Michael Earley

Michael James Earley (born 1984), commonly known in paintball as MikeE, is a New Zealand paintball player, tournament organiser, referee and former paintball industry professional. Active in the sport since the late 1990s, he has been involved in recreational and competitive paintball in New Zealand, Asia, Europe and the United States.

Earley has worked with commercial paintball facilities including Commando One Paintball, Lock N Load Paintball, Asylum Paintball, SC Village and Hollywood Sports Park. His activities have included tournament organisation, coaching programmes, refereeing, player development, field operations and paintball marketing.

In New Zealand, Earley played for Team Insane during the early 2000s, competed internationally with New Zealand teams and later became involved in the establishment of the South Auckland Paintball Club (SAPC). He was marketing director and spokesperson for Asylum Paintball during the early 2010s.

After moving to Malta in 2024, Earley became involved in the development of Malta Paintball, serving as a strategic advisor to the organisation and supporting its international tournament activities.

Early involvement in paintball

Introduction to the sport

Earley began playing paintball in New Zealand during the late 1990s, when he was approximately 13 or 14 years old.

His earliest experiences were at Commando One Paintball, an Auckland paintball operation associated with Rob Tapper.

Commando One had previously operated in Penrose before establishing a rural facility at Whangārata, near Tuakau.

Earley subsequently worked at Commando One as a teenager, initially in recreational field operations and refereeing. He also became involved in maintaining and developing the business's website.[1]

The venue introduced him to both recreational paintball and the operation of commercial paintball facilities.

During this period, Earley encountered early paintball equipment associated with New Zealand manufacturer Paintball Sports International (PSI), including equipment developed by Steve Constable.

Entry into tournament paintball

Earley began competing in organised paintball tournaments around 2000.

His early tournament experience developed through Auckland's recreational clubs and a group of young players associated with the South Auckland Miniature Wargames Club.

He subsequently joined Team Insane, an Auckland tournament team whose members were connected with Red Alert Paintball Club.

The team competed in seven-player and three-player tournaments during the early 2000s.

Team Insane

Formation and membership

Team Insane was formed around 2000, bringing together younger Auckland players and members of the Red Alert paintball community.

Kevin Lunt was the team's captain.

Other members included:

Andy Lunt
Neil Morris
Vitaly Miheev
Francis Hambrook
Adam Hambrook
Michael Earley

The team's membership is documented through participant recollections, while its tournament activity appears in the Valhalla national ranking database maintained by Mercenaries Star.[1][2]

2001 tournament season

Earley participated in the 2001 Northland Open and RotoVegas tournament in Rotorua, competing in the seven-man format.

He recalls using a Spyder paintball marker and second-hand JT Proflex goggles during his early tournaments.[1]

The Valhalla national rankings list Insane in three seven-man competitions during 2001:

Tournament	Team ranking points
Northland Open	6.7
RotoVegas, Rotorua	5.6
New Zealand Nationals	15.9

Insane finished 21st in the published national seven-man rankings with 28.2 points.[2]

The team performed more successfully in three-man competition, finishing second in the 2001 national season standings with 181.7 ranking points, behind DamNatives Red.

These were team results. The surviving ranking tables do not identify the individual player lineup for every three-man competition.

Later tournament participation

Earley continued participating in New Zealand tournaments during 2002, including events associated with the Volcanic Rotorua series.

He subsequently became involved in tournament refereeing, including Rotorua competitions during 2002 and 2003.

His early experience included both recreational field refereeing and tournament officiating, which later became part of his work in New Zealand and overseas.

International tournament paintball

Malaysia

Earley's first international paintball tournament was in Malaysia in 2004.[1]

He subsequently became involved in organising New Zealand participation at international tournaments in Asia.

His activities included coordinating players and teams attending events connected with the Paintball Asia League Series (PALS) and other regional competitions.

In 2005, Earley helped organise New Zealand participation at the Asia Pacific Paintball Championship in Malaysia.

The New Zealand contingent included players such as Peter Mumby and Gavin Mumby, alongside other participants from the domestic tournament community.

New Zealand participation at the event was documented in the June 2005 issue of Action Pursuit Games magazine, which included coverage of the Malaysian Nations Cup and a photograph of Team Kiwi.[1]

Earley also appeared in the magazine's coverage of the Malaysian Paintball Association.[1]

Paintball Asia League Series

Earley continued competing at and attending events associated with the Paintball Asia League Series during subsequent years.

His involvement included tournaments in Malaysia and Thailand, as well as participation with teams assembled from players from different countries.

In 2008, he was involved in organising New Zealand participation in the Malaysian Nations Cup.[1]

Earley's experiences in Asia contributed to his involvement with international tournament administration, team logistics and event organisation.

