Expressway Paintball Club
Expressway Paintball Club was a competitive paintball venue in Bangkok, Thailand, associated with the development of Thai tournament speedball during the early and mid-2010s.
Also known as Express Way Paintball Club and Expressway Paintball Field, the venue was located in the Rama 9 area of Bangkok, at Jarun Burapharat (also recorded as Jarun Bhurapharat).
The club provided training facilities for competitive paintball teams and hosted major domestic and international tournaments, including the Paintball Asia League Series (PALS) and Thailand Paintball Official Circuit (TPOC).
Expressway hosted the opening leg of the 2013 Paintball Asia League Series, the first leg of the 2014 Thailand Paintball Official Circuit and the opening leg of the 2015 Paintball Asia League Series.
The venue was also associated with Thai competitive teams including Infernal.
Its exact opening and closing dates have not been established.
| Name | Expressway Paintball Club |
|---|---|
| Alternative names | Express Way Paintball Club; Expressway Paintball Field; Expressway Paintball Club of Thailand |
| Type | Competitive paintball field and training facility |
| Location | Jarun Burapharat, Rama 9, Bangkok, Thailand |
| Country | Thailand |
| Playing format | Speedball |
| Field configuration | Inflatable-bunker tournament field |
| Documented operation | At least 2013–2015 |
| Associated team | Infernal |
| Major events | PALS Thailand 2013; TPOC Leg 1 2014; PALS Bangkok 2015 |
| Current status | Not independently established |
History
[edit]Establishment and early operations
[edit]Expressway Paintball Club operated in the Rama 9 area of Bangkok.
The venue became an established training location for Thailand's competitive speedball community.
By January 2013, the club was hosting regular practice sessions for tournament players.
A contemporary account published on 7 January 2013 described weekly training at the venue, with paintballs sold by the case and high-pressure compressed-air fills available up to 4,500 psi.[1]
The account also described the presence of a Millennium-style tournament field.
These facilities enabled players to train using equipment and field configurations associated with international competitive paintball.
The exact establishment date of the club has not been independently established.
International tournament preparation
[edit]By early 2013, Expressway Paintball Club was preparing to host an international Paintball Asia League Series event.
A February 2013 report by Social Paintball identified Expressway as the venue for the opening leg of the PALS season.
The report stated that the official tournament layout had been installed at the venue in late January, allowing teams to practise before the event.[2]
This arrangement provided local and visiting competitors with an opportunity to familiarise themselves with the tournament field.
PALS Thailand 2013
[edit]Tournament hosting
[edit]Expressway Paintball Club hosted the opening leg of the 2013 Paintball Asia League Series.
The tournament was scheduled from 28 February to 3 March 2013.
The event attracted international competitors from across the Asian paintball circuit and beyond.
Contemporary reporting identified participating teams including:
- Infernal, Thailand
- STK, Australia
- Nemesis Legion, Malaysia
- Xtioneers, Malaysia
- Demonz, Malaysia
- Datis, Iran
The event also featured international professional players.
International professional participation
[edit]A contemporary Social Paintball preview identified an American Dream Team assembled for the event.
The reported roster included:
- Oliver Lang
- Yosh Rau
- Damian Ryan
- Bobby Aviles
- Jerry Desvarieux
- Tim Montressor
The event also featured the women's team Destiny, with players from the United States, the Philippines and Mexico.[2]
The participation of internationally recognised competitors demonstrated the importance of the Bangkok event within the regional tournament calendar.
Media coverage
[edit]The tournament attracted international paintball photographers and media representatives.
The Social Paintball preview identified coverage by Gary Baum, Joel Pitra, Desmond Foo and Mary Walker.
This international media presence helped document the event and promote competitive paintball in Thailand.
Thailand Paintball Official Circuit 2014
[edit]Expressway Paintball Club hosted the first leg of the Thailand Paintball Official Circuit on 8–9 February 2014.
The event was registered on PBLeagues under the venue name "Expressway Paintball Club of Thailand".
The published address was Jarun Bhurapharat, Rama 9, Bangkok 10210.[3]
The tournament used five-player Race-to-2 competition.
Two divisions were offered.
| Division | Paid team entries | Game duration |
|---|---|---|
| Division 1 | 6 | 10 minutes |
| Division 2 | 6 | 8 minutes |
| Total | 12 |
The event demonstrates Expressway's role in domestic Thai tournament competition as well as international events.
PALS Bangkok 2015
[edit]Tournament hosting
[edit]Expressway Paintball Field hosted the opening leg of the 2015 Paintball Asia League Series from 27 to 29 March.
