Editing Women's paintball

'''Women's paintball''' refers to the participation of women in [[paintball]] as recreational players, competitive athletes, referees, coaches, organisers and industry professionals. Women have participated in the sport since its earliest years, competing in mixed-gender teams as well as dedicated women's tournaments and leagues.[1][2]

Women's competitive paintball has developed from participation in open tournaments and early women's divisions to international professional championships, including the [[Women's National Xball League]] (WNXL) and the women's category of the [[United Paintball Federation]] (UPBF) World Championship.[3][4]

== History ==

=== Early participation ===

Women have been involved in paintball since the sport emerged in the early 1980s.

Among the early figures was [[Debra Dion Krischke]], who worked with the [[National Survival Game]] organisation and subsequently became an influential tournament organiser through the [[International Amateur Open]]. Her involvement demonstrated that women were contributing to the organisation and development of paintball from its formative years.[1]

Women also competed alongside men in organised tournament paintball. [[Karen Barber]], who played for the [[All Americans]], was identified by contemporary paintball publication [[WARPIG]] as the first woman to attain professional status in the [[National Professional Paintball League]] (NPPL).[2]

All-female teams also emerged during the 1990s. One of the most established was [[Femmes Fatale]], formed in 1999. The team competed in several formats, including ten-player, seven-player, five-player and three-player tournaments.[5]

=== Women's tournaments in the 2000s ===

Dedicated women's tournament divisions became increasingly visible during the early 2000s.

The [[Ultimate Madness]] indoor tournament in Huntington, West Virginia, featured a women's three-player division from its inaugural event in 2001. The competition attracted players who also competed on mixed-gender teams.

The first women's division was won by Dye Girls, ahead of Devil's Angels, Iron Maidens and High Maintenance.[3]

The women's competition continued in subsequent editions:

{| class="wikitable"
! Year
! Ultimate Madness women's champion
|-
| 2001
| Dye Girls
|-
| 2002
| Superficial Silver
|-
| 2003
| [[Femmes Fatale]]
|-
| 2004
| [[Femmes Fatale]]
|}

The tournaments featured teams including Valkyries, Warped Girls, Lady T&A, Wicked Sistas and Women of Worr.[2][3][6][7]

Women's teams also competed in open divisions against predominantly male opposition.

In October 2013, the all-female [[Destiny (paintball team)|Destiny]] team won a championship at the NPPL World Championships in Las Vegas. The achievement attracted attention because the team had won a national competition without competing in a separate women's division.[8]

=== International development ===

Women's participation in international tournaments expanded through national team competitions and dedicated women's events.

By 2014, women's national teams were competing in the European Nations Cup associated with the [[Millennium Series]]. A contemporary account documents Great Britain's participation at Bitburg, Germany, where the team finished fourth.[9]

In Asia, the [[Asia Girls Paintball International Championship]] (AGPIC) was established in Singapore in 2017 by organisers associated with the Singapore Paintball Series.

The tournament brought together female competitors from the region and was organised as a dedicated women's competition. By 2019, it was using a five-player format, with teams permitted to register up to eight players.[10]

== Professional women's paintball ==

=== Women's National Xball League ===

The creation of the [[Women's National Xball League]] represented a significant development in organised women's professional paintball.

Established in 2021 as part of the [[National Xball League]], the WNXL was introduced through a Fire versus Ice exhibition match at the [[NXL World Cup]] in November 2021.

Its inaugural competitive season began in March 2022, with [[Dallas Vibe]] winning the first event at the NXL Sunshine State Major.[11][12]

The original professional competition included teams such as:

* [[Dallas Vibe]]
* [[Destiny (paintball team)|Destiny]]
* [[The Heroines]]
* [[Femmes Fatale]]
* [[Sacramento Diamonds]]
* [[Cheetahs (paintball team)|Cheetahs]]

The league subsequently expanded its competition structure and established a European professional championship.

=== WNXL Europe ===

The European WNXL professional division is documented in [[NXL Europe]] tournament records from 2023.

Participating teams have included:

* [[Belladonna]]
* [[Drakaina]]
* [[Karma (paintball team)|Karma]]
* [[Halcyon (paintball team)|Halcyon]]
* [[HBI W]]

Drakaina won the 2023 European season championship, while Belladonna won the 2024 championship.[13][14]

== International women's national teams ==

The [[United Paintball Federation]] organises women's international competition as part of its World Championship programme.

Unlike the WNXL, which features club and franchise teams, the UPBF women's championship is contested by national representative teams.

