New Zealand Paintball Players League
New Zealand Paintball Players League (NZPPL) was a New Zealand tournament paintball league active during the early 2010s. Its documented competitions included five-player tournaments, national championships and X-Ball events, with activity recorded from at least 2011 to 2014.[1][2]
Jason Newport stated in a professional profile that he established the league in 2010. The NZPPL organised events in Auckland, Rotorua, Horowhenua and the Kāpiti Coast, attracting domestic and international teams.[1][2][3]
The league used nzppl.com, a domain previously associated with the New Zealand Premier Paintball League. The formal relationship between the earlier and later organisations has not been established.[4]
History
Establishment
In a professional profile, Jason Newport identified 2010 as the year he created the New Zealand Paintball Players League.[1]
The earliest recovered official tournament announcement for the later league advertises a Super 5 Man competition during Easter 2011.[2]
The league operated under the abbreviation NZPPL and maintained an official website containing event schedules, registrations and rankings.
The same abbreviation and website domain had previously been used by the New Zealand Premier Paintball League, which promoted XPS competitions during 2006 and 2007.[4]
Although both organisations used the NZPPL name, the surviving sources do not establish a formal organisational succession.
2011 season
The NZPPL organised a three-event tournament programme during 2011.[3]
The opening event was held in the Levin area during April.
An official announcement scheduled a five-player tournament for 23–24 April at Tatum Park, Manakau, Horowhenua.[2]
The second event, the 2011 NZPPL Rotorua Tournament, took place at Lakes Ranch near Rotorua over 4–5 June 2011. Contemporary reporting documented ten participating teams competing in a five-player, double round-robin format. The event included Tempest, whose player Royston Bartholomew assisted with its organisation.[3]
The newspaper also identified Waikanae as the location of the final 2011 round, scheduled for Labour Weekend.
The NZPPL's subsequent media archive preserved footage from the 2011 Nationals, including Cup and Plate finals, produced by RisingStarPaintball.[5]
Complete season standings have not been recovered.
2012 season
The NZPPL continued organising five-player tournament paintball during 2012.
An archived version of its official website contained links to four event pages and a dedicated rankings section.[6]
The competition is covered separately in 2012 NZPPL Super 5 Man Series.
Contemporary team photograph archives document NZPPL Event 1 at Lock N Load Paintball in Auckland and Event 2 activity during the same season.[7]
The second event is also documented at Hāwera, Taranaki, through a contemporary scoreboard and photographs of the Tahitian Legion team.[8]
A retrospective report published by Asylum Paintball in 2014 credited ADHD with winning the opening NZPPL round of 2012.[9]
The league's official registration website advertised Event 3 for 20–21 October on the Kāpiti Coast, listing 24 team registrations and an entry fee of NZ$600 per team.[10]
The registrations do not establish final attendance, and the complete season results have not been recovered.
2013 season
The NZPPL organised a three-round Super 5 Man Series during 2013 and a separate Race 2 Open tournament.
Its official results archive preserves complete Cup and Plate standings for the opening two Super 5 Man events and the Race 2 Open tournament.[11]
| Dates | Tournament | Venue | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9–10 March | Super 5 Man Event 1 | El Rancho Holiday Park, Waikanae | X-Fighter$ |
| 1–2 June | Super 5 Man Event 2 | Adrenalin Paintball Sports, Paraparaumu | X-Fighter$ Fracture |
| 31 August – 1 September | Race 2 Open Tournament | Blockhouse Bay Reserve, Auckland | X-Fighter$ Fracture |
| 26–27 October | Super 5 Man Event 3 / Nationals | Asylum Paintball, Karaka | KC Damage |
Sources: NZPPL official rankings, event announcements and Blacksheep Communications.[11][12]
KC Damage won the October Nationals, followed by Wellington Vendetta and X-Fighter$ Fracture.
X-Fighter$ won the overall 2013 Super 5 Man championship with two event victories and a third-place finish.[12]
The season final was filmed by Blacksheep Media, which released tournament footage in March 2014.
2014 season
The NZPPL continued operating during 2014.
Its PBLeagues archive records three events:
| Dates | Tournament | Location | Recorded result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12–13 April | NZPPL Race 2 Event 1 | Paraparaumu | Mechanical Division 1 competition |
| 30–31 August | NZPPL Race 2-4 Event 2 | Auckland | ADHD won Pro X-Ball |
| 25–26 October | NZPPL International Pacific Championship | Asylum Paintball, Auckland | Trauma won Division 1 X-Ball |
Sources: PBLeagues event archive and season rankings.[13][14]
The April event was registered as a Mechanical Division 1 RaceTo-X competition, with five teams recorded as registered and paid.[13]
At the August tournament, ADHD finished first in Pro X-Ball, ahead of Trauma and The Wild Bunch.[14]
The October International Pacific Championship included teams from New Zealand, Australia and French Polynesia.
