South Auckland Paintball Club

South Auckland Paintball Club Incorporated (SAPC) was a paintball club and tournament organiser based in Auckland, New Zealand. Founded in 2011 by Michael Earley and incorporated in September 2013, the club organised recreational and competitive paintball events, including the SAPC Five-Man League and SAPC Race Series.

The club initially operated at Lock N Load Paintball near Auckland Airport before moving its tournament programme to Asylum Paintball in Karaka. Its competitions included five-player hopperball, Open Race-to-4 and mechanical-pump divisions.

SAPC was among the New Zealand tournament organisations adopting Asia Pacific Paintball Federation (APPBF) rules and APPA player registration during the early 2010s. It also established relationships with international tournament organisers, including the Paintball Asia League Series (PALS).

History

Establishment and early competitions, 2011–2012

South Auckland Paintball Club was founded in 2011 by Michael Earley, a New Zealand paintball player and industry professional. Earley did not serve on the club's governing committee, avoiding potential conflicts of interest with his professional involvement in commercial paintball fields.

SAPC's first documented activities took place at Lock N Load Paintball, which opened near Auckland Airport in 2011.

An October 2011 announcement advertised a club day offering organised games for players with their own equipment, with a NZ$20 playing fee and discounted paintballs. [1]

The club subsequently announced the SAPC Five-Man League, an affordable competition using a hopperball format that restricted players to the paintballs carried in their loaders. Players could enter individually, with temporary teams formed when sufficient participants were available.

The league used rules based on those of the New Zealand Paintball Players League (NZPPL), with participating teams sharing refereeing duties. A provisional calendar listed events from November 2011 through December 2012, although not every scheduled date has been independently confirmed. [1]

SAPC's early competition programme drew inspiration from the Auckland Super Five-Man League, an earlier tournament series that Gavin of Red Alert Paintball Games had helped establish.

The club also published information about proposed changes to New Zealand firearms legislation in August 2011, discussing their potential implications for paintball markers. [2]

Incorporation and the 2013 Race Series

South Auckland Paintball Club Incorporated was registered on 10 September 2013, under society number 2587862. Its registered address was 19 Harper Street, Papakura. [3]

By this time, SAPC had established the Race Series at Asylum Paintball, located at the former Kingseat Hospital in Karaka.

The series provided regular tournament competition independently of the NZPPL, which also organised events at Asylum.

The 2013 season included Open Division competition, with ADHD identified as the season champion.

Asylum Paintball published the final results in December 2013, although the complete event-by-event standings have not been recovered. [4]

2014 Race Series

The 2014 Race Series consisted of four rounds held in February, May, July and September.

SAPC introduced an Open Race-to-4 division using APPBF rules and expanded its mechanical-pump programme with a Division 4 competition.

The club also implemented the APPA registration system, allowing players and teams to maintain individual competition records and rankings compatible with international tournament systems.

In its September 2014 season review, SAPC claimed to be the first New Zealand tournament organisation to adopt unmodified APPBF rules across its events and introduce APPA registration. [5]

The series attracted teams from Auckland and other regions, including Tauranga.

2014 championship results

ADHD won all four Open Race-to-4 events, securing the championship with the maximum 400 ranking points.

The Mechanical Pump Division 4 championship was won by ADHD Red, which won two of the three rounds.

Division	Champion	Runner-up	Third
Open Race-to-4	ADHD	Disposal Unit	Tempest
Mechanical Pump Division 4	ADHD Red	OFF	One Shot Bro

The mechanical-pump programme included a separate beginner category at the opening round. The club's season review reported participation by eight different teams across the mechanical competition programme. [5][6]

International competition initiative

In January 2014, SAPC announced an initiative to send successful New Zealand tournament players to the Paintball World Cup Asia in Langkawi, Malaysia.

The club's September season review confirmed that arrangements had been made for its winning team to enter the Division 2 competition.

Tournament entry fees were sponsored by PALS, while accommodation was sponsored by Asylum Paintball.

The report also announced that SAPC president Vitaly Miheev would serve as an official tournament coordinator. [5][7]

These arrangements reflected SAPC's growing links with the international paintball community. The surviving announcement does not establish the final travelling roster or tournament result.

2014 season review

The club's end-of-season report was published on 30 September 2014 and signed by Vitaly V. Miheev, SAPC President, dated 27 September 2014.

Alongside the competition results and international developments, the report acknowledged several contributors:

Tony Dickson of Black Sheep Media, who provided photography and media coverage.
Gavin of Red Alert Paintball Games, who supplied a spare compressor and had helped establish the earlier Auckland Super Five-Man League.
The tournament referees and participating teams, whose contributions supported the running of the competition.

The club reported maintaining its existing entry fees and paintball prices while expanding its tournament programme. Its priorities for 2015 included increasing grassroots participation and developing additional mechanical-pump teams. [5]

2015 Race Series

SAPC continued the Race Series in 2015, holding four rounds between January and August.

The competition retained separate Open and Mechanical Pump Division 4 championships.

Auckland Faction won the Open championship after winning three consecutive rounds, ending ADHD's run of SAPC season titles.

Detachment won the Mechanical Pump Division 4 championship, finishing 7.5 points ahead of Kaos Theory.

Division	Champion	Runner-up	Third
Open X-Ball	Auckland Faction	Addicted	ADHD
Mechanical Pump Division 4	Detachment	Kaos Theory	Mind Mechanics

The complete standings and individual event results are preserved in PBLeagues. [8]

Organisation

SAPC was founded by Michael Earley, who remained outside its governing committee because of his commercial paintball industry roles.

Vitaly Miheev served as president during 2014, as documented in the club's September season report.

The club relied on referees, volunteers and participating teams to operate its events. It maintained a separate organisational structure from Lock N Load Paintball, Asylum Paintball and the NZPPL.

Later history

The final SAPC Race Series event recorded in PBLeagues was held on 1 and 2 August 2015.

The incorporated society was subsequently dissolved. The exact date on which its activities ended has not been established.

SAPC's historical blog and tournament registration records preserve details of its competitions, early use of international standards and involvement in the Auckland paintball community.

References

South Auckland Paintball Club. Historical SAPC blog, 2011–2014. Early club days, Five-Man League and tournament announcements.
South Auckland Paintball Club. Historical blog, August 2011. Discussion of proposed changes to New Zealand firearms legislation.
InfoProff. New Zealand organisations registered on 10 September 2013. Registration of South Auckland Paintball Club Incorporated, society number 2587862.
Asylum Paintball. "South Auckland Paintball Club Inc Race Series Results." 19 December 2013. Results of the 2013 series.
South Auckland Paintball Club. "2014 End of Season Round Up." 30 September 2014. Report signed by Vitaly V. Miheev, documenting the 2014 season, international standards, sponsorships and contributors.
PBLeagues. South Auckland Paintball Club 2014 Season Rankings. Official Open X-Ball and Mechanical Pump Division 4 standings.
South Auckland Paintball Club. "SAPC Inc - Sending Kiwis to Paintball World Cup Asia 2014." 26 January 2014. Announcement of the international tournament initiative.
PBLeagues. South Auckland Paintball Club 2015 Season Rankings. Official Open X-Ball and Mechanical Pump Division 4 standings.

External links