Editing Copenhagen Ducks


'''Copenhagen Ducks''' was a Danish professional [[paintball]] team associated with Copenhagen, Denmark. The team competed in the [[Millennium Series]] Champions Paintball League (CPL), the highest division of European professional tournament paintball, during the 2000s and early 2010s. [1][2]

Copenhagen Ducks finished second at the 2008 Málaga Iberian Cup, losing the CPL final to [[Joy Division (paintball team)|Joy Stockholm]]. The team also reached the quarter-finals of the 2008 and 2009 German Masters. [3][4][5]

The organisation included Danish and international players and was managed by [[Nick Brockdorff]] during its early professional period. [2]

== History ==

=== Early appearances ===

Copenhagen Ducks was active by July 2004, when a contemporary Swedish tournament announcement identified the team alongside Stockholm Ignition as providing referees for a five-player Sup'Air tournament in Flen, Sweden. [1]

The available records do not establish a definitive founding date.

By 2005, Copenhagen Ducks had become an established competitor in the Millennium Series Champions League, the predecessor of the Champions Paintball League designation.

The team competed at the MAXS tournament in Germany, DMA Amsterdam and the Seven-Man World Cup in Paris.

At the Paris event, Copenhagen Ducks finished tenth in the professional competition. [2]

In August 2005, equipment manufacturer [[Luxfer Gas Cylinders]] identified Nick Brockdorff as the team's manager and confirmed its sponsorship of the organisation.

Copenhagen Ducks was also entered in the Champions League division at the 2005 Campaign Cup in England. [2][6]

=== Continued European competition (2006–2007) ===

Copenhagen Ducks continued competing in the Millennium Series professional division.

British professional player [[Jason Wheeler]] represented Copenhagen Ducks during 2007, describing his association as "Copenhagen Ducks/Method" in a 2011 interview.

Wheeler subsequently joined [[London Nexus]] for the 2008 season. [7]

A March 2008 article in the Danish magazine ''Samvirke'' identified Copenhagen Ducks as having finished twelfth in the previous Millennium Series season.

The article profiled Danish twins Nikolai and Anders Steenberg, both members of the team, and described their participation in European professional paintball. [8]

=== Málaga Iberian Cup (2008) ===

Copenhagen Ducks achieved one of its best-documented tournament results at the 2008 Málaga Iberian Cup in Spain.

The event was the opening round of the Millennium Series Champions Paintball League season, held from 4 to 6 April 2008.

Copenhagen Ducks advanced to the professional final against defending European champions Joy Stockholm.

Joy won the final 5–0, leaving Copenhagen Ducks as tournament runners-up. [3]

The result established Copenhagen Ducks among the leading teams at the beginning of the 2008 European season.

=== German Masters (2008) ===

Copenhagen Ducks continued competing successfully during the 2008 season.

Before the German Masters in September, the team was fourth in the provisional CPL standings with 160 points, level with Riga Chilli Peppers. [9]

At the German Masters, Copenhagen Ducks qualified for the quarter-finals after finishing second in its preliminary group.

The team defeated Stockholm Ignition 5–1 and Moscow Castle 5–3, but lost 5–2 to Riga Chilli Peppers.

In the quarter-finals, Copenhagen Ducks faced [[Philadelphia Americans|Philadelphia Dogs]].

The American team won 5–3, eliminating Copenhagen Ducks from the competition. [4]

=== 2009 Millennium Series ===

Copenhagen Ducks remained competitive during the 2009 Millennium Series season.

At the German Masters in Bitburg, the team won all three of its preliminary matches, qualifying for the quarter-finals.

Its results included a 5–1 victory over Marseille Icon. [5]

Copenhagen Ducks subsequently faced Riga Chilli Peppers in the quarter-finals.

The Latvian team won a closely contested match 5–4. [5]

The season also included the Málaga event, where adverse weather prevented the completion of the championship rounds.

Copenhagen Ducks had qualified for the CPL semi-finals against London Nexus.

The outstanding matches were rescheduled to take place during the Paris Millennium Series event in July. [10]

=== Later CPL competition (2010–2012) ===

Copenhagen Ducks continued competing in the Champions Paintball League during the early 2010s.

At the 2011 London event, the team recorded one victory and two defeats during the preliminary rounds, finishing third in its group and failing to advance to the quarter-finals. [11]

A 2012 preseason analysis published by Social Paintball identified ninth place at the 2011 London event as the team's best result of that season. [12]

The team remained in the CPL for 2012.

