South Auckland Paintball Club
South Auckland Paintball Club (SAPC) is a New Zealand competitive paintball club based in South Auckland. Established in 2013 and associated with Asylum Paintball in Kingseat, the club organised regular tournament paintball competitions, including the South Auckland Paintball Club Race Series.
SAPC's competitions included Open X-Ball, divisional paintball and mechanical pump events. The club was active in the Auckland tournament paintball community during the 2010s, with tournament schedules and results from 2014 and 2015 preserved in the PBLeagues competition database.[1]
History
Establishment
South Auckland Paintball Club was established as an organisation for competitive paintball players in Auckland.
A historical New Zealand business registration index records South Auckland Paintball Club Incorporated under registration number 2587862, with a registration date of 10 September 2013.[2]
The club was associated with Asylum Paintball, a commercial recreational and tournament paintball facility located at 833 Kingseat Road, Kingseat, Karaka, on the former Kingseat Hospital grounds.
Asylum began developing paintball facilities at Kingseat in the early 2010s, including an outdoor tournament field on a former sports pitch and indoor playing areas within former hospital buildings.[3]
The facilities provided a home for local tournament teams and the development of organised competitions.
SAPC was separate from the commercial Asylum Paintball business, although the two shared facilities and participants within the Auckland tournament community.
Development of the Race Series
The South Auckland Paintball Club Race Series provided regular tournament competition in the Auckland region.
The series used race-style competitive paintball, in which teams competed in timed matches to accumulate points. It also included separate divisions for mechanical pump-action equipment.
In March 2014, a press release from Blacksheep Communications identified Asylum Paintball as the host of the SAPC Race Series, alongside competitions organised by the separate New Zealand Paintball Players League (NZPPL).[4]
By June 2014, the club maintained its own website at southaucklandpaintballclub.com and an online community through its Facebook page and group.[5]
Tournament competitions
SAPC organised competitive paintball events at Asylum Paintball during 2014 and 2015.
The surviving competition records identify Open X-Ball and Mechanical Pump Division 4 as principal divisions. Events were recorded on PBLeagues, which provided registration, event results and season rankings.
The Race Series attracted Auckland tournament teams competing both locally and in other New Zealand paintball competitions.
2014 SAPC Race Series
Four SAPC Race Series events are recorded for 2014.
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| SAPC February Race #1 | 8–9 February 2014 |
| SAPC May Race #2 | 3–4 May 2014 |
| SAPC July Race #3 | 12–13 July 2014 |
| SAPC September Race #4 | 27–28 September 2014 |
The competition included an Open X-Ball division and Mechanical Pump Division 4, with separate event standings and overall season rankings.[6]
Open X-Ball
ADHD won the 2014 Open X-Ball championship, finishing first at all four recorded events and accumulating 400 ranking points.[6]
Disposal Unit finished second in the overall standings with 314.5 points, followed by Tempest with 229 points.
Other teams appearing in the season standings included CamoMeat, Shattered, Mischief Militia and Low Gear.
| Position | Team | Ranking points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ADHD | 400 |
| 2 | Disposal Unit | 314.5 |
| 3 | Tempest | 229 |
| 4 | CamoMeat | 178 |
| 5 | Shattered | 173.5 |
The standings reflect points awarded across the season, rather than the number of individual game points scored by each team.
Mechanical Pump Division 4
The Mechanical Pump Division 4 championship was won by ADHD RED, which accumulated 270 ranking points during the 2014 season.[6]
OFF finished second with 177.5 points, followed by One Shot Bro with 135 points.
| Position | Team | Ranking points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ADHD RED | 270 |
| 2 | OFF | 177.5 |
| 3 | One Shot Bro | 135 |
The pump division provided a separate competitive format for teams using pump-action markers.
2015 SAPC Race Series
The SAPC Race Series continued in 2015 with four recorded events, held between January and August.
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| SAPC D4 & Open Event #1 | 31 January – 1 February 2015 |
| SAPC D4 & Open Event #2 | 11–12 April 2015 |
| SAPC D4 & Open Event #3 | 13–14 June 2015 |
| SAPC D4 & Open Event #4 | 1–2 August 2015 |
The club continued to run Open X-Ball and Mechanical Pump Division 4 competitions, with season standings published through PBLeagues.[7]
Open X-Ball
Auckland Faction won the 2015 Open X-Ball season championship.
