Cherry Credits signs Red Sevens paintball team!

This is an historical milestone for Singapore paintball as Red Sevens paintball team becomes the first paintball team in Singapore to secure a corporate cash sponsorship from a top leading Asia micropayment company, Cherry Credits for the year 2012. We jumped on the opportunity to interview Ben Seow who is a founding member of the Red Sevens to find out more about this sponsorship and how this initiative can change paintball sports in Singapore.

1) Ok... go straight to the point, what's the deal with Cherry Credits?

A: Cherry Credits is a leading company in Asia which manages global micropayment solutions on online platform. As a top industry organization, Cherry Credits wanted to initiate its Corporate Social Responsibility initiative and paintball was selected due to its focus on teamwork and strategies which have similarities to the online gaming platform. Red Sevens as one of the top paintball teams in Singapore was chosen to represent its brand.

2) Let us know the specifics... what is in this sponsorship deal?

A: Let's just say that we have got a few paintball events covered for 2012 and the team will be adopting the name of "Cherry Credits Red Sevens" in 2012. But it doesn't mean that we will get to play for free... though we will be getting a new customized jersey in the promotion and marketing of our sponsor's brand.

The winning team from 2011.

3) Red Sevens which was the Overall Series Champion for Division 2 in Malaysia Paintball Official Circuit (MPOC) 2011 did not attend the first leg of MPOC 2012 in January... what actually happened?

A: After winning both overall championship titles in the Singapore Paintball Series(SPS) and MPOC Division 2 in 2011, the team is currently undergoing a complete restructure. In 2011, the team participated in all legs of MPOC, SPS and Paintball Asia League Series (PALS) and cost of participation and time of travel has taken a toll on everyone. As soon as the season was over, everyone went back to their daily routine. Work, studies, money and family were some of the main reasons why players left but I guess these are the norms in every team. In paintball, it is common for players to come and go, we'll just have to recruit more players into the team.

4) So...when will we be seeing the Red Sevens on the field again?

A: With the revamp, we will have a couple of new faces this year. The team was build in the direction where each and every player in the team has a good foundation in the fundamental basics of paintball. Our new players whom we have been working with in the past 1 - 2 months are acquiring these skill sets before they are picked for games. These progressions will be carefully monitored and critiqued upon. We hope to instill the newer players with more game experience before sending them to the real stage. We will most probably formed a mix team in the Division 3 ranks to initiate these new players and make an assessment of how far we will go from there. Following on, we will proceed to Division 2 which is where the team should be playing.

Zac Schick was newly recruited to Red Sevens and will be representing the team in 2012.

5) We were under the impression that Red Sevens was going Division 1 in 2012.

A: Yes, the MPOC organizers announce about our possible promotion to Division 1 in 2012. In fact, this request was put forth in 2010 for the 2011 season but we were not ready for the bigger stage. In the early 2011, we had some players who left the team which was the reason why we couldn't give Division 1 a go. The same thing happened again this year... and so we had to stay in Division 2. Hopefully, we will have a Division 1 team in 2013.

Training in progress for new players of the Red Sevens

6) How many players are there in the Red 7 roster?

A: In 2011, we had a roster of 20 players but as of now, perhaps about 10 players. Half of the Red Sevens team had to deal with life issues and couldn't compete as much as they would like to in 2012.

7) Back to the sponsorship with Cherry Credits. Tell us, why do you say that this is historical for Singapore?

A: Paintball is not a mainstream sports in Singapore. Mainstream sports in Singapore are widely recognized by corporate companies and governing organizations. Major sporting events held in Singapore are often supported by a big corporate brand such as the OCBC Cycling and the Standard Chartered Marathon. With this sponsorship and due recognition from Cherry Credits, we are taking the first step in getting the involvement of corporate companies to promote paintball. We have hopes to leverage on this sponsorship to create awareness for the sport so that more people are aware about paintball sports and clear doubts about paintball being a dangerous activity that can only be played in a forested environment. With greater awareness, we are hoping to garner the support of more corporate companies to support the local paintball scene so that more local paintball teams can follow our footsteps to gain recognition and support. This might also create an opportunity for governing authorities to review the current regulations that are binding the progression of this sport.

8) Cash sponsorship is never an easy feat. Tell us more about this.

A: I couldn't agree more. Getting cash sponsorship is never an easy task but it is not entirely impossible. The way to go about doing this is to manage your paintball team as professional as possible. Every team wants the best for themselves but not all are willing to do their best in getting these sponsorship. By that I mean drafting a good sponsorship proposal. A good proposal sets the tone right for everyone. All sponsors want to know how the team can best represent their brand whether they are on or off the paintball field. A team has to be playing enough tournaments to gain recognition and in order to do that, the team has to put in a considerably amount of time in training before competing. When competing, the team has to win. No sponsor would want to sponsor a non-winning team and in order to win, team has to train. It is a chicken and egg story but many fail to see that.