At the French Riviera Cup in March 2012, Copenhagen Ducks finished eleventh among sixteen professional teams. [13]

Swedish professional player [[Sebastian Samuelsson]], also known as "Sebban", identifies Copenhagen Ducks as his team for the 2012 season in his published playing history.

Samuelsson had previously competed for Joy Division and subsequently played for Toulouse TonTons. [14]

=== Subsequent activity ===

Copenhagen Ducks continued to be associated with international players after its principal period of professional competition.

A report published by GI Sportz in October 2014 identified New Zealand player Mat Lewis as being associated with Copenhagen Ducks.

Lewis assisted the Australian team Shenanigans with tournament preparation and pit support during its European campaign. [15]

In 2024, a report published by ''Paintball Sports'' described Jets Øresund, a team competing in NXL Europe, as a revival of Copenhagen Ducks.

The report did not provide a detailed account of the organisational or roster continuity between the teams. [16]

A definitive dissolution date for Copenhagen Ducks has not been established.

== Relationship with Ugly Ducklings ==

The relationship between Copenhagen Ducks and the Danish team [[Ugly Ducklings]] is unclear in the surviving historical sources.

A 2012 report published by Denmark's Idrættens Analyseinstitut described Copenhagen Ducks as the former Ugly Ducklings, stating that the organisation had changed its name.

However, contemporary tournament records show Copenhagen Ducks and Ugly Ducklings entered separately in different divisions at the 2005 Millennium Series World Cup in Paris. [6][17]

The two names also appear separately in the published schedule for the 2009 Millennium Series Paris event, alongside additional squads using the Copenhagen Ducks 2 and Ugly Ducklings Odense 2 names. [18]

These records demonstrate that both names were in use during overlapping periods. They do not establish the precise relationship between the organisations or whether individual players transferred between them.

The competitive histories of Copenhagen Ducks and Ugly Ducklings are therefore documented separately.

== Notable players and personnel ==

Individuals documented in connection with Copenhagen Ducks include:

* '''Nick Brockdorff''' – Team manager during the 2005 Millennium Series season.
* '''Nikolai Steenberg''' – Danish professional player profiled in ''Samvirke'' in March 2008.
* '''Anders Steenberg''' – Danish professional player and twin brother of Nikolai Steenberg.
* '''[[Jason Wheeler]]''' – British professional player associated with Copenhagen Ducks in 2007.
* '''[[Sebastian Samuelsson]]''' – Swedish professional player who represented the team during 2012.
* '''Mat Lewis''' – New Zealand player identified with Copenhagen Ducks in a 2014 GI Sportz report.

[2][7][8][14][15]

== Selected tournament results ==

{| class="wikitable"
! Year
! Competition
! Division
! Result
|-
| 2005
| Millennium Series World Cup, Paris
| Champions League
| 10th place [2]
|-
| 2007
| Millennium Series season
| CPL
| 12th overall [8]
|-
| 2008
| Málaga Iberian Cup
| CPL
| 2nd place [3]
|-
| 2008
| German Masters
| CPL
| Quarter-finalists [4]
|-
| 2009
| German Masters
| CPL
| Quarter-finalists [5]
|-
| 2009
| Málaga Iberian Cup
| CPL
| Qualified for postponed semi-finals [10]
|-
| 2011
| Millennium Series London
| CPL
| 9th place [12]
|-
| 2012
| French Riviera Cup
| CPL
| 11th place [13]
|}

== Sponsorship ==

Copenhagen Ducks received equipment sponsorship from [[Luxfer Gas Cylinders]] during the 2005 Millennium Series season.

In an announcement published on 22 August 2005, Luxfer confirmed its continuing support for the team and identified Nick Brockdorff as manager.

The company manufactured high-pressure gas cylinders used in paintball equipment and also sponsored the British professional team [[London Tigers]]. [2]

== Significance ==

Copenhagen Ducks was an established Danish representative in the highest division of European professional paintball during the 2000s.

Its runner-up finish at the 2008 Málaga Iberian Cup and subsequent appearances in CPL elimination rounds demonstrated that Danish-based teams could compete against leading European and international professional organisations. [3][4][5]

The team's international roster connections also illustrate the movement of professional players between European tournament organisations during the Millennium Series era.

