East Coast Paintball League
East Coast Paintball League (ECPL) is a New Zealand tournament paintball competition established in 2020 to develop regional participation in the upper North Island. Its documented programme includes tournaments at the Bay of Plenty Paintball Club field at TECT All Terrain Park.[1][2]
History
Establishment
On 8 February 2020, ECPL announced plans to establish a regional competition following the cessation of the New Zealand Local Series (NZLS).
The organisers intended to encourage participation by newer players, including through the involvement of experienced competitors. The announcement also identified X-Ball as the intended competition format, following the example of the New Zealand Race Series.[1]
2020 season
The inaugural tournament, 2020 ECPL Round 1, took place on 23 February 2020.
Surge won the opening round, earning 100 championship points. The league published standings for six entries in its Champions Division.[2]
| Team | Points after Round 1 |
|---|---|
| Surge | 100 |
| The Ponies | 94 |
| Ballistics Unit 1 | 88 |
| Ballistics Unit 2 | 84 |
| BOP Black | 80 |
| IDK | 76 |
A third round was held at TECT Park on 26 July 2020. Bay of Plenty Paintball Club reported that two of its entries finished first and fourth. The club described the competition as the first tournament since the COVID-19 lockdown for many participants.[3]
Another tournament was advertised for 22 November 2020.[3]
Season championship trophy
A trophy from the historical collection photographed by Vince Knipmeijer in 2026 bears the ECPL logo and an engraved plaque reading "Season Champions 2020".[7]
Knipmeijer described the collection as consisting mainly of trophies and medals associated with BOP Blast and its predecessor TPC Blast.[7]
The trophy documents a championship award for the 2020 season. However, the inscription does not identify the winning team, and an official final championship standings table has not been recovered.
The relationship between the BOP Black entry recorded in the opening round and the BOP Blast team has also not been independently established.
2021 season
The published 2021 calendar advertised three rounds at TECT Park:[4]
- Round 1: 2 May 2021
- Round 2: 5 September 2021
- Round 3: 28 November 2021
At 2021 ECPL Round 1, Expendables finished first and Surge second. The league also acknowledged the participation of Crisis Paintball Northland and Kaos Theory.[5]
The September and November dates were advertised in advance. Their publication does not independently establish that both events took place.
2022 programme
The league announced four tournaments for the 2022 season, scheduled for 20 February, 1 May, 18 September and 27 November at Bay of Plenty Paintball Club.[6]
Further information is covered in 2022 East Coast Paintball League.
Competition format
2021
The 2021 competition was advertised as three-player X-Ball with a 10.5 balls-per-second firing-rate limit and a two-point mercy rule.[4]
Entries were limited to twelve teams. Each team was guaranteed at least five matches before the knockout stages.
The entry fee was NZ$140 per team.[4]
2022
The 2022 format continued using three-player X-Ball, with seven-minute matches and a two-point mercy rule.[6]
The advertised rules included:
- Maximum firing rate of 10.5 balls per second.
- Paint allowance designated M500, comprising one hopper and two pods per player.
- Ten-team entry limit.
- Group matches followed by knockout finals involving the top four teams.
- NZ$150 team entry fee.
These details describe the advertised 2022 rules and should not be assumed to apply to every previous ECPL season.
Documented results
| Year | Competition | Result | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 2020 ECPL Round 1 | Surge, 1st | [2] |
| 2020 | ECPL Round 3 | Bay of Plenty Paintball Club entries, 1st and 4th | [3] |
| 2020 | ECPL season championship | Championship trophy documented; winning team not independently confirmed | [7] |
| 2021 | 2021 ECPL Round 1 | Expendables, 1st; Surge, 2nd | [5] |
The table contains documented partial results rather than complete league standings.
See also
- Bay of Plenty Paintball Club
- TECT All Terrain Park
- New Zealand Local Series
- New Zealand Race Series
- History of paintball in New Zealand
References
- East Coast Paintball League – Establishment announcement, Facebook, 8 February 2020.
- East Coast Paintball League – Opening-round results and Champions Division standings, Facebook, 24 February 2020.
- Bay of Plenty Paintball Club – ECPL Series: BOP teams hold their own, 20 September 2020.
- East Coast Paintball League – 2021 season dates and competition format, Facebook, 13 January 2021.
- East Coast Paintball League – 2021 opening-round results, Facebook, 3 May 2021.
- East Coast Paintball League – 2022 calendar and competition format, Facebook, 18 January 2022.
- Vince Knipmeijer – Photographic collection of historical paintball medals and trophies, including ECPL Season Champions 2020 trophy, Facebook, 2026.