2005 NPPL season

The 2005 NPPL season was the third season of the National Professional Paintball League's Super 7 World Series, produced by Pure Promotions. Five United States tournaments offered seven-player competition in Professional, Semi-Pro and Divisions I–III.[1][2][3][4][5]

San Diego Dynasty won the professional series championship, winning four events and finishing second at Denver. Sacramento XSV won Denver and finished second overall.[5][6]

The season introduced a restricted, eighteen-team Professional division, with Semi-Pro providing a route for teams seeking promotion.[1]

Professional and Semi-Pro changes

Previously, teams could enter the professional classification by paying its entry fee. For 2005, the NPPL restricted Professional to eighteen teams. Professional teams also competed exclusively against one another, ending the previous preliminary-round arrangement in which they faced teams from lower classifications.[1]

Semi-Pro became the highest open-entry classification. The announced system provided for the three lowest-ranked professional teams to move down at the end of the season, while the three highest-ranked Semi-Pro teams received the opportunity to move up.[1][5]

Divisions I, II and III continued below Semi-Pro. The league also introduced a substantially reorganised rulebook, including separate rules and equipment committees.[1]

United States calendar

Round	Event	Dates	Venue
1	Huntington Beach Open	18–20 March 2005	Huntington Beach, California
2	Tampa Open	13–15 May 2005	Raymond James Stadium grounds, Tampa, Florida
3	Denver Open	22–24 July 2005	Stadium parking area at Invesco Field, Denver, Colorado
4	San Diego Open	16–18 September 2005	Qualcomm Stadium parking area, San Diego, California
5	Commander's Cup	4–6 November 2005	Bicentennial Park, Miami, Florida

Sources: contemporary WARPIG coverage and the existing San Diego event article.[1][2][3][4][5][7]

Event results

The following table lists tournament winners. WARPIG's reports and ClassicScores agree on these divisional placings.[1][2][3][4][5][8]

Event	Professional	Semi-Pro	Division I	Division II	Division III
Huntington Beach	San Diego Dynasty	The Men	Wicked	Less Than Zero	Sinfull
Tampa	San Diego Dynasty	Strange	Farside	Less Than Zero	DSO
Denver	Sacramento XSV	Bob Long's Assassins	Bonebrake USA Silver	Less Than Zero	Atomix Nation
San Diego	San Diego Dynasty	All Americans	SD Aftermath	NTK	The Outfit
Commander's Cup	San Diego Dynasty	XS NRG	Voltage	X-Factor	Atomix Nation

Professional competition

Dynasty defeated XSV at Huntington Beach and Tampa. XSV reversed the result at Denver, winning the professional final in two games, before Dynasty won their next championship encounter in San Diego.[1][2][3][4]

The teams met again in the Commander's Cup final. Dynasty won three consecutive games in the best-of-five contest, securing both the tournament and series championship.[5]

Divisional competition

Less Than Zero, also recorded as LTZ, won Division II at the first three events. NTK won that division in San Diego, followed by X-Factor in Miami.[2][3][4][5]

Atomix Nation won Division III at Denver and the Commander's Cup. Each of the five Semi-Pro events had a different winner.[1][2][3][4][5]

Collegiate competition

Selected events also included competition organised with the National Collegiate Paintball Association. Arizona State University's Sun Devils Maroon won at Huntington Beach, while the University of Southern California won at San Diego.[1][4][8]

Season championship and rankings

Dynasty won the professional series championship, with Sacramento XSV second and Portland Naughty Dogs third. These positions are confirmed by WARPIG's report at the opening event of the following season.[5][6]

Ranking points were distinct from individual tournament victories. In Divisions II and III, teams could also earn NPPL series points at the sanctioned International Amateur Open. WARPIG reported that Atomix Nation's participation there contributed to its Division III ranking before San Diego.[2][4]

Promotion and relegation

Pittsburgh Smoke, Toulouse TonTons and Manchester Shockwave lost their professional status after finishing in the bottom three positions.[6]

Bob Long's Assassins and XS NRG subsequently entered the professional division as Philadelphia Assassins and New York NRG respectively. The All Americans acquired the London Tigers' professional place ahead of the 2006 season.[6]

Competition format

Professional preliminary competition used two groups of nine teams, with each team playing eight games. At Denver and San Diego, the eight qualifying teams then played a seven-game quarter-final round, with four advancing.[3][4]

Below Professional, quarter-final groups generally reduced the remaining teams to four. Semi-finals and placing contests then determined first through fourth positions.[3][4]

References