Is Paintball a growing sport in the UK

[Dazdread]

I was just wondering as I am new to the scene (Rec balled at two fields for last ten years) where the evedence is that paintball is a growing sport in the UK. In my local there are four fields covering two counties (Northants/Leics) and in the last few years I have noted that less people attend not more.

Also I know of two sites in the last ten years around here that have closed.

Am I just dwelling in a paintball dead spot?

 

[Simon Malone]

Don't think so

Because Paintball is connected to the gun culture by the narrow minded British public it will never become a leading sport. Anything that resembles or acts in the fashion of a gun will automatically be given a label.

Is Paintball dying?? I don't think it will ever die, although I don't think it will become a leading sport like many people believe it will.

Thats the way I see it

 

[Jones the Paint Magnet]

The number of sites may have just stabilized to a sustainable level. I started 12 years ago, and it's gone from a little-known activity supported by a local outfit to one that has sites springing up everywhere, back down to a core of sites that have survived the vicissitudes of recession and hurricanes.

Bit like the dotcoms, really - loads of people jumped on the bandwagon when they thought it was going to be the next big thing, but I think the high prices put off a lot of people, as well as the associations which Dazdread mentioned. I'm lucky - I've got two really good sites near me in W. Sussex and a third I haven't tried yet in Croydon, so may be it's just the location that's the problem.

I tend to find that whenever paintball comes up in conversation these days, pretty much everybody knows what I'm talking about or knows someone who's tried it - compared to blank looks and mutterings of "he's a nutter . . ." (which I just get anyway)

So the coverage at least seems to be improving . . .

 

[Walker (Nitro)]

As soon as i meet new people and tell them i play paintball the majority frown upom it. i hate that.....especially birds

 

[Simon Malone]

I do believe that paintball is levelling out like Jones said. People I speak to know what paintball is (war game played in the woods dressed like an idiot)

The problem is, people don't know how far paintball goes. Many think that paintball ends at there local woodland site

 

[Collier]

Originally posted by Simon Malone
I do believe that paintball is levelling out like Jones said. People I speak to know what paintball is (war game played in the woods dressed like an idiot)

The problem is, people don't know how far paintball goes. Many think that paintball ends at there local woodland site

Wouldn't it bit great then if the UK had its own sup air league, with the right kinda promoting and coverage it could show the public what its all about and that the sport has moved away from wannabe army boy in the woods...... (didn't someone put up a few post's about this but has since given up due to an extreme lack of interest.......)

Shame is your general UK paintballer is lazy!!

Another thing that will hinder the sport in terms of sup'air tournaments is general costs, by this I don't mean price of paint I mean price of hiring a suitible field(rugby field..etc), getting netting put up and taken down again, thats if you can even get permission to do so.

The UK needs more sup'air sites plain and simple!

Paul

(ex-FusionUK)

 

[rancid]

Paul, I disagree. I think the country needs less sup air sites.

What we need is well run sites, flushing toilets, good parking, clean, safe and responsible, with a head honcho who knows how to promote himself locally.

I also think that the UKpsf should have one aim: promote paintball to the public.

 

[Collier]

I agree about the UKPSF promoting the sport and about site facilities.

Less sup air site's, are you serious?
If there were more sup air sites then more of the series would be played on sup'air (maybe) and thus propote the sport and allow it to grow in general.

Paul.

 

[Collier]

.

 

[rancid]

Hi.
Course I'm serious. You got to be careful that just cos you and most tourny players love sup, doesn't mean it is the best format to grow Paintball.

The sport grows because the grass roots are wide and deep - the sites are doing well and the paint sales are flooding in - all this allows companies to develop product, put on tournies and play with formats. However, joe bloggs punter/casual/corporate are looking for variety in a day's play. If sup was all that was available, then the casuals etc would dwindle. People playing their first game, or two or three times a year, want to play save the hostage, or attack and defense or, yes, a couple of games of sup/speedball/bales what have you.

Compare it to footy perhaps: if you could only play football with 11 a side on a full size pitch with proper goals - where would you be? (actually I'm not sure my analogy holds water, but do you get my drift?).

You know, I guess it takes all elements to promote - if sup can get a bit of tv coverage then great, if the sites can promote themselves brilliant, etc., but I have serious doubts that the future of paintball is sup, it's one element, it's the tourny end and l, believe this or not, tourny accounts for less than 1% of what the paintball industry (world wide) is worth.

I agree with Simon Malone, Paintball ain't ever going to be more than a backwater sport - but hey, that's good enough for me, and it doesn't mean we give up trying.

What do you think?