US Paintball League

The US Paintball League (USPL) was an American professional paintball tournament organisation established in January 2009 following the collapse of the previous operating company of the National Professional Paintball League (NPPL). Formed by a group of 16 professional teams, the USPL continued national seven-player competition under a player-owned organisational structure.[1][2]

The league held four national tournaments during 2009, including the Huntington Beach Surf City Open, West Coast Open, DC Challenge and Las Vegas World Championships. It subsequently acquired rights to the NPPL name, with the tournament circuit returning to NPPL branding for the 2010 season.[3][4]

History

Formation (2009)

In December 2008, Pacific Paintball announced the liquidation of its assets, including the NPPL Super 7 World Series.

The announcement followed financial difficulties that prevented the organisation from continuing its previous operations.

In January 2009, representatives of 16 professional teams established the US Paintball League to continue national seven-player tournament competition.

The new organisation appointed former NPPL president Chuck Hendsch as commissioner.

Camille Lemanski was named general manager, while Tom Cole, another former NPPL president, was appointed ultimate judge.[1][2]

The USPL adopted a player-owned structure intended to give participating professional teams greater involvement in league management.

Its organisers proposed lower entry fees, larger prize packages and greater opportunities for amateur teams.

The league also announced plans for eastern and western regional conferences, although its final 2009 tournament schedule differed from the original six-event proposal.[1][5]

Huntington Beach Surf City Open

The USPL held its inaugural tournament from 3 to 5 April 2009 at Huntington Beach, California.

The venue had previously hosted the opening event of the NPPL Super 7 World Series.

The competition featured professional and amateur seven-player divisions, alongside five-player competition.

DC Arsenal won the professional division, defeating San Diego Dynasty in the finals.

Dynasty Entourage won Division 1, Arsenal Predators won Division 2 and Sadistik won Division 3.[3]

West Coast Open

The second USPL national tournament was the West Coast Open, held from 24 to 26 July 2009 at SC Village in Corona, California.

The event continued the league's seven-player professional and amateur competitions.

It formed part of the four-event national championship season.[6]

DC Challenge

The third tournament took place from 28 to 30 August 2009 at Pev's Paintball Park in Aldie, Virginia.

The competition included professional and amateur seven-player divisions, five-player competition and a pump division.

DC Arsenal won the professional division, with Oakland Blast finishing second and San Diego Dynasty third.

Dynasty Entourage won Division 1, Arsenal Predators won Division 2 and Wired won Division 3.

Devotion won the five-player Division 3 competition, while Indy Mutiny won the pump division.[7][8]

Las Vegas World Championships

The fourth and final tournament of the 2009 season took place from 16 to 18 October at the Riviera Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The event was promoted as the Las Vegas World Paintball Championships.

The competition included professional and amateur seven-player divisions, five-player competition and open pump play.

The tournament also incorporated a trade exhibition, continuing the commercial exhibition format associated with previous NPPL championships.[9]

Return to NPPL branding

During 2009, the USPL obtained rights to the NPPL name.

For the 2010 season, the national tournament circuit operated under the NPPL identity.

The change restored the established league name while continuing national seven-player competition.

The NPPL subsequently operated through 2013 before announcing the suspension of its national series in 2014.[4][10]

Competition format

The USPL retained the seven-player tournament format previously associated with the NPPL Super 7 World Series.

The 2009 season included professional and amateur divisions.

The league also offered five-player competition and pump divisions at selected events.

The USPL introduced a revised classification structure intended to accommodate players previously registered in the NPPL and Paintball Sports Promotions circuits.

Its 2009 rulebook included provisions governing player classifications, rosters and divisional eligibility.[11]

2009 season

Event	Dates	Location
Surf City Open	3–5 April 2009	Huntington Beach, California
West Coast Open	24–26 July 2009	Corona, California
DC Challenge	28–30 August 2009	Aldie, Virginia
World Championships	16–18 October 2009	Las Vegas, Nevada

The four events formed the completed USPL national tournament schedule for 2009.[3][6][7][9]

Documented tournament results

Professional division

Event	Winner	Source
Surf City Open	DC Arsenal	[3]
DC Challenge	DC Arsenal	[7]

The table includes only results directly confirmed by the cited contemporary tournament reports.

DC Challenge divisional results

Division	Winner
Professional seven-player	DC Arsenal
Division 1 seven-player	Dynasty Entourage
Division 2 seven-player	Arsenal Predators
Division 3 seven-player	Wired
Division 3 five-player	Devotion
Pump five-player	Indy Mutiny

The results are recorded in contemporary WARPIG reporting and official USPL announcements.[7][8]

Relationship with the NPPL

The USPL and NPPL were closely related but were not identical organisations at the time of the USPL's establishment.

The USPL was formed following the liquidation of the company operating the previous NPPL tournament series.

Its professional-team ownership structure distinguished it from the earlier organisation.

The new league retained the seven-player format, selected venues and personnel associated with the NPPL.

The acquisition of the NPPL name subsequently allowed the tournament circuit to resume operating under the NPPL identity in 2010.[1][2][4]

References

External links