Editing Ian Southern (section)

== National Paintball League ==

=== Development of the league ===

During 1996, Southern and Pellet developed a proposal to establish a coordinated national paintball league.

Their plan sought to bring existing major tournaments into a common competition structure while creating regular opportunities for developing teams.

The league was also intended to improve the administration and consistency of tournament paintball.

A historical account published by Mercenaries Star identifies Southern and Pellet as the originators of the organisation.[1]

The original introductory letter was circulated in December 1996 in preparation for the inaugural 1997 season.

Southern signed the document as the league's director.[2]

=== Introductory letter ===

The original NPL introductory letter, titled ''Welcome to the New Zealand National Paintball League'', survives in the Mercenaries Star archive.[2]

The document outlined the league's objectives and invited teams to participate in the inaugural season.

It identified three principal priorities:

* Improving the professional standard of tournament organisation.
* Coordinating existing New Zealand paintball tournaments to assist with the promotion of the sport.
* Developing professional and consistent refereeing standards to improve the general standard of competition.

The letter also emphasised cooperation between tournament organisers and the development of a more unified competitive paintball community.

Southern's stated ambition was to make 1997 a significant year for the national development of paintball.

The document concluded with his name and title:

'''Ian Southern — New Zealand NPL Director, 1997.'''

The original entry deadline was '''10 February 1997'''.

The introductory letter is one of the earliest surviving documents establishing Southern's direct involvement in organised New Zealand tournament paintball.

=== Independence from commercial interests ===

An important feature of Southern's original NPL proposal was the intended separation of the league's administration from individual commercial paintball businesses.

The introductory letter stated that the NPL would not operate as an equipment retailer or promote particular paintball manufacturers, brands or commercial playing fields.[2]

The document also explained that the organisation did not intend to sell markers, accessories or paintballs outside tournament operations.

This position was notable because the practical operation of New Zealand tournaments depended heavily on commercial field operators.

Southern's stated approach was therefore to establish an organisation that could cooperate with businesses providing playing facilities while maintaining a separate competition identity.

The surviving letter documents this as an objective of the proposed league rather than proof of any particular legal or financial structure.

=== Founding field operators ===

Three commercial paintball operators initially participated in the NPL:

{| class="wikitable"
! Operator
! Location
! Fields
|-
| [[Splatman]]
| Auckland
| 4
|-
| [[Strategy Tag]]
| Whangārei
| 1
|-
| [[Actions Paintball|Actions Paintball Sports Arena]]
| Auckland
| 1
|}

The participating businesses agreed to provide playing facilities for scheduled tournament competition.[1]

The league used a rotating arrangement under which participating fields hosted teams during the competition season.

The aim was to distribute the financial and organisational burden associated with tournament play between field operators.

Commercial operators generally received greater revenue from recreational customer groups than from regular tournament players, who could occupy fields for substantial periods.

The rotating system was designed to reduce the commercial disadvantage to individual field operators while supporting the establishment of regular competitive paintball.

=== Two-division competition structure ===

The NPL began in 1997 with two competition divisions.

First Division incorporated established major tournament events, while Second Division offered regular competition for newer and developing teams.

The league's historical account and original Second Division information sheet document how the two divisions were intended to operate.[1][3]

==== First Division ====

First Division incorporated major tournaments already established or being introduced to the New Zealand competition calendar.

These included:

* [[New Zealand Paintball Nationals]]
* Queen's Birthday tournament
* [[Northland Open]]

First Division tournaments were generally scheduled approximately three months apart.

The major events provided competition for established teams from different regions of New Zealand.

Teams competing in Second Division were also encouraged to enter First Division events for additional experience.

However, Second Division entries could not win the First Division championship, and their performances in those tournaments did not contribute to their Second Division standings.

The arrangement was intended to preserve a distinction between established tournament teams and newer competitive players.

==== Second Division ====

Second Division was designed to introduce developing and recreational players to regular organised tournament paintball.

The competition followed a round-robin format in which teams were assigned to different participating commercial fields.

Games were scheduled during two months of each three-month period, with the remaining month allocated to a First Division tournament.

The inaugural season comprised six scheduled rounds.

{| class="wikitable"
|+ 1997 NPL Second Division schedule
! Round
! Month
|-
| 1
| February
|-
| 2
| March
|-
| 3
| May
|-
| 4
| June
|-
| 5
| August
|-
| 6
| September
|}

Competition days were scheduled for the second Sunday of each designated month.[3]

The championship-winning team was to receive '''10,000 paintballs''' and the title of New Zealand NPL Second Division Champions.

The programme created opportunities for developing teams to participate in a structured season rather than relying exclusively on occasional independent tournaments.

=== Competition rules and administration ===

The original Second Division information sheet contained detailed rules governing team registration and tournament participation.[3]

The league adopted rules derived from the Australian Paintball Players League (APPL).

Teams were required to field at least four players in each game, with additional reserve players permitted.

Games used an elimination format and were played on speedball fields operated by the participating commercial venues.

The rules did not impose a limit on the number of paintballs used during a game.

Team captains were responsible for player conduct, understanding competition rules and raising disputes with the head marshal.

Only the captain was authorised to discuss disputes with the head marshal.

The use of consistent competition procedures supported the objectives set out in Southern's introductory letter.

=== Membership and tournament fees ===

Second Division required individual player registration with the National Paintball League.

The original information sheet specified:

{| class="wikitable"
! Item
! Fee
|-
| Individual NPL membership
| NZ$10 per player
|-
| Team field fee
| NZ$30 per competition day
|-
| Paintballs
| NZ$0.12 per ball
|}

Each player was required to complete a registration and indemnity form.

The team field fee contributed towards refereeing and event administration costs.

Captains were advised to order paintballs in advance of competition days.

The league also planned to provide team information packs containing competition rules, field maps, contact details and game schedules.

These administrative arrangements reflected Southern and Pellet's broader objective of formalising tournament competition.

=== Player development ===

The original NPL structure provided a pathway between recreational paintball and established tournament competition.

The Mercenaries Star historical account records that a number of new teams formed during the league's operation.[1]

Some existing First Division teams established or adopted affiliated Second Division squads.

These additional teams provided opportunities for newer players to develop their skills and potentially progress into established tournament lineups.

The system enabled participating players to compete regularly against different opponents while gaining experience with organised rules and refereeing.

The historical account credits the NPL with introducing a number of players in the Auckland and Whangārei tournament communities to structured competition.