Study into the true cost of paintball

[Ballsey]

Hi all, i'll start with a little introduction...

Ive been a paintballer now for 3 years, the last 2 playing speedball. I'm a student at the University of Winchester studying Event Management in my final year. For my dissertation i wanted to do an original piece of work, my strength being in sporting events i chose to do it on the economic impacts of sporting events. This then got me thinking, why dont i look into small alternative sporting events, using paintball as my research?

I know what paintballing costs me and it aint pretty, so i am currently in the process of divising a questionaire which many of you may be pestered to fill in at the next NSPL (sorry in advance ) But since im gonna be asking questions anyway i wanted to know, is there anything you would like me to ask people? anything you wanted to find out about our sport? or just any suggestions questions i should be asking. Any input would be much appreciated.

You could say im being way overserious about paintball, but these are harsh economic times and paintball isn't cheap. I have noticed the number of teams at tourneys steadily decrease this past year, which is very worrying. I would love to use this opportunity to find out ways in which the sport can be recovered, what players want for their hard earned cash, what can be improved? The input of tourney organisers here would be greatly appreciated as you guys know the industry better than anyone.

Also i would love offer my services in finding the answers to questions you want answering, you can tell me to do one on this if want, but i love this sport and want to see it not just survive, but come out stronger than ever through this economic crisis.

Thanks for listening, any thoughts?

 

[dodge-gnome]

when you say "true" cost, i'm assuming you mean more than financial? As the amount of time i spend trawling through these forums and others when i should be doing uni work is racking up a pretty huge cost right now

 

[RICH HARRIS]

If you would like any assistance from us at Balls Out drop us a PM or email.

Rich.

 

[Robbo]

I think if you are devising a set of questions to help with your dissertation then you really need to set out in your head exactly what you want your dissertation to focus upon ... it has obviously got to be original and so once you've decided, you need to think about the sort of questions that reinforce the research you'll be doing .... it's a bit hard for people to suggest questions when we're not aware of your research angle ... decide upon that and come back on here and I'm sure there are enough smart guys on this site who can maybe help.

 

[Ballsey]

Yes i do mean the financial cost Dodge, but yes that can be quitely costly too

My angle is aimed that the amount each indivdual spends on paintball each year, not just on the obvious stuff like gear, paint and entry fees, but additional costs such as car fuel, hotels, food and drinks etc... Im also aiming to devise solutions to the cost of paintball from the data i collect, what can organisers offer to give them better value for money or reduce the overall cost etc... It's market research basically.

Thanks alot Rich, i'll drop you a PM next week sometime as my job keeps me busy all weekend. Would be great if i could interview you for my research

 

[3L1TE hax]

So wait, are you including gear? or just all the costs to get people to the event, to play at the event, and to leave?

Entry cost is supplied by the event runner generally, so i dont think you need that on the questionaire?

Could have:
Events per year

Then per event:
Distance travelled(then approximate petrol usage using a 'standard' car)
Amount of paint used/ Cost of paint
Hotel fee (if used)
Food and drink fee ( for breakfast, lunch, and dinner if needed)
Equipment lost or broken? (could be an iffy one, but if someone breaks or loses a pod each time it adds up)

For solutions, you are looking at:
Travelling togeher
Travelling on the day so you dont need a hotel
Making your own food
Buying cheaper paint
Using less paint

 

[Phoenix]

Good grief if I answered those questions and my mrs got a look I would be seriously deprived for months!

 

[Bolter]

Few years back, when the season was in full swing and we were playing Millennium Series Div 1, PA League and training aswell, AND a decent and very generous support package, I was spending around £500 a month easily.

 

[M600]

well im a student just like you and i have many markers (10), but the thing is i buy them all off the forum for cheap.
for walkons its possible to spend a good £300 for a full set up and a further £30/£40 for entry fees and expenses, as for tournaments its more expenisve but i dont have much experience in it
its an expensive sport if you get everything new
but if you go the cheap way like me you can get i4's for £30, a decent marker for £60, a hopper for £30 and a botttle for £65
but its all down to chance i guess

 

[Gadget]

The disadvantage that paintball has in comparison to many other sports is that we are reliant upon consumables (the paintballs themselves) in order to play (reballs aside) and that due to the hazardous nature of the game it can only be played in dedicated venues away from the general public.

When you contrast that with sports such as football or rugby where you just need basic equipment which lasts for ages and can use a public park as a venue, paintball will always be considered an expensive sport (although cheap compared to say... motorsport).

Having said that, I think it's probably cheaper to play now than ever before. The introduction of cheap entry level markers like the Ion meant that it was possible to compete without spending a thousand pounds on a marker.

It's not necessarily the costs associated with playing that are causing the tournament scene to contract, it's the value for money that players receive. I banged on at length in the tournament forum last year about the poor value of modern tournaments (in terms of time spent playing at an event) which has caused people to become disillusioned. £40 or 50 for 8 games which might each last 1 or 2 minutes?

Compare that to the scenario scene which seems in rude health - £50 will buy you a complete weekend, or at least a day where you'll be able to play for hours on end if you so desire. Personally, although a tournament player, it now makes more sense to me to play 2 or 3 scenario events during the year than it does 7 or 8 tournaments.

Formula 5 is starting to address the vfm issue on the tournament scene, but it's only a start.

On a side note, when I started playing in 1992 I created a spreadsheet to record all my paintball expenditure......I had to stop using it about a year later as the total had hit £10k and it was scaring me too much!