I think you guys are going at this the wrong way.
It is NOT the site owners' responsibility to supply the tournament players with a venue to train - it is their responsibility to run a sound business with good growth figures.
As I have said time and time again - if the paintball industry wants paintballers to buy mid and highend guns, goggles, uniforms, barrels, loaders, etc. - where their margins are so much better than on field/entry level products - they should damn well start to realise, that their best area of growth is not stealing customers from the other brands - but generating new customers at entry level.
The big companies in the industry should be MUCH better at helping the fields turn their business around, from the majority of the customers being one off company days and stag parties - to return customers.
If industry does that, their market will grow at a much faster rate, AND their fields will be happy, because they are getting a much steadier income stream.
What it takes it helping the fields get out of the woods, get better equipment and not least a way for customers to become weekly or bi-monthly customers, instead of once per year.
The stellar example is Sebban from Joys field in Sweden - granted, it is Reball - but could easily be dublicated with paint.
He has 600+ memebers, that show up and play at least once per month - most of them at least once per week!
They all play Sup'Air, they all play with top level guns (Angels, Shockers, Egos, etc.), and they all get training from local instructors, so they actually improve.
2 years from now, Sebbans field will be the host of at least 30 paintball teams!
And, Sebban is not making a killing on each customer.... but he is making a little on each, that return again and again - AND purchase paintball products from the fields shop, which the field suppliers are more than happy to deliver
Now - what Sebban has realised, and so few other field owners has opened their eyes up to, is that a lot of people out there want to play paintball - like they play badminton, or curling, or whatever...... they want to be able to do it as a regular thing, where they get taught - not just something that is fun once or twice per year.... and they do NOT want to have to start their own team, just to be able to do it.
But - Sebban is unique - for most site owners around the world, it is not possible to set the whole thing up, without their main supplier helping them out with a complete concept.
And - the funny thing is, that once your business is structured like that, you suddenly have plenty of capacity for catering for the tournament players - and they even become valuable as instructors.
Nick