== See also ==

* [[Ugly Ducklings]]
* [[Millennium Series]]
* [[Joy Division (paintball team)]]
* [[London Nexus]]
* [[London Tigers]]
* [[Copenhagen Berserks]]
* [[History of paintball in Denmark]]

== References ==

# [https://forum.soldf.com/topic/12103-paintball/ SoldF Forum – Swedish paintball tournament announcement, 13 July 2004, identifying Copenhagen Ducks as referees].
# [https://www.luxfercylinders.com/co2-and-beverage/luxfer-sponsored-copenhagen-ducks-showing-strength-in-european-paintball-tournament/ Luxfer Gas Cylinders – Luxfer-sponsored Copenhagen Ducks Showing Strength in European Paintball Tournament, 22 August 2005].
# [https://svenskamagasinet.nu/artiklar/sverige-vann-malaga-iberian-cup-en-deltavling-i-champions-paintball-league-2008/ Svenska Magasinet – Sweden Wins the Málaga Iberian Cup, 7 April 2008].
# [https://seburo.blogspot.com/2008/09/millenium-series-quarter-finals-results.html SEBURO – Millennium Series German Masters Quarter-Final Results, 7 September 2008].
# [https://seburo.blogspot.com/2009/05/ SEBURO – Millennium Series German Masters Reporting, May 2009].
# [https://pbhub.de/forum/viewtopic.php?p=97030 pbhub.de – Millennium Series Paris World Cup Team List, 20 June 2005].
# [https://viewfromthedeadbox.blogspot.com/2011/06/ View from the Deadbox – Pro*file: Jason Wheeler, 2 June 2011].
# [https://samvirkesarkiv.dk/master/magazine/pdf/revised_Sam_2008_0301.pdf Samvirke – March 2008 issue, page 25, interview with Nikolai and Anders Steenberg].
# [https://seburo.blogspot.com/2008/09/coming-up-this-weekend-millenium-series.html SEBURO – Coming Up This Weekend: Millennium Series MAXS German Masters, 1 September 2008].
# [https://seburo.blogspot.com/2009/07/millennium-series-malaga-finals-to-be.html SEBURO – Millennium Series Málaga Finals to Be Played on Friday 3 July, 1 July 2009].
# [https://seburo.blogspot.com/2011/07/seburos-millennium-series-london-pickem.html SEBURO – Millennium Series London Results, 1 July 2011].
# [https://www.socialpaintball.com/2012-paintball-power-rankings/ Social Paintball – 2012 Preseason Paintball Power Rankings].
# [https://www.socialpaintball.com/2012/03/25/art-chaos-moscow-beats-san-diego-dynasty-to-win-cpl-millennium-series-france-st-tropez-cannes-french-riviera-cup/ Social Paintball – French Riviera Cup CPL Results, 25 March 2012].
# [https://www.mashpaintball.se/sebban Mash Paintball – Sebastian Samuelsson, Professional Playing History].
# [https://gisportz.com/shenanigans-paintball-team-at-the-millennium-world-cup/ GI Sportz – Shenanigans Paintball Team at the Millennium World Cup, 3 October 2014].
# [https://paintballsports.co.uk/la-grande-finale-2024-the-nxl-in-dreux/ Paintball Sports – La Grande Finale 2024: The NXL in Dreux].
# [https://www.idan.dk/media/ma5iawty/dds_rapport_final.pdf Idrættens Analyseinstitut – Skydeidrætten i Danmark: Status og udviklingsmuligheder for danske skytteforeninger, December 2012, page 163].
# [https://millennium-series.epbf.info/downloads/events/draws/schedule_friday_cup_paris_2009.pdf Millennium Series – Paris 2009 Official Friday Tournament Schedule].

== External links ==

* [https://www.facebook.com/CPHDUCKS/ Copenhagen Ducks on Facebook]
* [https://www.paintballwincount.com/nxl-europe Millennium Series Historical Champions, Paintball Win Count]
* [https://www.luxfercylinders.com/co2-and-beverage/luxfer-sponsored-copenhagen-ducks-showing-strength-in-european-paintball-tournament/ 2005 Copenhagen Ducks sponsorship announcement, Luxfer]
* [https://svenskamagasinet.nu/artiklar/sverige-vann-malaga-iberian-cup-en-deltavling-i-champions-paintball-league-2008/ 2008 Málaga Iberian Cup report]

[[Category:Paintball teams]]
[[Category:Danish paintball teams]]
[[Category:Professional paintball teams]]
[[Category:Historical paintball teams]]