South Auckland Paintball Club
South Auckland Paintball Club Incorporated (SAPC) was a paintball club and tournament organiser based in Auckland, New Zealand. Founded by Michael Earley, the club was formally incorporated on 10 September 2013 and organised competitive five-player paintball events, including the South Auckland Paintball Club Race Series.
The club's competition activities originated at Lock N Load Paintball in Auckland before becoming associated with Asylum Paintball at the former Kingseat Hospital in Karaka.
SAPC operated independently of the New Zealand Paintball Players League (NZPPL) and organised separate seasonal competitions for tournament teams. Its surviving PBLeagues records document eight events across 2014 and 2015, including Open X-Ball and mechanical-pump divisions.
History
Establishment
South Auckland Paintball Club was founded by New Zealand paintball player and organiser Michael Earley to support organised competitive paintball in the Auckland region.
The club developed from five-player tournament activities initially organised at Lock N Load Paintball, a commercial paintball venue near Auckland Airport.
These events provided opportunities for local teams to compete regularly in a structured tournament format.
The independent competition programme subsequently developed into the South Auckland Paintball Club Race Series.
South Auckland Paintball Club Incorporated was registered as a New Zealand incorporated society on 10 September 2013, under registration number 2587862. Its registered address was 19 Harper Street, Papakura, Auckland. [1]
The incorporated club operated separately from the commercial paintball facilities that hosted its events.
Lock N Load Paintball
The club's early competition programme was associated with Lock N Load Paintball, a venue established near Auckland Airport.
The venue was developed on airport land at Nixon Road and included facilities for recreational paintball and competitive speedball. [2]
Michael Earley, who was involved in the operation of Lock N Load, established an independent five-player tournament programme at the venue.
The early events preceded the club's later documented seasons at Asylum Paintball.
Lock N Load was a commercial playing facility rather than the legal entity responsible for the subsequently incorporated South Auckland Paintball Club.
Asylum Paintball
South Auckland Paintball Club subsequently became associated with Asylum Paintball, a paintball venue established at the former Kingseat Hospital in Karaka, South Auckland.
Asylum Paintball began developing its facilities at Kingseat in 2012 and opened for tournament paintball activities in 2013. [3]
The venue included an outdoor inflatable-bunker tournament field, alongside recreational and indoor playing areas.
South Auckland Paintball Club used Asylum Paintball to host its Race Series.
A March 2014 press release issued by Blacksheep Communications independently identified Asylum Paintball as hosting the South Auckland Paintball Club Race Series. [4]
The same release described Asylum as a venue for the New Zealand Paintball Players League, demonstrating that SAPC and the NZPPL operated separate tournament programmes at the facility.
South Auckland Paintball Club Race Series
The South Auckland Paintball Club Race Series was a competitive paintball tournament programme organised by the club.
The series used five-player tournament formats and was open to established and developing teams.
Surviving records maintained by PBLeagues document eight events during the 2014 and 2015 seasons.
The competition included Open X-Ball and mechanical-pump divisions, with season rankings determined from individual event results. [5]
2014 season
The 2014 SAPC Race Series consisted of four events:
| Round | Event | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SAPC February Race | 8–9 February 2014 |
| 2 | SAPC May Race | 3–4 May 2014 |
| 3 | SAPC July Race | 12–13 July 2014 |
| 4 | SAPC September Race | 27–28 September 2014 |
The series was contested by teams from the Auckland tournament paintball community and other parts of New Zealand.
Open X-Ball
ADHD dominated the 2014 Open X-Ball division, winning all four events.
The team's results produced a maximum season total of 400 ranking points.
Disposal Unit finished second overall, followed by Tempest.
The final Open X-Ball standings were:
| Position | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ADHD | 400 |
| 2 | Disposal Unit | 314.5 |
| 3 | Tempest | 229 |
| 4 | CamoMeat | 178 |
| 5 | Shattered | 173.5 |
| 6 | Mischief Militia | 30 |
| 7 | Low Gear | 25 |
| 8 | ADHD Black | 25 |
ADHD's four consecutive victories established the team as the inaugural documented Open X-Ball season champion in the surviving PBLeagues records. [6]
Mechanical Pump Division 4
The 2014 series also included a Mechanical Pump Division 4 competition.
Three rounds contributed to the season standings, beginning with the May event.
ADHD Red won the first two rounds, while OFF won the September event.
The final standings were:
| Position | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ADHD Red | 270 |
| 2 | OFF | 177.5 |
| 3 | One Shot Bro | 135 |
| 4 | Detachment | 50 |
| 5 | ADHD White | 40 |
| 6 | Flashback | 32.5 |
| 7 | Mixed Madness | 10 |
ADHD Red won the division after finishing first in May and July and second in September. [6]
The February event separately included a Mechanical Pump Beginner division.
2015 season
South Auckland Paintball Club continued the Race Series in 2015, with four events registered through PBLeagues.
