Australasian Paintball Players League

The Australasian Paintball Players League (APPL) was an Australian tournament paintball organisation established in 1996 to coordinate competitions, maintain team rankings and give players a role in the administration of the sport.[1]

The league initially sanctioned five-player and ten-player tournaments in New South Wales and South Australia. Its competition rules were subsequently used or adapted by tournament organisers in both Australia and New Zealand.[2][3]

The incorporation of Australasian Paintball Players League Incorporated was cancelled in New South Wales on 29 October 2010.[5] The surviving records do not establish that the league continued organising competitions until that date.

History

Establishment

The APPL was established during a period of increasing tournament activity in Australia.

On 17 February 1996, team captains met at Rydges Hotel in Parramatta, New South Wales, to consider tournament proposals submitted by field operators and confirm the league's administration for the 1996 season.[1]

The meeting unanimously retained the existing caretaker committee, with Shane Proctor joining after Jeff Devjak withdrew because of work commitments.[1]

The documented 1996 APPL committee was:

Position	Name	Affiliation
President	Vince Scuderi	Magnum
Vice-president	John Arronis	Tomcats
Scorer	Paul Jurdeczka	HEAT
Secretary	Roger Wood	Shockwave
Committee member	Rod Lewis	SWAT
Committee member	Darren Lane	The Delegates
Committee member	Shane Proctor	Top Hat Jokers
Australian field operators' representative	Michael Whybrew	Skirmish Adventures
South Australian representative	Nigel Abbott	Hardline
South Australian representative	Daniel Lacey	Extremists
Queensland representative	Gavin Costello	Black Reign
Queensland representative	Neil Martin	Not stated

The magazine report credited Vince Scuderi as a principal driving force behind the league. It also identified Steve Ballas of Ultimate Skirmish and Australian Paintball Game Supplies as the first field operator to join.[1]

Organisation and membership

The APPL was intended to coordinate tournament scheduling and establish a season-long ranking system for participating teams.

The league planned to award ranking points only to registered teams whose membership fees had been paid. Members were described as shareholders in the registered organisation, giving participating players a formal role in decisions concerning tournament paintball.[1]

The league also proposed an end-of-season presentation event funded through team and field fees, raffles and other league income.[1]

The available records document the intended structure at the beginning of the 1996 season. They do not establish how many players or teams ultimately became members.

1996 tournament calendar

For its first season, the APPL selected three ten-player tournaments and four five-player tournaments from proposals submitted by field operators.[1]

Date	Format	Venue or organiser	Location
7 April 1996	Five-player	Fireball Paintball	Lithgow, New South Wales
5 May 1996	Five-player	Heartbreak Ridge	Marsden Park, New South Wales
8–9 June 1996	Ten-player	Skirmish Adventures	Helensburgh, New South Wales
27–28 July 1996	Ten-player	Ultimate Skirmish Game	Yarramundi, New South Wales
1 September 1996	Five-player	Western Paintball	Dubbo, New South Wales
5–6 October 1996	Five-player	Not stated	Mount Gambier, South Australia
7–8 December 1996	Ten-player	Heartbreak Ridge	Marsden Park, New South Wales

These dates represent the calendar announced in April 1996. The source does not provide complete results or confirm that every scheduled tournament was held.[1]

Competition rules

A historical copy of the APPL tournament rules was preserved by the New Zealand paintball website Mercenaries Star.[2]

The rules stated that they were based on the International Paintball Players Association's capture-the-flag rules and parts of the National Professional Paintball League tournament guidelines, modified for Australian tournament conditions.[2]

The preserved regulations addressed:

Player and team eligibility
Paintball markers and propellant systems
Protective equipment
Paintballs and prohibited alterations
Pre-game and post-game chronograph testing
Player eliminations
Refereeing
Penalties and team disqualification
Flag procedures and scoring

The rules prohibited altered paintballs and allowed officials to inspect players and equipment within tournament staging and playing areas.[2]

Use in New Zealand

APPL rules also influenced tournament administration in New Zealand.

Mercenaries Star described the APPL regulations as the rules most frequently cited for New Zealand competition and preserved both the Australian rules and a New Zealand variation.[3]

The New Zealand National Paintball League, established in 1997, used rules derived from the APPL framework. Later events including the Northland Open also advertised the use of APPL rules.

This use of the rulebook does not establish that New Zealand teams or organisations were members of the Australian league.

Later use of APPL rules

APPL rules continued to be referenced after the league's inaugural season.

The 1998 Victorian Masters five-player tournament used APPL rules described as similar to the NPPL framework. The event included professional and amateur divisions and teams from Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia.[4]

The continued use of APPL regulations demonstrates the rulebook's influence on Australian competition, but does not by itself establish the APPL's organisational activity during every subsequent season.

Relationship with the Super Sevens

The APPL developed at the same time as competing proposals for the future organisation of Australian tournament paintball.

In the April–June 1996 issue of Australian Paintballer, Tim McCarthy of Paintball Australia outlined a proposed seven-player tournament series. McCarthy expressed concern that the APPL structure could primarily benefit established teams and proposed a lower-cost, bring-your-own-paint series intended to encourage interstate participation.[1]

This proposal developed into the Australian Super 7s. The contemporary report presents the Super Sevens as a separate tournament concept rather than an APPL competition.

Cancellation of incorporation

The New South Wales Government Gazette of 29 October 2010 listed Australasian Paintball Players League Incorporated, registration number Inc9874486, among associations whose incorporation was cancelled under section 76 of the Associations Incorporation Act 2009.[5]

The cancellation took effect on the date of gazettal.

This legal record confirms the cancellation of the incorporated association but does not establish when the league last organised a tournament or maintained rankings.

References

Australian Paintballer, April–June 1996, “The Australasian Paintball Players League: A Bright New Era for Paintball”, pp. 46–47.
Mercenaries Star, “Australasian Paintball Players League Rules”, historical copy of the APPL tournament regulations.
Mercenaries Star, “Rules Library”, historical index describing the use of APPL regulations in New Zealand.
Paint Magazine, “1998 Victorian Masters 5 Man”, contemporary tournament report recording the use of APPL rules.
New South Wales Government Gazette No. 123, 29 October 2010, pp. 5355–5356, cancellation of Australasian Paintball Players League Incorporated.

External links

Preserved APPL tournament rules