No More NSPL?

[Exile]

Wow, so its all down to me is it ?? Im responsible for the CPPS being created, the Southern Masters starting back up, and people preferring to play elsewhere. I suppose I dictated that Syd run events miles away from where he is based in Devon as well ??

So you are talking utter rubbish !!

Hahahahahahaha, have a day off princess. You couldn't run an event if you were reincarnated as Harvey Goldstein...

No, you're spouting off about how the "demise of the NSPL was inevitable" and explaining why as if you're an expert - you haven't got the foggiest and didn't even bother to read Syd's explanation properly - you know, where he explains ALL his reasons not to run the NSPL this season, the principle one being his desire not to dilute the scene unlike most of the other promoters who are just interested in lining their pockets.

You're an internet warrior, and a nasty little gossip to boot. Don't comment on things you don't understand/have no knowledge of and people like me won't despise you. Capish?

 

[Mario]

Saucer of milk table one Dave

This happening to the NSPL was inevitable. The CPPS came in and dazzled everyone, becoming what everyone wants to play. Trade turn out seems to be a big draw these days. The CPPS gets a lot of support from the trade show, whereas the other leagues don't. Can't say there's not a correlation there. (Yes the size, and organisation helps as well.) The NSPL's to costly to run without a large number of teams. Its not like the Super5ives which can get away with a much smaller number of teams. (Its based at Ambush so everything it needs is there.) Although Kitch is still not breaking even most events due to low numbers, but I doubt that will stop him.

Syd's not even close to where his event is held. He's got travel, accommodation, food, and a couple of days of set up which requires help, which all costs money. If he could have had the Reading site more permanent then it might have cut his costs and allowed him to run the NSPL with fewer teams.

Here is how this post reads ewitch:

syd cared too much about the quality of events he put on, rather than trying to eke as much money out of us players as possible. No wonder he's called it a day, the chump.

Syd, good luck bud.

 

[Spike]

Echo you are 100% right. It was inevitable but not for the reasons you mention. The reasons are clear to those that know the industry inside out and one of the same reasons that the Masters is suffering in the Midlands - competition. However it's not competition of which event is necessarily better, it's where teams are offered small initial discounts to come play series A as opposed to the one they were originally playing.

Call this business, call it hostile or not - doesn't matter as a team will want to save their pennies in year one believing that they have just sealed the deal of the century and play a series where they are being treated well with some form of faux sponsorship. Some even marshalling and playing the same event as that makes it more cost effective (and also open to calls of biased marshalling whether it is or isn't before anyone jumps on this one). Of course the false economy becomes clear in season two and three where the discounts are whittled away. But worry not as along comes another enspired wannabe series promoter that starts off on the same track "hey mate come play my series I'll do you a good deal". Then the vicious circle continues and another one goes.

Chris is guilty of falling foul of this as when teams approached him in this manner, he would refuse flatly to enter into a price war believing that teams would come to the better event. In reality a player will moan about point a or b of every event but they turn up the following month. Generally suffering (read moaning) within their brethren and not raising the point on the day to the organiser.

Now this isn't aimed at any individual promoter or series. All of them see it as business economics to get more teams in by giving away a bit, unfortunately they will eventually fall foul of the same tactics when someone else comes along with bold ideas that make their event look more inviting believing themselves to be the messiah of uk ball.

As for trade supporting the events this came about due to the FED initially but then people again see themselves bigger than that at times and do things against the grain and upset the apple cart. Of course while there are lots of teams there there will be trade. While there is little series A and big series B naturally they will be at series B.

Another thing that hasn't helped either the NSPL or The Southern Masters is the pair of them using the same venue. No offence to Yorkie with this at all as the facilities he provides are good BUT when you play an event you do need to see some seperation to make it a different And when you run an event or team at some stage you need to see a return for your cash or eventually you get fed up with the expense.

Now this is a year off for the NSPL let's see what happens in its off season, but echo when pinki says you are part of the problem - in some respects he's right. So Echo in some respects pinki is right in suggesting the you don't understand the entire situation - he's just a little more poetic about how he puts it!