The official PBLeagues registration identified the venue as Expressway Paintball Field, Jarun Burapharat, Rama 9, Bangkok.[4]
The tournament featured three divisions.
| Division | Paid team entries | Competition format | Game duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Division 1 | 8 | Race-to-4 | 10 minutes |
| Division 2 | 9 | Race-to-3 | 10 minutes |
| Division 3 | 11 | Race-to-2 | 8 minutes |
| Total | 28 |
The 28 entries represented registered teams rather than individual competitors.
The tournament brought together international teams competing in multiple divisions.
Competitive significance
[edit]The 2015 event demonstrated Expressway's continued ability to host international tournament paintball.
The venue provided the infrastructure for several days of organised competition involving players, referees, pit crews and event personnel.
The event formed part of the Paintball Asia League Series' wider regional calendar.
Associated results
[edit]The Thai team Infernal finished second in the Division 1 competition, according to its PBLeagues tournament history.[5]
Other documented competitors included Xtioneers of Malaysia and Imperia of Singapore.
The participation of teams from different countries reflected Expressway's role as an international competition venue.
Facilities
[edit]Tournament field
[edit]Expressway Paintball Club operated a speedball field using inflatable tournament bunkers.
A January 2013 participant account described the field as a Millennium-style layout.[1]
The venue also installed the official PALS Thailand layout ahead of the March 2013 competition.
The precise dimensions and surface construction of the field have not been independently established.
Compressed air
[edit]The January 2013 account reported that the club offered high-pressure compressed-air fills up to 4,500 psi.
This supported the use of specialist tournament paintball equipment.
Paintball supplies
[edit]The same account reported that paintballs were sold by the case.
The venue therefore supported players using personally owned tournament equipment rather than operating exclusively as a rental-based recreational field.
Regular training
[edit]Expressway hosted regular training sessions for competitive players.
The January 2013 account described weekly practices.
The presence of an international tournament layout also allowed teams to prepare for major competitions.
Associated teams
[edit]Infernal
[edit]Infernal was a prominent Thai competitive paintball team associated with Expressway Paintball Club.
PBLeagues identifies Express Way Paintball Club as the team's home field.[5]
Infernal competed in domestic and international tournaments.
The team won Division 1 at Paintball World Cup Asia in 2012 and continued competing internationally during the following years.
Infernal finished second in Division 1 at the 2015 PALS Bangkok tournament held at Expressway.
Other teams
[edit]Expressway hosted training and competition involving Thai and international teams.
The venue's tournaments included teams from Malaysia, Australia, Iran, Singapore and other countries.
However, participation in an event at Expressway should not automatically be interpreted as evidence that a team used the venue as its permanent home field.
Role in Thai paintball
[edit]Expressway Paintball Club was an important venue in the development of competitive paintball in Bangkok.
Its significance included:
- Providing a dedicated speedball training location
- Supporting regular practice using tournament equipment
- Offering high-pressure compressed-air fills
- Hosting domestic Thai tournaments
- Hosting international Paintball Asia League Series events
- Supporting Thai teams competing internationally
- Attracting international professional players and paintball media
The venue's documented activity between 2013 and 2015 illustrates Thailand's established competitive paintball infrastructure during the period.
Expressway also demonstrates the practical accessibility of competitive paintball equipment and organised tournament play in Thailand during the early 2010s.
The operation of the venue does not, by itself, establish the precise statutory classification of paintball markers under Thai law.
Timeline
[edit]| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| January 2013 | Contemporary account documents weekly training, Millennium-style field and 4,500 psi air fills |
| Late January 2013 | Official PALS Thailand layout installed for pre-event practice |
| 28 February – 3 March 2013 | Expressway hosts PALS Thailand 2013 |
| 8–9 February 2014 | Expressway hosts Thailand Paintball Official Circuit Leg 1 |
| 27–29 March 2015 | Expressway hosts PALS Bangkok 2015 |
See also
[edit]- Paintball in Thailand
- Regulation of paintball in Thailand
- Paintball Asia League Series
- Thailand Paintball Official Circuit
- Infernal (paintball team)
- Paintball World Cup Asia
- Speedball
References
[edit]- "Paintball", ASEAN NOW / ThaiVisa Forum, 7 January 2013. Contemporary participant account documenting regular training, tournament field, paintball supplies and compressed-air facilities.
- "2013 PALS Thailand Begins This Weekend", Social Paintball, Mazzy Mao, 26 February 2013. Tournament venue, international competitors, professional players and event preparation.
- "TPOC Leg 1", PBLeagues, 8–9 February 2014. Official tournament listing, venue address, divisions and team entries.
- "PALS 2015 Leg 1 – Bangkok", PBLeagues, 27–29 March 2015. Official tournament listing, venue, formats and registrations.
- "Infernal", PBLeagues. Team home field and tournament history.
- "Paintball Asia League Series", PBLeagues. Historical competition calendar.
- "Villain Paintball", historical paintball tournament archive, including PALS Thailand results.