New Year - New Answers Needed ..but What?

[SimonGiles]

Have alternate formats been considered? I mean, creating something that's cheaper and more accessable is surely beneficial in the face of the recession, could even be good once things are on the upturn.

The club I am involved with in Kent is running regular training days and small scale fun tournaments. We are experimenting with a format of semi-only and no more than 2 pots+hopper per game, and a 280fps limit. This is nothing new, as these are the KOTH rules. Combined this makes for a game that is not massively different in playing experience from what we have been used to (it is still Supair, 5man). But costs are massively reduced, and the gun rules mean that your entry level markers and hoppers are pretty much as competitive as your £1000+ setups.

Also, the club is run on a non profit making affair, so entrance fees are only £15 per head, even for the tournaments we have run (which have so far been successful).

This takes a bit of effort by the club, as well as a charitable host who supplies land/ air/ grass cutting / insurance for a small charge.

Time will tell how successful this club / format approach is. However, I am pretty confident that we now have 30+ regular paintball players who would not be playing paintball at all if it was not for the oppurtunity the club offers. I realise that 30 players won't turn the fortune of the UK paintball scene around but as a model it continues to be an interesting experiment...

 

[SimonGiles]

One thing we must remember here which seems to have been forgotten, the US paintball recession was in full swing for at least 18 months before the more general recession took hold and so does this mean we first have to witness an upturn in the overall economy and then wait for paintball to have its own recovery independent of the overall economy?

Or, is it possible for paintball to recover without the economy improving?

This phenomenon isn't unknown in that areas like betting have shown signs of growth in these times .......

I think if a more accessible form of regular competitive paintball was introduced then the UK market could see growth despite the recession.

I think for every 'baller happy to spend £1200 on startup and £80+ per event for 10mins paintball, there are 10+ potential 'ballers who would play the sport if it cost a fraction of that and represented better value for money.

This is a considerable 'untapped' market that I don't think is being catered for right now.

 

[head_-_shot]

The club I am involved with in Kent is running regular training days and small scale fun tournaments. ....................................... I realise that 30 players won't turn the fortune of the UK paintball scene around but as a model it continues to be an interesting experiment...

This sounds good.
Maybe it's better to make less profit and have more players, kinda like selling a load of hatchbacks rather than one lamborghini.

 

[DJForbes]

its good for me and you but not for sum1 living of the profits of there business