Politics

[Biscuit]

very informative post jimmy
just one question,on behalf of some teams.
not all teams play the 2 sanctioned tournie series (cpps,nspl)
so are they allowed to play the fed cup ,as some players may believe that only teams that play the sanctioned events can play it.
if that is the case why ?

 

[Frenshy]

Any team can enter the Fed Cup, but there is subsidised entry for teams who qualify by playing the neccessary number of sanctioned events. This year it was £50 off (and of course several teams from CPPS and NSPL won free Fed Cup entry) - it is likely that this gap will increase over the coming years to further reward the teams who support the new structure.

 

[extremelimo]

Fed cup

Okay guys sorry if this is a bit long winded but here goes my twopence worth
I think the Federation are on the right lines, unfortunatly we have a poor economy at present, you only have to look at the plummeting price of second hand markers on here.

My main problem is that Syd and Rich both have excellent venues and have a very loyal following, I myself have played CPPS from day one. Ive also played NSPL,Masters and Super fives and between all of these tournies my team at one time or another always walked away with trophies.
The point of this, with all this sucess I cannot even get a paint deal.Unless you play Millenium paint deals are non existant. What happens to the teams that are not even at my level, how can they afford to play.

I feel that all the paint suppliers only want European glory, thats where all the teams are.
Look in any warehouse in the UK and the paint is for woodsball in majority.Paint prices have shot up.Its a vicious circle, we need more entry teams but they cannot afford the paint, tourny isnt big enough volume for cheaper paint
Sponsorship is so small in the UK and teams do need this to survive.
Planet has always treated my teams and myself fantastically, Smart parts in there day looked after me, but my main sponsors came from the States, Hybrid and DLX were awesome, Id never even met HYBRID and Darryl (DLX)could not do enough for us.

I know the Federation is doing its best but until the dealers put a little more effort I think we will be stagnant. What about a couple of Techs at these big events,have guns on hand from the main guys so you could shoot a Geo or NT, lets have less paint as prizes. Im quite happy with a good trophy(Fed CUP awesome trophy both years) After a couple weeks paints all shot and gone, trophies gives bragging rights for months/years(TWIZZ World Cup Baby) Get the dealers there with paint, let the smaller teams have 500 each to shoot so they can see the different brands.make the players feel wanted.
As for the Masters Wendy was a fool, but she also ran one of the best tourney ever, always a trophy, always a smile and always there to sort out any problems. I always felt that Wendy knew everyone and tried her dam hardest. For the UK to lose the Masters is a shame and I know the Fed have said they have moved on but I feel this is a great loss to all and if at all it could be redressed it would benefit the sport as a whole

The Fed Cup is so close, but what happened to all the teams,maybe announcing the date alot earlier may help. A few guys trying so hard, but if it works will all the others on the sideline jump in for all the Glory.
Players really need to get of there arses and show support for this event, but then again the dealers do to

Mr Bling:
Shoot me down in flames now
,

 

[Robbo]

Good post Jimbo, I thought I wrote long posts till I read that, it made me feel good on several levels.
I love the way you negotiated the politics of what you wrote above, it was skillfully done

 

[gambo47]

The ICE team last year and this year the Ross-shire Raiders came a long way south to compete in the FED Cup...as far as I know the only team from Scotland..we show support and with so many teams between us and the Fed Cup it was a shame that there weren't more competing but I suspect it would simply be down to cost. A "Jock" team and from Wildwoodz shows that it is possible to get teams from afar...a date and location announced earlier would make a difference though and enable players to seek cheaper transport/accomodation costs etc... I loved filming and photographing the event and if I can afford it, next year I will be back! I think what the Federation are trying to do is commenable and none has the perfect route to the aims. Politics or not every tournie player should support anything that is on the right road and the Federation is the right one!

 

[Mike_Evans@Warped]

Okay guys sorry if this is a bit long winded but here goes my twopence worth
I think the Federation are on the right lines, unfortunatly we have a poor economy at present, you only have to look at the plummeting price of second hand markers on here.

