Exclusive Interview with Tom Cole of the NXL - Venues, Format, ROF, Mode and more
The President of the National Xball League (NXL), Tom Cole, was kind enough to end the suspense. Here are the details about the format, venues, rate of fire and more.
What's wrong with high end tournament paintball up until now?
I personally think "cost." When paintball was booming 2002-2003, a 10 man entry was $1750. Last year D4 Race to 4 cost $2800 that is a 60% increase. I am not saying that the national leagues are making huge profits. We have just changed the way the game is played to make it more expensive. Over the next couple years the NXL will be looking to make our events more efficient. We can then pass those savings on to the teams.
What are the goals of the new league and how will you fix the current issues?
We are going to offer some more affordable options while at the same time increasing the players experience at the NXL events.
Who makes the decisions for the brand new NXL?
We have steering committees and a board that is made up of the owners group that we rely on for answers and direction. In the end I am the President so I would be the final decision maker.
Will the Nashville event happen?
From what we understand, the MSXL will be taking over the venue contract for that weekend and offering games to divisional teams.
John's note - find out more about the MSXL Nashville event here.
What will be the biggest difference between the NXL and the PSP formats?
We are offering a timed game as opposed to a RaceTo and we are also offering a traditional 5-man.
How about between the Millennium and the NXL formats?
We are working with the Millennium to create a more uniformed format but it is a work in progress.
Will coaching be allowed at any level?
No Coaching.
Will there be a webcast?
We are offering a webcast on the same level the paintball community is accustom too
Will it be paid or free?
We are still working on the pricing.
Will Matty be the host?
That is a surprise!
Will the format be the same from the pros on down?
Yes, but the game time limit will vary by division.
Any additional limitations on gear allowed on the field besides the usual?
No
Will players be allowed to bring their own paint? If not, what paint will be available?
It will not be Bring your own paint but we expect all major brands to be available for purchase.
Do affiliates have to follow NXL rules to be affiliates?
They will be using the same format in 2016. We thought it would be best if we did not change too much in 2015.
Will there be different bunkers needed than the 2015 PSP bunkers?
No we are going to use the same size fields and same bunker kits the PSP is using in 2015
What rate of fire will the NXL use? (and will it be the same for all divisions)
Yes it will be the same. We will be using the same mode that is used at the Millenniums 10.5
The first 3 shots must be semi-auto mode only. Markers will be limited to a ROF of 10 balls per second, defined as no two consecutive shots may be timed shorter than 95ms apart (reading on ROF meter of 10.5 bps or less is legal; reading on ROF meter of 10.6 bps or higher is illegal).
Clarification: 5 bps for start/sustain ramping does not need to be hit physically; it refers to the time delay between trigger activations, which must be at least the equivalent to 5 bps. So a marker may start to ramp up to 10 bps, if (after the first three shots being in semi-auto only) the time delay between 3rd and 4th trigger activation is less than 200ms.
What is the basic format? (timed matches? Race to? Split deck?)
The NXL will offer timed matches in Pro, Semi-Pro (D1), D2, D3 and D4. We will offer a D3 and D4 standard 5 Man. We will also offer an open class Pump and 10 Man
Match Format.
Professional
18 minute matches with a 7 point mercy rule*
Each Pro team will play 4 matches in the prelims
Semi-Pro (D1) and D2
15 minute matches with a 5 point mercy rule*
Each Semi-Pro (D1) and D2 team will play 4 matches in the prelims
D3 and D4
12 minute matches with a 4 point mercy rule*
Each D3 and D4 team will play 4 matches in the prelims
*Mercy Rule
The game will end if at any time one team as a point differential of:
Professional: 7 Points
Semi-Pro (D1)-D2: 5 Points
D3-D4: 4 Points
Split Deck System
All match style prelim games will be played with a "split deck". Two teams (A-B) will be on the field playing one point, while two teams (1-2) will be waiting to enter the field after A-B resolve point. Teams 1 and 2 will have one minute from the completion of A-B game until the start of 1-2 game.
5-Man, Pump and 10-Man Format
5Man
Each 5 Man team will play a minimum of 8 games, 5-minutes per game.
Pump
Each Pump team will play a minimum of 8 games, 5-minutes per game.
10Man
Each
10 Man team will play a minimum of 6 games, 15-minutes per game.
We know about Cleveland, but are there locations or dates for any of the other events?
The 2015 season is set with the following three events. The 2016 season will have five events throughout the United States. We aim to release the 2016 dates before World Cup to give the industry time to make plans.
2015 NXL Event Dates
NXL Great Lakes Open
June 5-7, 2015
Trade Show Open June 4-7,
Games Played June 5-7.
Victory Park Ohio
7777 Victory Lane
North Ridgeville, Ohio 44039
NXL Mid-Atlantic Open
August 7-9, 2015
Trade Show Open August 6-9
Games Played August 7-9
(Venue TBA)
NXL Paintball World Cup
October 15-18, 2015
Trade Show Open October 14-18
Games Played October 15-18
(Venue TBA)
What about the West Coast?
We are planning on having a West Coast event in 2016.
Who are the main sponsors?
Valken and GI Sportz were the first to sign on at the highest level and there are more looking to come on board next week. The NXL is open to the industry. Any company wanting to be involved as a sponsor or vendor should email Camille:
Camille@xball.com.
Details on the events, registration, rules, classifications and more are being added daily to our website:
www.playnxl.com.
Thanks for the time Tom. We all really appreciate it and look forward to seeing what you can do with national level paintball.
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