UK vs. US

[avidfan]

Originally posted by Steve Hancock
I was looking on the NPPL website and saw these prices entry

Professional $2000 (£1090)
Division I $1750 (£954)
Division II $1650 (£899)
Division III $1300 (£708)

Fcuk Me!! Thats why you ain't getting prise money over here - reasonable entry fees.

Having said that i reckon they are probabley worth it, you get what you pay for. I'm guessing there must be a load of small local leagues in the US right?

To get an idea about some of the smaller tournaments held in the US, follow this link http://paintballtourney.com/frontpage.htm and click on any state on the map. Then scroll down. There is a list of tournaments being held in each state. I don't imagine they would all be on there though, but there are a lot of them.

 

[Gyroscope]

Originally posted by Steve Hancock
Having said that i reckon they are probabley worth it, you get what you pay for. I'm guessing there must be a load of small local leagues in the US right?

Just in Colorado (where tournament abll is not very well developed in terms of numbers of players), you have the RMXL (3-man Xball, 6 events), MSTS (a 5 man series, 8 events last year), Colorado Masters (5 man, 6 events), CAPS (3 man, 8 events), Sharpshooters Tournaments (5 man, 1 event). That is 30 events per year in Colorado alone. These events are far cheaper than a national event, and the prizes reflect that.

The best you can do is weigh the entry versus the placement you think you can achieve, and find the best deal. You usually still have to pay for local stuff. You usually have to travel to get big prizes.

 

[Robbo]

Lack of, or presence of prize packages has nothing to do with the standards of play of respective countries.
Prize packages are not the primary drives for the vast majority of us to play tourney ball.
We play because we love the game and because we are competitive, this is what provides teams with the momentum to improve.
This competitive momentum is then further enhanced, in terms of quality of play, by teams being committed to training, knowing what they are doing when they get to the training ground, talent on roster and so on.
And Beasty1711, sponsor packages are not the reason the Yanks are better than us.

 

[Gyroscope]

I agree that prizes are not the primary reason most of us play competitive paintball, but when presented with a choice of series, it is a valid factor to consider. It is, of course, not the only factor to consider, as next year's Skyball may illustrate. Posters on this forum have discussed other important factors, and the split of the NPPL and the PSP is due mainly to the importance of these other factors, including unbiased and skillful marshalling standards, safety rules and the enforcement thereof, good venues, pleasant and affordable host cities, player amenities (free fruit/water, discreet staging tents, sufficient numbers of clean porta-johns, etc.), industry presence and technical support, the degree to which an event or series attracts media and mainstream attention, and of course prizes.

All of us have different priorities, whether or not they are well thought out. Passion for the game is sort of a given for players.

 

[NBR]

Prizes are not impossible at local level tournaments...

Say you had an event of 32 teams in total... if they were to offer a total prize fund of £1120 per event... would you want to go? Would you want to win?

That £1120 is equal to an extra £5 per player in a seven man team (£35 per team)... Would you be happy to play an event that added on an extra £35 to the entrance fee to provide prizes?

Also if the event organiser was to provide prizes not cash... there would be a proffit there for them too...

Just an idea...

 

[NaFey C Fire]

fun ?

Its for fun . i got to every tournament knowing im not going to be winning a big prize but doesnt detur me.

 

[Ben Frain]

Don't give a hoot about prizes, they are nice but not arsed either way.

However, I would like to see, and I would pay more for, better fields. By 'better' I mean not only physically larger dimensions but also simply more barricades on each field.

If there aren't enough in the kit you're hiring, can you not hire one from somewhere else with more?

Makes for far more interesting play...

 

[pb-afroman]

It's already been said here, but I think it needs to be said again: No prizes mean cheap entry. There are events that cost around $500 for a five man team here, however, there is also a local indoor field that has five man tournaments that cost $150 a team. That makes the tournament cost just a bit more than a normal day of playing. Some teams may want to spend their money on a gamble, with no gaurentee of paying off no matter what their skill level is, but I think it is wiser to save your money for a bit more paint for training.

 

[Mak D - Nexus Eclipse]

Dude welcome to British Paintball

 

[noop]

I don't know what to say to someone who plays local tournaments for the prizes.

If you are talking about organizers simply not putting any profit back into the tournament, that is an entirely different matter (see World Cup 2000).