My main problem is that Syd and Rich both have excellent venues and have a very loyal following, I myself have played CPPS from day one. Ive also played NSPL,Masters and Super fives and between all of these tournies my team at one time or another always walked away with trophies.
The point of this, with all this sucess I cannot even get a paint deal.Unless you play Millenium paint deals are non existant. What happens to the teams that are not even at my level, how can they afford to play.

I feel that all the paint suppliers only want European glory, thats where all the teams are.
Look in any warehouse in the UK and the paint is for woodsball in majority.Paint prices have shot up.Its a vicious circle, we need more entry teams but they cannot afford the paint, tourny isnt big enough volume for cheaper paint
Sponsorship is so small in the UK and teams do need this to survive.
Planet has always treated my teams and myself fantastically, Smart parts in there day looked after me, but my main sponsors came from the States, Hybrid and DLX were awesome, Id never even met HYBRID and Darryl (DLX)could not do enough for us.

I know the Federation is doing its best but until the dealers put a little more effort I think we will be stagnant. What about a couple of Techs at these big events,have guns on hand from the main guys so you could shoot a Geo or NT, lets have less paint as prizes. Im quite happy with a good trophy(Fed CUP awesome trophy both years) After a couple weeks paints all shot and gone, trophies gives bragging rights for months/years(TWIZZ World Cup Baby) Get the dealers there with paint, let the smaller teams have 500 each to shoot so they can see the different brands.make the players feel wanted.
As for the Masters Wendy was a fool, but she also ran one of the best tourney ever, always a trophy, always a smile and always there to sort out any problems. I always felt that Wendy knew everyone and tried her dam hardest. For the UK to lose the Masters is a shame and I know the Fed have said they have moved on but I feel this is a great loss to all and if at all it could be redressed it would benefit the sport as a whole

The Fed Cup is so close, but what happened to all the teams,maybe announcing the date alot earlier may help. A few guys trying so hard, but if it works will all the others on the sideline jump in for all the Glory.
Players really need to get of there arses and show support for this event, but then again the dealers do to

Mr Bling:
Shoot me down in flames now
,

Hi MrB
I sense a big chunk of frustration in your post mate - but I dont agree that the paint/kit vendors are the cause or can unilaterally fix the problems by just giving more away..
I liked your viscious circle analargy and would suggest that the vendors are in the same situation.. Right now we have 50-60 teams at a good event. We have 4-5 vendors at said event. Since we have not yet (in tournament ball) been able to create a culture of buying kit at events, those vendors are essentially vying to get a share of paint sales. In competition lets not forget usually with the event promoter and god know how many people flogging paint from the back of a car/van! - Work it out mate, your a businessman and youve been in paintball long enough to know how little margin is in a box of paint!.
Fact is the vendors attend the events out of support for the Fed, to market/promote their product(s), and to support some regular teams (some of which they actually also create of course). By the time a vendor pays 1-2 members of staff, travel/accomodation, damage/soiling of stock, event tents, upheaval to existing business pre and post event etc, and then does what they can do give us much BACK to their supported teams as they can- well quite simply MOST of the time MOST of the vendors are doing it for the love - we justify it because we love the game and convince ourselves that its a good use of MARKETING money.

I think your right to feel that the years, money, and effort you have put in, and the resulting successes should entitle you to reducing costs, and hopefully one day when we have many more teams forming and STAYING TOGETHER LONGER! the whole thing will become more commercially viable and cheaper for all.

But that day is still some way off, we are still VERY early into the process of making this a "proper" sport.

Jim Frensham - NOT Mike soz just realised Im on Mikes account !!