Phoenix Tahiti

Earley has also played with Phoenix Tahiti, a paintball team from French Polynesia that participated in international competitions in the Asia-Pacific region.

Phoenix Tahiti appeared in New Zealand and overseas events, including the 2014 NZPPL International Pacific Championship at Asylum Paintball.

Earley's participation with the team forms part of his wider international tournament history, although individual event rosters require separate documentation.

European competition

Earley participated in paintball activities in Europe during the 2010s, including events and training in Croatia and Germany in 2012.

He subsequently played in France and Italy, and became involved with the development of competitive paintball in Malta.

His participation across different countries included tournament events, mixed-nationality teams and recreational paintball activities.

Paintball industry career

Early New Zealand field operations

Earley's employment in paintball began as a teenager at Commando One in Auckland.

His early responsibilities included assisting with recreational games, refereeing players and supporting the operation of commercial paintball fields.

He later became involved in other New Zealand paintball operations, gaining experience in field administration, website development, marketing and tournament organisation.

Lock N Load Paintball

Earley was involved in the development of Lock N Load Paintball, an Auckland recreational and tournament paintball facility established in 2011 near Auckland Airport.

The venue opened at 46 Nixon Road in Māngere and incorporated themed recreational fields alongside facilities intended for competitive speedball.

Earley's involvement included work associated with the development and promotion of the facility, as well as activities involving Auckland's tournament paintball community.[1]

He also recalls organising a coaching clinic at Lock N Load with professional American player Ryan Greenspan of San Diego Dynasty.

The clinic formed part of his activities bringing international paintball players and coaching opportunities to New Zealand.

Asylum Paintball

Earley subsequently worked with Asylum Paintball, a recreational and tournament paintball facility developed at the former Kingseat Hospital complex in Kingseat, south of Auckland.

Asylum began development in 2012 and operated a combination of indoor recreational playing areas and outdoor tournament fields.

Earley worked in marketing and communications for the venue during the early 2010s.

A historical business directory identified Earley as a marketing contact for Asylum, alongside Vitaly Miheev in management.[3]

Earley was also identified as Asylum Paintball's spokesperson in a March 2014 press release concerning the New Zealand Paintball Players League (NZPPL).[4]

The release announced the publication of Blacksheep Media's video coverage of the 2013 NZPPL final, which had been held at Asylum Paintball.

Earley commented on the value of tournament media coverage for promoting paintball and increasing awareness of competitive paintball in New Zealand.

His work at Asylum included marketing, communications, tournament promotion and support for the venue's competitive paintball activities.

South Auckland Paintball Club

Earley was involved in founding and developing the South Auckland Paintball Club (SAPC), an incorporated competitive paintball organisation established in September 2013.[1]

The club was associated with both Lock N Load Paintball and Asylum Paintball.

SAPC organised tournament competition for Auckland players, including the South Auckland Paintball Club Race Series during 2014 and 2015.

The competitions included Open X-Ball and mechanical pump divisions, with event schedules and results recorded in the PBLeagues tournament database.[5][6]

SAPC provided regular competition opportunities for established teams and developing players.

Earley's involvement was part of his wider activities supporting organised tournament paintball in Auckland.

New Zealand paintball organisations

Earley was also involved in efforts to organise and formalise paintball through New Zealand national sporting and regulatory structures.

His activities included work associated with paintball organisations, industry regulation and the coordination of players and teams attending international competitions.[1]

These activities took place alongside his work at commercial paintball fields and as an organiser and referee.

United States

California paintball industry

Earley relocated to the United States during the 2010s and worked in the paintball industry in California.

His roles included marketing, design, event operations and tournament refereeing.

He worked with Giant Sportz, an operator associated with several major Southern California paintball facilities, including SC Village and Hollywood Sports Park.

SC Village, located in Corona, California, is a long-established recreational and competitive paintball venue.

Hollywood Sports Park, located in Bellflower, California, operates themed recreational paintball and other outdoor activities.

Earley's responsibilities included event promotion, marketing, design and operational support for paintball activities.

Scenario events

While working in California, Earley participated in the organisation and operation of large-scale scenario paintball events.

These included Decay of Nations, an annual scenario event associated with SC Village, and Operation Tet, a scenario paintball event.

His responsibilities included event operations, promotional activities and refereeing support.

The events involved large numbers of recreational players participating in organised scenario games across extensive playing areas.

Tournament refereeing

Earley also worked in tournament officiating and senior refereeing roles in Southern California.

His experience covered both recreational field supervision and organised tournament paintball.

The work included supporting competitive events, enforcing game rules and coordinating referees.

San Diego Crush

Earley played tournament paintball in Southern California, including participation with San Diego Crush in competitions associated with the Almost Famous Paintball League (AFPL).

The team formed part of his continued involvement as a player while working professionally in the paintball industry.