Addicted finished second, followed by ADHD in third place.[7]
The results marked a change from 2014, when ADHD had won all four events in the Open X-Ball series.
The participation of established and newer tournament teams helped maintain a regular domestic competitive schedule in Auckland.
Mechanical Pump Division 4
Detachment won the 2015 Mechanical Pump Division 4 season championship.
Kaos Theory finished second, followed by Mind Mechanics in third place.[7]
Mechanical pump competition remained a distinct division alongside Open X-Ball throughout the recorded 2015 series.
Competition format
SAPC organised competitions using several paintball formats.
Open X-Ball
Open X-Ball was a race-style competition featuring teams using tournament paintball equipment, including electronic markers.
Teams competed in timed matches with multiple points possible during a match, in contrast to traditional elimination formats where each game was treated as a separate contest.
The number of points required to win, match duration and other competition rules depended on the event regulations.
The Open division attracted established Auckland tournament teams, including ADHD, Disposal Unit, Tempest, CamoMeat and Auckland Faction.
Mechanical Pump Division 4
Mechanical Pump Division 4 used manually operated pump-action paintball markers.
The format created a separate competitive category in which players competed with different equipment requirements from the Open X-Ball division.
Teams competing in the division included ADHD RED, OFF, One Shot Bro, Detachment, Kaos Theory and Mind Mechanics.
Venue
South Auckland Paintball Club was based at Asylum Paintball in Kingseat, Karaka, south of Auckland.
Asylum occupied part of the former Kingseat Hospital complex and provided outdoor tournament fields using inflatable bunkers, as well as indoor and outdoor recreational playing areas.
The venue hosted SAPC events alongside tournaments organised by other bodies, including the New Zealand Paintball Players League.
The Citizens Advice Bureau community directory identifies Asylum Paintball as the home venue of the South Auckland Paintball Club.[8]
The club's tournament activities and the recreational paintball business were closely associated through their shared location, but the organisations were distinct.
Relationship with other paintball competitions
SAPC operated alongside the New Zealand Paintball Players League, which organised a separate series of domestic competitions.
Although the organisations had different tournament schedules, both drew competitors from Auckland and other parts of New Zealand.
Teams participating in SAPC events also competed in NZPPL tournaments, independent Auckland competitions and international paintball events.
For example, ADHD competed in SAPC events, NZPPL competitions and the Auckland Paintball Cup, while CamoMeat also participated in multiple domestic competitions.[9][10]
Asylum Paintball additionally hosted the NZPPL International Pacific Championship in October 2014, bringing together teams from New Zealand and overseas.
The presence of multiple event organisers and tournament formats contributed to a varied competitive calendar in the Auckland region.
Online presence
South Auckland Paintball Club maintained a website and Facebook presence during its early years.
The club's original website used the domain southaucklandpaintballclub.com. The address appeared in a June 2014 discussion on the New Zealand technology forum Geekzone, alongside links to the club's Facebook page and community group.[5]
Its tournament entries, event schedules and season results were also recorded on PBLeagues.
These online records preserve information about the club's activities during the 2014 and 2015 seasons.
See also
- Asylum Paintball
- New Zealand Paintball Players League
- ADHD (paintball team)
- CamoMeat
- Auckland Faction
- History of paintball in New Zealand
- Paintball in New Zealand
References
- South Auckland Paintball Club – Event Archive. PBLeagues.
- New Zealand Registered Organisations – 10 September 2013. InfoProff. Historical registration listing for South Auckland Paintball Club Incorporated.
- Asylum Paintball. GrabOne New Zealand. Historical description of the Kingseat facility.
- Blacksheep Media Release 2013 NZPPL Video. Scoop Independent News, 16 March 2014.
- Paintball Club in Wellington?. Geekzone, discussion dated 2 June 2014, including South Auckland Paintball Club website and social media references.
- South Auckland Paintball Club – 2014 Season Rankings. PBLeagues.
- South Auckland Paintball Club – 2015 Season Rankings. PBLeagues.
- Asylum Paintball – Kingseat. Citizens Advice Bureau.
- ADHD – Team Event History. PBLeagues.
- CamoMeat – Team Event History. PBLeagues.