Editing American Paintball Federation


'''The American Paintball Federation''' ('''APBF''') is a name used for [[paintball]] federation initiatives in North America. It was identified in January 2006 as the proposed continental organisation responsible for North America, Central America and the Caribbean within the [[United Paintball Federation]] (UPBF).[1]

The APBF was intended to provide a regional structure for competitive paintball, linking national associations and tournament organisers with international efforts to standardise rules, refereeing and player registration.

== History ==

=== Early federation structure ===

On 4 January 2006, the [[Paintball Asia League Series]] (PALS) published an announcement concerning its participation in the United Paintball Federation. The announcement, preserved by [[WARPIG]], described five continental paintball federations, including the American Paintball Federation.[1]

The APBF was assigned responsibility for North America, Central America and the Caribbean.

The announcement identified [[Paintball Sports Promotions]] (PSP) and the [[Carolina Field Owners Association]] (CFOA) as examples of tournament organisations operating within the proposed region. However, it did not establish that either organisation had formally joined the APBF.

The international federation initiative proposed common standards for tournament rules, refereeing, disciplinary procedures and player identification.

The announcement also described representation for each continental federation on the UPBF executive committee, with the North American region allocated one vice-president and five additional members.[1]

Surviving records do not establish the APBF's precise founding date, original officers or the extent to which the proposed continental structure became operational.

=== Later references ===

In August 2021, a member of the Reddit paintball community reproduced an excerpt reportedly taken from an email distributed by Team USA Paintball. The message described the national programme as having become a federation using the name APBF, expanded as American Paintball Federation.[2]

The original email has not been independently verified, and the available evidence does not establish whether this organisation was legally or administratively connected with the APBF described in 2006.

Team USA Paintball subsequently continued organising United States national teams for international competition, including the UPBF World Championships.[3]

=== Continental representation ===

By 2026, the United Paintball Federation identified the '''North and Central American Paintball Federation''' ('''NCAPBF''') as its continental organisation representing the region.[4]

The [[Union of International Associations]] also lists the North Central American Paintball Federation among the continental confederations represented within the UPBF.[5]

The available sources do not establish whether the NCAPBF represents a formal renaming, reorganisation or replacement of the earlier APBF.

== See also ==

* [[United Paintball Federation]]
* [[Paintball Sports Promotions]]
* [[Carolina Field Owners Association]]
* [[National Professional Paintball League]]

== References ==

# [https://www.warpig.com/newswire/prwire_releases/1136381660212.shtml UPBF: Paintball Asia League Series Announcement]. ''WARPIG'', 4 January 2006. Contemporary announcement describing the American Paintball Federation and proposed continental structure.
# [https://www.reddit.com/r/paintball/comments/owteni/should_speedball_be_in_the_olympics/ Should Speedball Be in the Olympics?]. ''Reddit r/paintball'', 3 August 2021. Community discussion reproducing an unverified excerpt attributed to Team USA Paintball.
# [https://www.teamusapaintball.com/copy-of-tryout-process About Team USA Paintball]. ''Team USA Paintball''. Official description of the United States national team programme.
# [https://www.upbf.net/paintball-sport Paintball Is a Sport]. ''United Paintball Federation''. Current continental federation structure.
# [https://uia.org/s/or/en/1122286107 United Paintball Federation]. ''Union of International Associations'', Open Yearbook. International federation profile and represented confederations.

== External links ==

* [https://www.upbf.net/ United Paintball Federation]
* [https://www.teamusapaintball.com/ Team USA Paintball]

[[Category:Paintball federations]]
[[Category:Paintball organisations]]
[[Category:Paintball in the United States]]