Malta Paintball

Relocation to Malta

Earley moved to Gozo, Malta, in 2024.

He subsequently became involved in the development of organised competitive paintball in Malta, supporting local players seeking opportunities to train and compete internationally.

His activities included tournament planning, player development, communications and organisational administration.

Malta Paintball organisation

Earley serves as a strategic advisor to Malta Paintball, a registered voluntary organisation established to develop organised paintball in Malta.

Malta Paintball is registered as voluntary organisation VO/2678 and is affiliated with the United Paintball Federation and European Paintball Federation.

Earley's role has included supporting the organisation's website and communications, liaison with international sporting organisations and administrative work connected with Malta's international competition activities.

The position is non-executive.

International competition

Malta Paintball began participating in international European competitions during the mid-2020s.

The organisation fielded teams in the United Kingdom's CPPS tournament series and participated in the UPBF Nations Cup at NXL Europe in Dreux, France.

Earley's work with the organisation has included support for international tournament entry, player communications and relationships with event organisers.

Field development

Earley has also been involved in efforts to establish permanent training facilities for competitive paintball in Malta.

During 2026, Malta Paintball secured an agreement for a training field at the Malta National Shooting Ranges complex in Ta' Kandja.

The project involved the development of a tournament-standard inflatable-bunker field, compressed-air infrastructure and facilities for regular player training.

Earley provided assistance with planning, fundraising, administration and communications connected with the project.

Later playing career

Earley has continued playing paintball alongside his work in field operations and sporting organisations.

Over his career, he has participated in paintball activities in New Zealand, Malaysia, Thailand, Croatia, France, the United States, Italy, Malta and other countries.

His playing experience has included local and national tournaments, international competitions, recreational scenario games and teams assembled for individual events.

The Leftovers

In 2026, Earley became involved with The Leftovers, a paintball organisation that assembles teams from available players for major tournament events.

He supported The Leftovers III at the September 2026 NXL European Championships in Dreux, France.

Earley was also scheduled to compete with The Leftovers in the over-40 Masters Open division at the NXL World Cup in Orlando, Florida, in November 2026.

He also planned to participate in a three-man competition alongside former New Zealand teammates, marking a return to the tournament format in which he had competed during the early 2000s.

Tournament participation

Selected events and competition activities associated with Earley include:

Period	Event or organisation	Location	Involvement
2000–2002	Team Insane	New Zealand	Tournament player
2001	Northland Open	Whangārei, New Zealand	Seven-man player
2001	RotoVegas	Rotorua, New Zealand	Seven-man player
2004	International paintball tournament	Malaysia	Player
2005	Asia Pacific Paintball Championship	Malaysia	New Zealand team coordination
2008	Malaysian Nations Cup	Malaysia	New Zealand team coordination
2012	European paintball events	Croatia and Germany	Player
2013–2015	Asylum Paintball	Auckland, New Zealand	Marketing and tournament promotion
2014–2015	South Auckland Paintball Club	Auckland, New Zealand	Organisation and competition support
2010s	San Diego Crush / AFPL	California, United States	Tournament player
2010s	SC Village and Hollywood Sports	California, United States	Industry and event operations
2024–2026	Malta Paintball	Malta	Strategic advisor
2026	The Leftovers	France and United States	Team support and scheduled tournament participation

The table summarises selected activities rather than a complete tournament record. Individual results are documented separately where contemporary competition records are available.

Role in paintball development

Earley's involvement in paintball has included several forms of participation beyond tournament playing.

His activities have included establishing clubs, organising tournament series, refereeing events, developing playing fields, promoting coaching programmes and supporting national sporting bodies.

In New Zealand, he was involved in the transition from locally organised tournament events toward structured club and league competition.

In the United States, his work included large-scale recreational and scenario event operations.

His later activities in Malta have focused on establishing facilities and supporting international participation in a country with a comparatively small competitive paintball community.

References

Michael Earley, personal recollections and oral-history interviews recorded for the New Zealand Paintball History project, October 2026. Accounts of early playing history, tournament participation, international travel, employment and sporting administration.
Valhalla National Team Rankings, 2001. Mercenaries Star. Records of Team Insane's seven-man and three-man competition results.
Asylum Paintball. Cylex New Zealand. Historical business directory identifying Michael Earley in marketing and Vitaly Miheev in management.
Blacksheep Media Release 2013 NZPPL Video. Scoop Independent News, 16 March 2014. Identifies Earley as spokesperson for Asylum Paintball.
South Auckland Paintball Club – Event Archive. PBLeagues.
South Auckland Paintball Club – 2014 Season Rankings. PBLeagues.
New Zealand Paintball Players League – Event Archive. PBLeagues.
Actions Paintball. Historical New Zealand paintball business and field information.
The Leftovers Paintball. Team organisation and tournament announcements.

External links