Dynasty (no offence Manchester, bear with me) but what relevence has Dynasty got to anyone, you could call them Paintballs world champions but nobody knows where the fcuk they come from. Everyone knows Manchester, it makes sense and in my eyes raises Manchesters efforts above Dynasty's because they have put Paintballing on the map for their location.
Teams do not have to cannabalise themselves or others to take part in the PA Cup, you can live outside the area your representing, it just makes more sense to live there (you wont feel such a fraud
) In the future, you will see teams with players on them from around the world representing an area as you do in football etc. If someone has the money and drive to bring in outside players (Americans etc) they will but there has to be a reason and that reason will be money. Winning a national title now doesnt give you much except kudos, in ten years time it might give you and your team enough money to play all year for no personal expense, but only if a sponsor can see the benefits of putting up the prize money ie exposure of their brand name. The Campaign Cup gets exposure due, I would suggest, to its size and venue. If you had a national league that held events monthly with a national champion at the end of it, there is interest for a whole season not a one off event, way more exposure for the sponsor. At the start of the season the media will bring you the first event and then update regularly so the local populace can follow the result.
We are at the start of something here not the middle or even end. When Arsenal, Manchester Utd, Liverpool etc football clubs were formed can you imagine being involved then, forming that team and then seeing where it has got to today and all the triumphs over those years. How proud would you be? All those people who start representing there towns now will leave a legacy for future generations to build on. Also, how many sports do you know in your area at their highest level (divisional or county) that you would be able to literally walk into their team and play or even form a team and join their league. NONE! You cant suddenly become a Conference team let alone a Premiership side, you cant be a rival County squad. In Paintball, at this moment in time, you can start a team that will represent your area, your town. You can be someone and you can be recognised as a founder of that team and a player of an exciting team sport. That is what putting your town's name on your Paintball top will achieve, winning all the Millenium/NPPL/PSP events will only get you your 15 minutes of fame, not the lifetimes recognition.
