I had zero sleep last night as I've been mulling this decision over and over, analysing the figures, trying to find ways to cut costs, attempting to justify running a half-reasonable series instead of a grand one and basically trying to find a way to make things work. It's old ground... I've agonised over all this before, back in November, December and January. I made a call then, after much deliberation, and after a restless night of revisiting the same thought processes, I've come to the only conclusion I could - to go ahead this season, the league has to stick by its requirements of meeting a minimum number of teams in each and every division. Unfortunately, we have not achieved that minimum number.
However, we are damn close. In total, we have 22 teams who have shown their support to the NSPL and committed to a four event season. We needed 26.
We have several other teams who are showing an interest in playing an event or two. There may be other teams waiting in the background to see whether or not the league does go ahead. But, the committed numbers are still below the absolute minimum I set back at the start of year.
Did I set the bar too high? I don't think so - let's look at what that 26 team requirement is made up of. 4 teams in Division One (we have 2), 4 teams in Division Two (we have 4), 9 teams in Division Three (we have 8 ), 9 teams in KotH (we have 8 ). In my experience, that is the minimum required for each division for the team's competing to have a competitive, rewarding experience at a paintball tournament. And that is scraping the bottom of the barrel if we are honest. In addition, that 26 team requirement is the break-even point on the year's finances for the Reading-based events. At the moment, we are falling short about £1,000 an event which totals £4,000 loss for the year. Finally, if we look at what the trade want out of an event then team numbers around the 30 mark start to make that event worth attending. Team numbers around the 20 mark just don't cut it.
The writing is on the wall. We are left with an unviable Division One and an under-attended (if only slightly) Division Three and KotH. We have a series loss of £4,000 to swallow. We have another year to face where the trade will not be interested in attending our events. Its not much to build on.
The alternative is for all those teams to go to the other event(s) that are available in the South, maybe as much as doubling the team numbers at those events. This gives all the southern teams a place to go where they have competition, atmosphere, support from the industry, and a healthy community environment. I don't believe any other organiser has the interests of the teams at heart like I do, but I cannot make people support the league and I cannot make people see the wood for the trees.
Get to the point, I hear you shout. I've actually written two different endings to this announcement and am still struggling with the enormity of the decision (on a personal level, it is one of the hardest decisions of my life so far). But I keep coming back to the same conclusion.
So, it is with great regret that I have to announce that the league will be taking a break for 2012. There will be no NSPL and no KotH events this year, for the first time in a dozen or more years. I would like to sincerely thank each and every player and team captain who has thrown their support in with the NSPL this season and I apologies that the league will not be going ahead even though we have come so close to making the season a reality. But, I also trust you will understand that I am making the call, I believe, is in the best interests of tournament paintball in the South.
We have to have a strong series in the South or players will continue to get a raw deal and will continue to leave the sport or simply stay at the training field because the value in competing in under-attended tournaments just isn't there.
Thank you to all the teams that committed to all four events this season:
Relentless
Paintball Pictures Industries
NA Angels
Kinetic Force
Fix Bayonettes!
Samurai
London Defiance Hydra
Kinetic Pulse
Samurai Rage
Samurai TopCats
Recoil Redux
Double Vision
London Defiance 3
STD
Samurai Reloaded
Cardinals BLACK
Cardinals RED
Resurrection
Project 17
GBH
Samurai CPC
Leicester Uni Vanguard (LUV)
I trust you all have a backup plan in place and wish you all the best for the 2012 season and beyond.
As for the future, I have some thinking to do. Back to the drawing board in my efforts to help the sport I love in this country.
