Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on paintball

The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the global paintball industry, disrupting recreational playing fields, tournament organisations, equipment manufacturers, retailers and international competition from early 2020.

Government restrictions on sporting activities, public gatherings and travel resulted in temporary field closures, cancelled tournaments and reduced commercial activity. Operators also introduced new hygiene procedures, capacity limits and social distancing measures when restrictions permitted them to reopen.[1][2]

The effects were not uniform. While some businesses experienced prolonged closures and financial difficulties, others reported increased recreational demand following the easing of restrictions. The pandemic also coincided with the financial restructuring of G.I. Sportz, one of the industry's largest manufacturers and distributors.[3][4]

American participation data recorded a decline in paintball participation during 2020 and 2021, followed by a modest recovery in 2023. However, the available evidence does not establish the pandemic as the sole cause of these changes.[5]

Recreational paintball fields

Initial closures

The first major disruptions occurred during March 2020, when governments introduced restrictions on non-essential businesses, recreational activities and public gatherings.

Commercial paintball fields were particularly exposed because their operations depended on customers attending physical venues, often in organised groups.

In the United Kingdom, UKPaintball announced on 20 March 2020 that it was postponing all bookings until the end of May following government restrictions. The company subsequently published a series of updates as operating conditions changed throughout the year.[1]

Similar disruptions occurred in North America.

In April 2020, Dodge City Paintball in Oklahoma reported financial losses following its temporary closure. Owner Matt Kern explained that March, April and May normally accounted for almost half of the business's annual revenue, making the timing of the shutdown particularly damaging.[2]

In Canada, operators faced repeated restrictions. Barrie Paintball in Ontario reported that it had been closed for approximately one year in total during the first two years of the pandemic.[6]

Reopening and operating restrictions

As restrictions eased, many outdoor paintball venues resumed operations with additional safety measures.

These included:

Reduced player numbers and group sizes.
Additional cleaning of rental markers, goggles and other shared equipment.
Social distancing in staging areas and queues.
Restrictions on shared facilities and communal gathering areas.
Face-covering requirements in designated areas.
Changes to booking procedures and group organisation.

UKPaintball reported that most of its venues had reopened by August 2020, although operating capacities remained substantially reduced. Further restrictions interrupted bookings again later in the year.[1]

In the United States, OSG Paintball in New Hampshire introduced additional face-covering requirements during November 2020, while continuing to operate recreational sessions under modified procedures.[7]

Paintball's predominantly outdoor, non-contact playing format allowed some operators to reopen earlier than businesses involving indoor gatherings or close-contact activities. However, the distinction depended on local public health regulations rather than any universal exemption for the sport.

Tournament paintball

Disruption of the 2020 season

The pandemic substantially disrupted tournament paintball during 2020.

Tournament organisers faced restrictions on sporting gatherings, international travel and the movement of players between regions. Events involving participants from multiple countries were particularly affected.

The National Xball League (NXL) experienced a shortened American season.

Official tournament registration records identify the Las Vegas Open, held from 5 to 8 March 2020, and the Paintball World Cup, held in Kissimmee, Florida, from 12 to 15 November 2020, as the two events in its 2020 national calendar.[8]

The league subsequently acknowledged that its 2020 season had been shortened because of COVID-19 and that normal professional division relegation rules had been temporarily suspended.[9]

In Europe, the disruption was particularly severe. Scheduled competitions were cancelled or postponed, while restrictions on cross-border travel made international tournament participation difficult.

NXL Europe later described the pandemic as having caused a widespread shutdown of organised sporting activities across Europe. Its 2023 season preview characterised the subsequent period as one of recovery and renewed development.[10]

International championships

The United Paintball Federation (UPBF) announced on 2 June 2020 that the planned 2020 UPBF World Championship would instead take place in 2021.

The federation initially intended to continue with continental competitions where circumstances permitted.[11]

However, on 26 August 2020, the European Paintball Federation announced the cancellation of its European Championship scheduled for Gandia, Spain, from 8 to 11 October.

The organisers cited increasing COVID-19 cases, advice from regional health authorities and Spanish restrictions limiting sporting events to 300 participants.[12]

The cancellation also affected age-group eligibility. The federation announced provisions allowing certain youth and veterans' players who would otherwise have aged out of their categories to retain eligibility in 2021.[12]

Tournament disruption continued into 2021, particularly in Europe, where restrictions and international travel difficulties continued to affect competition schedules.

Equipment manufacturers and distributors

Reduced commercial activity

Closures of recreational fields and the interruption of competitive events affected businesses supplying paintballs, markers, protective equipment and other products.

Paintball manufacturers relied on purchases from commercial fields, specialist retailers, recreational customers and tournament players.

Restrictions therefore affected both direct consumer sales and the commercial customers responsible for substantial equipment and paintball purchases.

The effects varied between businesses, and comprehensive global figures for paintball manufacturing revenue during the pandemic have not been established.

G.I. Sportz restructuring

One of the most significant documented industry developments during 2020 was the restructuring of G.I. Sportz and its associated businesses, including Tippmann.

In October 2020, Bloomberg reported that G.I. Sportz and Tippmann had entered insolvency proceedings after defaulting on approximately US$29 million in debt.[3]

The report stated that G.I. Sportz had accumulated more than US$45 million in losses since the end of 2018. It identified the COVID-19 pandemic as an additional source of financial pressure, as restrictions reduced paintball activity.

These figures demonstrate that the company's financial difficulties predated the pandemic. COVID-19 should therefore be understood as an aggravating factor rather than the sole cause of the restructuring.

G.I. Sportz entered receivership on 15 October 2020.