Oh and as you know Echo I speak from experience and from someone who is a member of The FED, has travelled all over this country for many years (and the world for that matter) to play and ref events. I'm also starting to wonder myself what return i am getting from ball for the input (financial and otherwise). It isn't as much fun as it used to be anymore and this is something that is in my blood.

 

[Dr Fingers]

Surely another way of looking at it is that everyone is skint in the current financial climate? There seem to be few teams turning up to events because players have less cash to spend and can't play as much. Hopefully when things pick up so the tournament scene will recover. There will always be the diehards but the long and the short of it is tourneys need support from teams and there are fewer teams willing or able to commit financially.

 

[Echowitch]

Here is how this post reads ewitch:

syd cared too much about the quality of events he put on, rather than trying to eke as much money out of us players as possible. No wonder he's called it a day, the chump.

Syd, good luck bud.

If you are reading it like that then you're reading it wrong. Im not saying Syd is in it for the money, but money is a necessity. When you lose teams to competition you have less money to put in to things. When you are 100-150 miles away from where you are based you have travel and accommodation costs added to everything else. He doesn't own the site, he pays rent on it, more cost.

Spike I haven't been to an NSPL event in ages. And no I don't known the politics or anything else going on behind the scenes other than what I've been told by those on the inside in confidence. I've focused on one aspect, cost. But it seems that P8ntballer is now just a forum for people like Exile to blast anyone they don't like with impunity. I haven't been rude or offensive but this is the second I've been abused on these forums in the past month. 1st for helping to find out facts, and secondly for giving an opinion. (Clearly opinions aren't allowed here anymore.) Added to that Exile spouts a load of utter rubbish about me and nothings said or done. I initially put it down to rage-a-hol on his part as he's clearly mates with Syd and part of Reading Entity so he's be feeling pretty hot about the subject. But now I just think he's an offensive little berk !!

Pretty damn sure Im not going to bother with P8ntballer anymore. It used to be great, but its now 50% great people, and 50% offensive idiots !!

 

[HPUKer]

Hence why NSPL was choosing to run just 4 events with good turnout, rather than one a month that feels like a glorified scrimmage.

we are all members of a small community, if we want paintball to move forward in the right direction we need to consider carefully where our entry fees are going. I.e. is some of that cash going into making paintball better, or will it just get absorbed and you will never see any changes?

also not sure how this makes the cpps more "premier" this season as its nearly at capacity I thought? but hopefully someone with the future of paintball in mind will give the NSPL teams a good option to play in.

 

[Syd (NSPL)]

For the record, my decision had nothing to do with money. Maybe I shouldn't have put that information in my announcement as it is misleading. If it was about the money, then I would have simply moved the events back to Bricketwood and made a decent profit on the season. Also, where I live has nothing to do with event costs apart from a bit of fuel - not sure where you got the idea we all stay in hotels and such when setting up Reading events Echo - back of transit vans and tents more like. Would be a waste of the honest paintballers entry-fees otherwise.

No, the decision was about the quality of event being provided and the quality of product southern teams are receiving from ALL the tournaments in the South.

Let's concentrate on making sure those teams that did want to support the NSPL go to a good second home now and that we end up with a strong southern series as a result of all of this. That is what is needed - that is what teams in the South deserve. Which tournament series that ends up being is almost academic.

A single strong series is better than lots of weak ones.

 

[Rikk]

A single strong series is better than lots of weak ones.[/quote]

Totally agree with this. (can of worms opening time) - We need a governing body that has this in mind too, and to stop the fragmentation of the sport!!

 

[Syd (NSPL)]

Again, to be clear, I am referring to a single series in the South, not the entire country. I don't believe one series for the entrie country is sustainable or healthy.

 

[Dr Fingers]

A single strong series is better than lots of weak ones.

Not a good approach and doesn't work in other sports. Growth in any sport can only occur when participation increases. In sport development it is described as a pyramid; the wider the base the higher the peak. If you get rid of the stepping stones that new teams can use to cut their teeth they are less likely to get to the stage that they will enter events like NSPL or CPPS. Greater coordination of events so that all event positions contribute towards a teams national standing with more points for the major events. Making our sport narrower and less accessible won't help it grow.