The competition calendar was:
| Round | Event | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SAPC Division 4 and Open Event 1 | 31 January–1 February 2015 |
| 2 | SAPC Division 4 and Open Event 2 | 11–12 April 2015 |
| 3 | SAPC Division 4 and Open Event 3 | 13–14 June 2015 |
| 4 | SAPC Division 4 and Open Event 4 | 1–2 August 2015 |
The series retained separate Open X-Ball and Mechanical Pump Division 4 rankings. [5]
Open X-Ball
Auckland Faction won the 2015 SAPC Open X-Ball season championship.
ADHD won the opening round, but Auckland Faction won each of the remaining three events.
The final standings were:
| Position | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Auckland Faction | 387.14 |
| 2 | Addicted | 293.93 |
| 3 | ADHD | 242.5 |
| 4 | CamoMeat | 155.71 |
| 5 | Wolves | 84.29 |
| 6 | Shattered | 83.57 |
| 7 | BOP Blast | 62.86 |
| 8 | Mischief Militia | 10 |
Auckland Faction's championship interrupted ADHD's winning run from the previous season. [7]
Mechanical Pump Division 4
The 2015 Mechanical Pump Division 4 championship was contested across all four rounds.
Detachment won the overall title with 317.5 ranking points.
Kaos Theory finished second with 310 points, followed by Mind Mechanics.
The final standings were:
| Position | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Detachment | 317.5 |
| 2 | Kaos Theory | 310 |
| 3 | Mind Mechanics | 212.5 |
| 4 | OFF | 65 |
| 5 | Check Mate | 20 |
| 6 | ADHD Red | 10 |
The championship was decided by a narrow margin of 7.5 points between Detachment and Kaos Theory. [7]
Competition formats
Open X-Ball
The SAPC Open division used an X-Ball-style competitive format involving five-player teams.
Teams competed for individual tournament placings and accumulated ranking points across the season.
The division attracted established teams including ADHD, Disposal Unit, Tempest, Auckland Faction, Addicted and CamoMeat.
Mechanical Pump
South Auckland Paintball Club also organised competitions for players using mechanically operated pump-action paintball markers.
The inclusion of a Mechanical Pump Division 4 provided a distinct competition category alongside the Open X-Ball series.
The surviving records document separate pump standings in both 2014 and 2015.
The 2014 opening round also featured a Mechanical Pump Beginner category.
Relationship with other competitions
South Auckland Paintball Club operated a tournament programme distinct from the New Zealand Paintball Players League.
Both organisations held events at Asylum Paintball during 2014, but maintained separate competition calendars and rankings.
Blacksheep Communications' March 2014 press release identified the SAPC Race Series and the NZPPL as separate programmes hosted at Asylum. [4]
The club's historical PBLeagues registration also maintains its own league records, separate from the NZPPL and subsequent New Zealand tournament series.
The available documentation does not establish that South Auckland Paintball Club was a division or successor of the NZPPL.
Online presence
During its active tournament period, South Auckland Paintball Club maintained its own website at southaucklandpaintballclub.com.
The domain is identified in the historical PBLeagues league registration. [5]
The club also maintained a Facebook page under the name SAPCInc and a Facebook discussion group.
These resources were publicly identified in a June 2014 discussion of New Zealand paintball clubs on the Geekzone forum. [8]
The club's official website is no longer available as an active site, although historical references and archived material remain useful for documenting its activities.
Later history
The final events listed in South Auckland Paintball Club's historical PBLeagues competition records were held in August 2015.
The incorporated society was subsequently dissolved in 2019.
The surviving tournament records do not establish any later SAPC Race Series seasons.
The end of the incorporated society should be distinguished from the continued operation of Asylum Paintball, which was a separate commercial venue.
See also
- Lock N Load Paintball
- Asylum Paintball
- Michael Earley
- New Zealand Paintball Players League
- Paintball in New Zealand
References
- InfoProff. "New Zealand organisations registered on 10 September 2013." Historical registration listing for South Auckland Paintball Club Incorporated, registration number 2587862, with its Papakura registered address.
- Auckland Airport. "Paintball is coming to the airport!" 28 April 2011. Contemporary announcement describing the Lock N Load paintball facility near Auckland Airport, including its speedball facilities.
- GrabOne. "Asylum Paintball." Historical commercial listing describing the establishment and tournament facilities at the former Kingseat Hospital.
- Blacksheep Communications. "Blacksheep Media Release 2013 NZPPL Video." Scoop, 16 March 2014. Contemporary press release explicitly identifying the South Auckland Paintball Club Race Series and New Zealand Paintball Players League as separate competitions hosted at Asylum Paintball.
- PBLeagues. "South Auckland Paintball Club." Historical league registration and event calendar documenting eight events across the 2014 and 2015 seasons.
- PBLeagues. "2014 Season Rankings: South Auckland Paintball Club." Official Open X-Ball and Mechanical Pump division standings.
- PBLeagues. "2015 Season Rankings: South Auckland Paintball Club." Official Open X-Ball and Mechanical Pump Division 4 standings.
- Geekzone. "Paintball club in Wellington?" 2 June 2014. Contemporary discussion identifying South Auckland Paintball Club's website, Facebook page and discussion group.