On 22 October, the company announced a proposed sale of its operations to Kore Outdoor, supported by existing shareholder Fulcrum Capital Partners and other investors.[4]

The restructuring was completed on 1 December 2020. Kore Outdoor continued operating the company's established portfolio of paintball brands, including G.I. Sportz, Empire, Tippmann, Spyder, JT and VForce.[13]

The restructuring preserved the operations of several major paintball equipment brands during a period of considerable commercial uncertainty.

Supply chain disruption

The pandemic also contributed to manufacturing and distribution difficulties extending into 2021.

International manufacturing delays, shipping disruption and restrictions on commercial activity affected the availability of paintball equipment and supplies.

In September 2021, French retailer Paintball CAMP reported continuing supply difficulties while covering the return of international competition at the NXL Europe event in Chantilly.[14]

The available evidence establishes that supply difficulties affected specialist paintball businesses, although reliable industry-wide statistics on shortages, delivery delays and price increases remain limited.

Player participation and recreational demand

Participation in the United States

Research published by the Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) recorded a decline in American paintball participation during the pandemic period.

The organisation's 2024 participation report provided the following estimates for Americans aged six and over.[5]

Year	Estimated participants
2019	2.9 million
2020	2.8 million
2021	2.6 million
2022	2.6 million
2023	2.7 million

The figures indicate that participation declined during 2020 and 2021 and remained below its 2019 level in 2023.

These statistics measure American participation rather than worldwide player numbers or paintball industry revenue.

They also do not establish how much of the decline resulted directly from pandemic restrictions, as opposed to other factors affecting the sport.

Uneven recovery

Although participation declined nationally in the United States, some commercial venues reported increased demand once restrictions eased.

In Brunei, Paintball Arena in Jerudong reopened in July 2020 after closing in March.

A January 2021 report stated that the venue's monthly participation had increased from approximately 300 to 400 players before the pandemic to around 800.

The operator attributed the increase partly to reduced prices, first-time players and international travel restrictions encouraging residents to pursue domestic recreational activities.[15]

In Canada, Barrie Paintball reported strong attendance during periods when it was permitted to operate. Its owner attributed some of this demand to the closure of competing recreational facilities.[6]

The Canadian operator also reported that other paintball businesses had permanently closed because they could not sustain their overheads during restrictions. These observations represent the experience of a regional field operator rather than a verified national closure total.

These examples demonstrate the uneven nature of the recovery. Some surviving venues benefited from renewed interest in outdoor recreation, while others faced continuing financial difficulties or ceased operating.

Paintball organisations and clubs

The pandemic also affected non-commercial paintball organisations, associations and clubs.

Restrictions on organised sport limited opportunities for training, recruitment, local competitions and international participation.

Some organisations introduced measures intended to reduce the financial burden on their members.

In South Africa, the South African National Paintball/Airsoft Association (SANPA) waived its annual player and venue membership fees for 2020 because of COVID-19.[16]

Such measures reflected efforts by sporting organisations to maintain participation and support their existing membership during the disruption.

Historical significance

The COVID-19 pandemic represented a substantial interruption to organised paintball and the commercial businesses supporting it.

Its documented effects included widespread temporary field closures, restrictions on recreational participation, cancelled international championships, reduced tournament schedules and financial pressure on equipment manufacturers.

The pandemic also accelerated operational changes at some commercial fields, including revised booking arrangements, more extensive sanitation procedures and changes to the organisation of staging areas.

The evidence also demonstrates that the recovery was not uniform. Some venues reported stronger recreational demand following reopening, while American participation estimates remained below their pre-pandemic levels several years later.

The restructuring of G.I. Sportz illustrated how the disruption could compound financial difficulties already affecting established industry businesses.

Although the pandemic affected paintball internationally, consistent global statistics covering field closures, business failures, equipment sales and participation have not been established.

Consequently, the full worldwide economic impact cannot be reliably quantified from the available evidence.

References

COVID-19 Important Update. UKPaintball, March to December 2020. Contemporary records of closures, reopening arrangements and operating restrictions.
Metro paintball business shares how it'll keep customers safe as Oklahoma starts to reopen. KOCO, 28 April 2020.
Paintball Empire Goes Bankrupt With Plans to Sell Assets. Bloomberg News, Jeremy Hill, 16 October 2020.
G.I. Sportz Inc. Announces Key Milestone in Restructuring Process. G.I. Sportz, 22 October 2020.
SFIA Topline Participation Report 2024. Sports & Fitness Industry Association, 2024. American paintball participation estimates for 2019 to 2023.
Paintball business remains on target despite pandemic. OrilliaMatters, Ian McInroy, 20 March 2022.
Operations Update, 19 November 2020. OSG Paintball. Contemporary operational guidance concerning face coverings, capacity and recreational play.
NXL World Cup 2020. PBLeagues, official tournament registration and event records, November 2020.
Anywhere But Here: Relegation Looming. National Xball League, 2021. Discussion of the shortened 2020 season and temporary changes to relegation.
The NXL Europe Season Preview: New Growth through the Major League of Paintball. National Xball League, 7 April 2023.
World Championships Update Regarding COVID-19. United Paintball Federation, Paul Grobler, 2 June 2020.
Cancelled: EPBF European Championship 2020. United Paintball Federation, Paul Grobler, 26 August 2020.
Paintball Leader G.I. Sportz Inc. Completes Restructuring, Now Known as Kore Outdoor Inc.. G.I. Sportz, 1 December 2020.
NXL Chantilly 2021. Paintball CAMP, 2021. Retailer account of international tournament activity and supply difficulties.
Paintball Arena surges to 800 players monthly. Biz Brunei, Azli Azney, 27 January 2021.
Membership Information. South African National Paintball/Airsoft Association. Published notice concerning the waiver of 2020 membership fees.