 

[Ant_UK_Refs]

The problem with getting paintball official recognition as a sport and not a hobby, because for everyone's personal and financial commitment, that's exactly what it is at the moment and for the foreseeable future, is it has been tried before by Russ and co. when they ran the PA. Delta got wind of this, and also applied to make it an official sport, with all sorts of fanciful claims about a member of the Royal Family, and a huge loyal customer base, which as anyone who truly knows the game In the UK, was pure fantasy and ultimately neither application was taken seriously. This is where the Federation have stepped in, to get the UK paintball scene back up where it was in the early to mid '90's. When there were tournaments every week, of every month, of every year the length and breadth of these hallowed shores and our pro players were respected, even feared across the pond.

The industry as a whole is evenly represented by the Fedration, from the first time customer, to the haggard battle scarred tourny baller and we all need to leave the politics and bullsh!t exactly where it belongs....to the toss bags in suits who profess to running the country as best as they can!! From my point of view, anyone who claims to love this amazing game needs to get behind the Federation and show their support in whatever way they can, big or small. Politics suck major cojones as we all know, so let's just pull together. Oh, and no I'm not affiliated to any one of the board members, I just love paintball and want it to succeed and if possible, get Sports Council recognition.

 

[SabreWolf]

ha i remember the days back in early 2000 where me paul and powie would sit around the site counter after a days session, discussing how bad the state of paintball was in and how someone like steve bull should grab the proverbial bull by the horns and sort it all out. hey how things work out lol?

 

[extremelimo]

Fed Cup

Its not the vendors I have a problem with, they are the small pieces in a very large jigsaw. What I do see is that if we played the Millenniums (4 in total this year I believe) I would have a paint deal. Evil Saints has probably been the most successful home team in the last 3 years, but the major paint suppliers only see Europe not the UK. All of the retail vendors supported this event superbly, in fact I think they were all there. Where were the big boys,Kee, Manic, Draxus, not selling paint, but to show what they have in the range of paint, until you have visited their warehouses you would not believe the range..
For the Fed Cup to work everyone has to pull together. Its not about how much paint you can give to the winner(well not in our case at least), it should be about getting all of the teams together to see how well a major competition can be run and the honour of being the UKs National champions.
The CPPS in my opinion are probably now the best fields in Europe,why such a poor attendance to such a large event then.My thoughts are timing, cost, late announcement, small teams don't think they have a chance.

We were very much the under dogs going into this tourney, to be fair really after day 1 thought we had blown it, but under pressure we usually turn it around. My thoughts are the comp should have a 5 man and X ball pro and am division. No difference in entry for 5 man PRO and AM, just if you want to play the bigger teams enter PRO, if not AM. Some benchmark would have to be set by the Fed to stop Sandbagging though.
Lets try to get some outside sponsors in, Rich at one time had Rock Star as a sponsor( I wish he hadn't cant stop drinking the damn stuff now). Get the Dates out in January,reduce the entry fee, adjust the schedule so its not sudden death on Sunday and let it go on longer on Sunday, I've never seen a competition of any type over and done with by 2.00pm.

One last thing, at the end of the Fed it seemed a bit limp, How about photos on P8 of the winners or a banner on the top of this page for the winners. A post and pictures on PB Nation lets give the winners the full backing of the Fed. We need to feel special as winners, I've played Disruption and in all fairness they ripped use apart, they deserve no 1 in the UK but lets shout about how good they are not 5 minutes in a field.Give teams something to really aim for, TO BE PROUD WINNERS OF THE FEDERATION CUP.

 

[gambo47]

fed photos

I have donated all my photos (over 2000 of them) to the Federation, for their site and also for the Paintball scnene magazine... I was't there at the end ot take pics of the wining teams with trophies but competition photos will be up on the Federation site soon enough, that will help.
I am sure the FED cup will feature strongly in the next PBS edition too...but you got some good points there.

One last thing, at the end of the Fed it seemed a bit limp, How about photos on P8 of the winners or a banner on the top of this page for the winners. A post and pictures on PB Nation lets give the winners the full backing of the Fed. We need to feel special as winners, I've played Disruption and in all fairness they ripped use apart, they deserve no 1 in the UK but lets shout about how good they are not 5 minutes in a field.Give teams something to really aim for, TO BE PROUD WINNERS OF THE FEDERATION CUP.