The competition provides an opportunity for female players to represent their countries in international Xball tournaments.

In 2026, nine countries competed in the women's category at Dreux, France.

The United States defeated Germany 3–2 in the final to secure its fourth consecutive women's world championship. France finished third after defeating the Netherlands.[15]

== Participation and development ==

Women participate across recreational, scenario, woodsball and competitive forms of paintball. Although dedicated women's divisions exist, women also compete in open and mixed-gender tournaments.

Women's teams and development programmes provide opportunities for players to gain competitive experience and participate in organised training.

Dedicated women's competitions are particularly significant in regions where the number of established female tournament players is comparatively small.

The organisers of the Asia Girls Paintball International Championship identified increasing female participation as one of the principal objectives of their competition.[10]

The establishment of the WNXL also created a dedicated professional pathway within the NXL tournament structure.

Major League Paintball has reported a 62 per cent increase in women's participation at its national tournaments since the establishment of the WNXL. This figure is reported by the league itself.[4]

Women's involvement in paintball extends beyond playing, including coaching, refereeing, tournament management, business ownership and event organisation.

== See also ==

* [[Women's National Xball League]]
* [[National Xball League]]
* [[NXL Europe]]
* [[United Paintball Federation]]
* [[Asia Girls Paintball International Championship]]
* [[Femmes Fatale]]
* [[Destiny (paintball team)|Destiny]]
* [[Dallas Vibe]]
* [[The Heroines]]
* [[HBI W]]

== References ==

# [https://gardenandgun.com/paintballs-wild-history-as-told-by-the-man-who-co-invented-it Garden & Gun, "Paintball's Wild History, as Told by the Man Who (Co-)Invented It".]
# [https://warpig.com/paintball/tournament/ultimate_madness/2002/index.shtml WARPIG, "The Ultimate Madness 2002", contemporary tournament coverage.]
# [https://www.warpig.com/paintball/tournament/ultimate_madness/2001/index.shtml WARPIG, "The Ultimate Madness 2001", tournament report and results.]
# [https://www.majorleaguepb.com/wnxl Major League Paintball, "WNXL", official league overview.]
# [https://shop.dyepaintball.com/blogs/news/femmes-fatale-join-dye DYE Paintball, "Femmes Fatale Join DYE", 2022.]
# [https://warpig.com/paintball/tournament/ultimate_madness/2003/index.shtml WARPIG, "Ultimate Madness III", 4–6 April 2003.]
# [https://warpig.com/paintball/tournament/ultimate_madness/2004/index.shtml WARPIG, "Ultimate Madness 2004", tournament coverage.]
# [https://www.ocweekly.com/team-destiny-ladies-paintball-team-based-in-huntington-beach-makes-national-history-6459842/ OC Weekly, "Team Destiny, Ladies Paintball Team Based in Huntington Beach, Makes National History", 11 October 2013.]
# [https://ultravioletpaintball.wordpress.com/tag/female-paintballer/ Ultraviolet Paintball Team, contemporary account of Great Britain's women's European Nations Cup participation, 2014.]
# [https://singaporepaintballseries.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/13-14-JULY-2019-Executive-Summary.pdf Singapore Paintball Series, "Asia Girls Paintball International Championship", 2019 tournament information and historical overview.]
# [https://www.nxlpaintball.com/post/fire-vs-ice-the-debut-of-a-female-professional-paintball-league-the-wnxl NXL, "Fire vs. Ice: The Debut of a Female Professional Paintball League, the WNXL", 18 November 2021.]
# [https://www.nxlpaintball.com/post/2022-nxl-sunshine-state-major-recap-dynasty-wins-g-i-sportz-dominates-x-ball-in-a-history-first NXL, "2022 NXL Sunshine State Major Recap", 21 March 2022.]
# [https://pbleagues.com/league/403/seasonRankings/2023 PBLeagues, NXL Europe 2023 season rankings.]
# [https://pbleagues.com/league/403/seasonRankings/2024 PBLeagues, NXL Europe 2024 season rankings.]
# [https://www.upbf.net/articles/womens-world-championship-2026-usa-four-in-a-row UPBF, "Women's World Championship 2026: USA Make It Four in a Row", 4 October 2026.]

== External links ==

* [https://www.majorleaguepb.com/wnxl Women's National Xball League]
* [https://www.nxlpaintball.com/ National Xball League]
* [https://www.upbf.net/ United Paintball Federation]
* [https://pbleagues.com/ PBLeagues tournament records]

[[Category:Women's paintball]]
[[Category:Paintball history]]