Chris Raehl

Chris Raehl is an American paintball tournament administrator and software developer best known for creating the American Paintball Players Association (APPA) registration system, which subsequently developed into PBLeagues International (PBLi). Introduced in 2003, the system provides player registration, classification, team management and tournament administration services.[1][2]

Raehl has also been associated with the National Collegiate Paintball Association (NCPA) and serves as IT director of Major League Paintball, which operates the National Xball League (NXL).[3][4]

Paintball career

American Paintball Players Association

Raehl developed the American Paintball Players Association registration system in 2003.

The system was designed to maintain individual player records and provide tournament organisers with a centralised method of managing registration, team rosters and player eligibility.

It was used at the 2003 PSP Chicago Open, where teams were required to register individual players and include their APPA identification numbers on tournament rosters.

Contemporary reporting by WARPIG identified Raehl as the founder of the APPA and documented the system's use in identifying players, tracking suspensions and managing divisional classifications.[1]

The introduction of the system helped tournament organisers maintain records of players competing across multiple events.

National Collegiate Paintball Association

Raehl was associated with the National Collegiate Paintball Association during the early 2000s.

A December 2003 NPPL announcement identified him as an NCPA representative involved in discussions concerning tournament rules and league administration.[3]

The NCPA subsequently used the APPA and PBLeagues systems for collegiate tournament registration and competition records.

PBLeagues International

The APPA registration system subsequently developed into PBLeagues International, also known as PBLi.

The platform expanded beyond player identification to include tournament schedules, team registration, results, rankings and historical records.

PBLeagues became an administrative system used by professional, amateur and regional paintball competitions.

The database also preserves historical tournament results and individual player participation records.[2][5]

Major League Paintball

Raehl became involved in the tournament administration operations of Major League Paintball.

The organisation identifies him as its IT director.

Major League Paintball uses PBLeagues for player registration, scheduling, rankings and tournament records.

In 2023, the organisation introduced a professional player statistics programme drawing upon historical data maintained through PBLeagues.[2][4]

Tournament analysis

Raehl has also participated in public discussions of tournament administration and competitive paintball.

In September 2025, he appeared on the In The Pits Paintball Podcast to discuss the NXL season standings and the PBLeagues platform.[6]

Contribution to tournament administration

Raehl's work is associated with the development of centralised digital records for tournament paintball.

The APPA and PBLeagues systems provide tournament organisers with tools for identifying players, maintaining rosters, administering eligibility rules and recording results.

The historical records maintained through the platform are also used for research into professional and amateur paintball competition.[2][5]

References

External links