Trauma won Division 1 X-Ball, followed by Legacy NZ and Kamikaze Knights. Phoenix Tahiti finished fourth and South East Cartel fifth.[14]
Organisation
The NZPPL maintained its official website at nzppl.com.
An archived contact page from 2013 identified Jason Newport as a director and Ben Bahler as an administrator.[15]
The organisation published tournament announcements, entry information, competition rules and results.
The full management structure and final operating date have not been independently established.
Competition formats
The league operated several competitive paintball formats.
Super 5 Man
The Super 5 Man competitions used five-player teams and were the principal documented format during the 2011–2013 seasons.
Events included Cup and Plate classifications, with tournament placings contributing to series rankings.[2][11]
RaceTo and X-Ball
The league also organised RaceTo and X-Ball tournaments.
The 2013 Race 2 Open was held in Auckland, while the 2014 programme included Pro X-Ball and Division 1 X-Ball competitions.[11][14]
Mechanical paintball
The NZPPL's 2014 programme included a mechanical-marker division.
The April event was designated Mechanical Division 1 RaceTo-X in PBLeagues, with ten-minute games advertised.[13]
Relationship with other organisations
The NZPPL operated alongside the South Auckland Paintball Club (SAPC) and the New Zealand Paintball Players Association (NZPPA).
These were separate organisations, although some teams participated in tournaments organised by more than one body.
The NZPPL was also distinct from the original National Paintball League, which began competition in 1997.[16]
For the earlier organisation using the NZPPL abbreviation, see New Zealand Premier Paintball League.
Historical records
Surviving evidence of the league's activities includes official website archives from 2011–2013, contemporary newspaper coverage, tournament photographs, video recordings and the PBLeagues 2014 event database.
These sources document the league's tournament programme and several complete sets of results.
Its final operating date and the full results of its earlier seasons have not been established.
See also
- New Zealand Premier Paintball League
- 2012 NZPPL Super 5 Man Series
- 2013 NZPPL Super 5 Man Event 1
- 2013 NZPPL Super 5 Man Event 2
- 2013 NZPPL Race 2 Open Tournament
- 2013 NZPPL Super 5 Man Event 3
- NZPPL International Pacific Championship
- New Zealand Paintball Players Association
- South Auckland Paintball Club
- Paintball tournaments in New Zealand
References
- Jason Newport – Professional Profile. Reproduces Newport's statement identifying 2010 as the year he established the New Zealand Paintball Players League.
- NZPPL – Super 5 Man Tatum Park Event 1, 2011. Official Easter tournament announcement.
- Paintball Players League: Best Way Is Shoot 'Em Up. Rotorua Daily Post, 3 June 2011. Contemporary report on the Rotorua NZPPL round and three-event 2011 programme.
- New Zealand Premier Paintball League – Official Website. Archived 20 August 2006. Documents earlier use of the NZPPL name and domain.
- NZPPL – Events Gallery. Archived official media gallery linking to footage of the 2011 Nationals and other tournaments.
- NZPPL – Official Website, August 2012. Archived season homepage linking to four event pages and the rankings section.
- Wellington Phoenix – Historical Photograph Archive. WikiPaintball article identifying the team's 2012 NZPPL Event 1 and Event 2 photograph albums.
- Phoenix Tahiti – NZPPL Event 2, Hāwera 2012. WikiPaintball article documenting the original tournament scoreboard and contemporary Tahitian Legion photographs.
- Asylum Paintball – Sponsored Team ADHD Wins NZPPL Event 1. Retrospective report documenting ADHD's 2012 results.
- NZPPL – Event 3 Registration, 2012. Official registration page identifying the proposed dates and 24 registered teams.
- NZPPL – 2013 Series Rankings. Official Cup, Plate and Race 2 tournament results.
- Blacksheep Communications – Blacksheep Media Release 2013 NZPPL Video. Scoop Independent News, 16 March 2014. Confirms the 2013 Nationals podium and overall series winner.
- NZPPL Race 2 Event 1. PBLeagues, 12–13 April 2014. Competition registration and format.
- NZPPL – 2014 Season Rankings. PBLeagues. Recorded competition placings.
- NZPPL – Contact Us. Archived 28 October 2013. Identifies Jason Newport and Ben Bahler.
- The Rise and Fall of the New Zealand National Paintball League. Mercenaries Star. History of the original 1997 National Paintball League.