Here's what I think it will take to have Professional Paintball players in the UK:
Working Backwards:
First up, in order to be Pro, you need to get paid. Someone has to pay you, and they have to get the money from somewhere. This comes from the Club/ Owner, who ever actually owns the team. Now the club has to be worth something to generate Revenue. The club has to belong to a league; which has Television rights which make the Clubs who play in the League worth Sponsoring.
For example, Team P9ntballer (hypothetically) Play in the EXL, and have a deal to with the league to have 10 matches a year televised. Budweiser approaches P9ntballer, and says 'we will pay you £100, 000 to wear our logo on your kit on TV' (Think VodaPhone and Man U here). That's on top of Paintball manufactures paying teams to use their kit, (Dynasty got large pay cheque this year). This establishes a source of revinue that the owners can use to buy better players.
So say you're a team owner, and your sponsors bring in £300, 000, based on TV and print exposure. Now you have to fund your team, how do you spend it?
Starting off, if you paid a player's expenses, and a salary for the year, times 7 players, you'd quickly eat up your budget.
What we're likely to start seeing is players be semi pro, where they get paid to play, but have other jobs too. IF the owners have the cash, they can buy the players, and lure better players away from other teams for more money. And the money comes because sponsors want to get their product advertised by the teams on TV.
That's what it will take to get pro players in the UK. It's more or less what the Yanks have done with X-ball, but until they get on TV properly, they're unlikely to see major sponsorship money. When they do, Expect bidding wars for players, and a NFL/NHL/NBA style transfer market.
A lot of people rattle on about TV and paintball, not realising exactly how TV will make paintball bigger. Until we get a televised UK or European League, there will simply not be enough outside sponsorship money for true 'Professional paintball players'.
Hope this helps
Feel free to disagree anyone...
Working Backwards:
First up, in order to be Pro, you need to get paid. Someone has to pay you, and they have to get the money from somewhere. This comes from the Club/ Owner, who ever actually owns the team. Now the club has to be worth something to generate Revenue. The club has to belong to a league; which has Television rights which make the Clubs who play in the League worth Sponsoring.
For example, Team P9ntballer (hypothetically) Play in the EXL, and have a deal to with the league to have 10 matches a year televised. Budweiser approaches P9ntballer, and says 'we will pay you £100, 000 to wear our logo on your kit on TV' (Think VodaPhone and Man U here). That's on top of Paintball manufactures paying teams to use their kit, (Dynasty got large pay cheque this year). This establishes a source of revinue that the owners can use to buy better players.
So say you're a team owner, and your sponsors bring in £300, 000, based on TV and print exposure. Now you have to fund your team, how do you spend it?
Starting off, if you paid a player's expenses, and a salary for the year, times 7 players, you'd quickly eat up your budget.
What we're likely to start seeing is players be semi pro, where they get paid to play, but have other jobs too. IF the owners have the cash, they can buy the players, and lure better players away from other teams for more money. And the money comes because sponsors want to get their product advertised by the teams on TV.
That's what it will take to get pro players in the UK. It's more or less what the Yanks have done with X-ball, but until they get on TV properly, they're unlikely to see major sponsorship money. When they do, Expect bidding wars for players, and a NFL/NHL/NBA style transfer market.
A lot of people rattle on about TV and paintball, not realising exactly how TV will make paintball bigger. Until we get a televised UK or European League, there will simply not be enough outside sponsorship money for true 'Professional paintball players'.
Hope this helps
Feel free to disagree anyone...
