New Teams Going Nowhere

[Talfryn]

I don't know if this has been discussed before or if this is in the right section (sorry mods) but I had some thoughts.

Every couple of weeks I see posts saying that 'I've just started a new team' or 'anybody want to join my new team'. I think that most of these posts have something in common. The people trying to start these new teams have often never even played sup before or have no idea what is involved with running a team and training and most often seem to be 'a few players short' and asking for new players. The problem with this is I doubt many people are overly willing to just get together with someone theyve never met before when they are most likely new to the sport to themselves. But back to the point these new teams just never seem to actually happen. I think its great that there are clearly new people wanting to get into paintball but I am worried that these people never actually make the step into paintball due to thinking that all they have to do is say 'I am making a team' and expect it to happen, when after a while they may become discouraged.

These are just some rambling thoughts i've been having but maybe it would be a good idea to have a sticky to help these people and direct them on their way to paintball. For example this thread could have the contact details for people like yorkie who are extremely helpful and are a means of reachig out to new players.

Just some ideas! Post up what you think

 

[Rat]

I agree with what you've said about people always posting up teams etc. and like the idea of a hints page.

But maybe its just the mentality of the sport in general, being a team based sport, maybe people feel they have to put a team together in order to partake. could this be because theres not enough "info" to hand? so putting a team together and playing at a local site seems to be the easiest way of getting into it full on, rather than finding a pre formed team thats recruiting with a full backin of leagues/sites etc.

maybe another reason for forming teams is the idea of "pro style sponsorship"" the thought if they have X number of players, they can ask for x amount of sponsorship from sites/stores for little effort...

just my tuppence.

 

[Big_jim]

I was having a similar conversation at a scenario walkon last sunday regarding the very same issue but from the scenario point of view. The problem is there are plenty of "casual" players around who will attend the odd event. There are very few committed ballers. This person I was speaking to runs a team of maybe ten players but when it's all said and done its just him and one other.

 

[cowface]

not long ago i saw a new team being created and they advertised that they were sponsored by just paintball ...

i was thinking, how could a company sponsor a new team that has never seen a sup air field ? or is it a case of discount because they will buy all there kit from them, so are they calling that a sponsorship ? is it the misconception that to be 'in' you need to be sponsored ?

It would be interesting to know how many new teams have started up in the last 12 months and how many of those new teams are still going today ?
I agree with you rat that people might be under the belief that to take part you must create a team or is it the fantasy in having your own team that you started yourself which is more appealing then joining another persons team ? there rules there way ?

 

[Ali]

I don't know if this has been discussed before or if this is in the right section (sorry mods) but I had some thoughts.

Every couple of weeks I see posts saying that 'I've just started a new team' or 'anybody want to join my new team'. I think that most of these posts have something in common. The people trying to start these new teams have often never even played sup before or have no idea what is involved with running a team and training and most often seem to be 'a few players short' and asking for new players. The problem with this is I doubt many people are overly willing to just get together with someone theyve never met before when they are most likely new to the sport to themselves. But back to the point these new teams just never seem to actually happen. I think its great that there are clearly new people wanting to get into paintball but I am worried that these people never actually make the step into paintball due to thinking that all they have to do is say 'I am making a team' and expect it to happen, when after a while they may become discouraged.

These are just some rambling thoughts i've been having but maybe it would be a good idea to have a sticky to help these people and direct them on their way to paintball. For example this thread could have the contact details for people like yorkie who are extremely helpful and are a means of reachig out to new players.

Just some ideas! Post up what you think

i was thinking exactly the same

 

[Gavin - 44pix]

An all too common problem...

Cant really see why anyone would want to start a new team with little experience of the 'sport', never mind trying to co-ordinate a new team. Often enough, such teams disappear without anyone noticing.

What I think we should see is the formation and development of clubs e.g. you join an established club which has a number of teams of different levels, you come into the club playing say 'Div 2' and then work your way through the teams as you develop. Other advantages would include - being able to train with more experienced players who can give advise and support, larger number of players to help backfill absentees, being apart of something bigger than a group of 5 players... etc...

I like the idea of having a sticky where new players can find information about teams/clubs who have the foundation to take on and support new players.

I was quite lucky to have stumbled into Warped and be apart of a team/club that was already well established within the UK paintball scene when I first started paintball. I'm not sure where I would be now if I had taken a different path during those early days; I might have joined one of these new teams and then disappeared from paintball after a year, or I might have just remained a woodlands player until boredom settled in (no disrespect, its just that Sup Air is more my thing).

Something as simple as a sticky could help direct a number of new players to teams/clubs where they might have a greater chance to remain in paintball

 

[CraigofScotland]

not long ago i saw a new team being created and they advertised that they were sponsored by just paintball ...

i was thinking, how could a company sponsor a new team that has never seen a sup air field ?

happens alot from what I can see. Alot of teams are all about the ego boost of saving £1 of a box, infact I know of some that haven't attended their first big game but go out of their way to gain such sponsorship or support deals.

Its worrying they actually receive it and expect it rather than work and earn it.

My biggest gripe is when people call themselves sponsored when its a support deal

 

[Rat]

perhaps another factor is the sport appearing as "easy" to play... i mean who hasnt heard the misconception "paintball is just running around and shoting each other" from public or friends?

maybe its that thought that makes people form teams..... no training required, just turn up and rule!!! and they soon find out the real truth.

 

[Talfryn]

happens alot from what I can see. Alot of teams are all about the ego boost of saving £1 of a box, infact I know of some that haven't attended their first big game but go out of their way to gain such sponsorship or support deals.

Its worrying they actually receive it and expect it rather than work and earn it.

My biggest gripe is when people call themselves sponsored when its a support deal

I totally agree. I may be wrong, and i'm not in any way going against such shops and think that they offer great support, but I think that if just a random person saying that they are making a team phones someone like justpaintball and ask for sponsorship the shop will likely say 'sure' knowing that by giving this newbie and his mates 10% off they will get this persons custom and continued business and not so as to get representation at tornis and such.

 

[Sinister]

I think the Sup Air community itself is incredibly hard to find unless you already know someone within it.

Most of the punter sites in my area won't take the time in explaining to punters about Sup Air and the tournament side of paintball; they're a business that thrive from the infrequent customers that pay huge prices for paint (in comparison to tourney teams) and thus it would be detrimental to their business to try and get ballers playing frequently and paying what they may perceive to be well over the odds once they get to know a thing or two about the sport ( I use that term loosely for all the critics ).

I only got into paintball as my brother had done previously - fortunately, one of the marshalls at his local site was on a team and introduced them to the captain - and it sort of rolled from there.

It's just incredibly difficult to find an established team within a sport you know practically about. Someone with some IT know-how and the will to do it should set up paintbook.com... or faceball.com... you get what I mean!