Red Sevens winning the Singapore Paintball Series 2011 as Overall Champion

9) What are the plans for Red Sevens in 2012?

A: Revamp, Restructure and Reconstruct. The team was formed in 2006 and 6 years on, we are going into a new phase. We are currently recruiting players to form a D2, D3 and D4 team in each of the category. And if we do well in 2012, we will try for a D1 spot in 2013. We do have some major plans lined up from now to end of the year and if all goes well, we will create many more historic milestones.

10) Tell us more about these milestones.

A: I prefer to keep mum and see what happens from here. It is going to be very interesting, I promised.

11) Any last words?

A: Anything is possible. Never say never. Keep the hopes high and continue doing what you think is right. There are ups and downs but the sun will still rise after every night. Stay positive.

Interview conducted by Jane Koh

All photos belong to rightful owner. Photos from www.residentevilchef.com

Changes to SPS 2012 - A big leap towards the future

SPS Announcement

Greetings my fellow Paintballers, It is indeed with great pleasure for me to make this announcement to the local paintball community which may possibly revolutionize or create possible future changes and opportunities to the way paintball sport is being played in Singapore.

We have just concluded the Singapore Paintball Series (SPS) 2011 in October with the highest showing of 38 local and overseas teams. This result would not have been possible if not for the staunch support that is given by the local paintball community. A flourishing paintball tournament can only be regarded as successful with a good turnout and likewise a good turnout will need a professionally run tournament to bring out the best of any paintballer. As an avid paintballer myself, I do understand the continuous commitment and effort that one has to sacrifice in order to upkeep a dedicated paintball team. Forming a team to play paintball is the easiest part; the hardest part in competitive paintball is keeping the team together. The cost of training and expenses that are involved in this sport have punctured holes in our limited budget in these uncertain times. As a result, teams do not train as often as they would like to and players are unsure about how they can contribute to make this sport grow in Singapore. With 13 local based teams participating in next week’s World Cup Asia tournament as compared to a few years ago when there were only one, Singapore paintball has seen tremendous growth in recent years. As Singapore’s premiere paintball event, the SPS is committed to the continuous growth of this sport in Singapore and will devote our limitless effort in creating awareness and publicity for the game we all love. In our effort to develop the sport, the SPS committee will be implementing several changes to SPS. These changes have been stoutly proposed, debated and reviewed where the final objective is to allow Singapore paintball to progress to the next level where we can benchmark our playing standards to our overseas counterparts. I am extremely thrilled to announce the following changes to SPS 2012 and would like to seek your incessant support in our new implementation:

a) With immediate effect, SPS Tertiary Division will ceased to continue and will not be included in future SPS events. Students from tertiary institutions can look forward to the Inter-Tertiary Paintball Championship (ITPC) which will be organized as a competition series in 2012.

b) Renaming of divisional category will be introduced to allow for wider classification of skill set level. SPS 2012 will see the renaming of Novice Division to Division 4 and Open Division to Division 3 classification similar to Paintball Asia League Series (PALS) classification. A new category catering to Division 2 and Division 1 teams will be introduced and named as the Open Division.

c) Along with the renaming of divisional category will be the introduction of a SPS pilot initiative to better classify all SPS registered players into their respective playing category. This is to allow players to be better classified according to their playing experiences in all paintball events organized by the SPS.

d) The newly introduced Division 3 and Open Division will adopt the Race-to-2 and Race-to-3 format respectively. Division 3 teams can roster up to 8 players and Division 2 teams can roster up to 10 players. Format for Division 4 (Novice Division) remains unchanged.

e) With the introduction of individual marker possession in October 2012, the SPS will cease to provide the use of electronic paintball markers to all teams participating in Division 3 and above. With this implementation, the SPS is taking a leap into standardizing the way paintball should be played across the world where participants have legal ownership to their paintball equipment. Rental of electronic paintball markers can be pre-arranged with additional rental charges from SPS.

f) Participants of the SPS Corporate Division can now have the option to use an additional 2 pods of paintballs on top of the 100 paintballs which will be allocated for each game.

g) To allow the SPS to better facilitate the smooth running of the event and to provide adequate game participation for teams, the following team participation ratio will be adopted as a guide in participation numbers, Open Division:Division 3:Division 4:Corporate Division – 8:8:16:8. However, this ratio might be subjected to change depending on the number of participating teams and number of allocated fields during the event.

h) In the event where a player’s ID tag is confiscated from a player by the head referee due to game infringement, the affected player will not be able to participate in the remaining games of the tournament. At this juncture, the affected player will not be allowed in/near the tournament area not limiting to the paintball fields, the players’ area and the technical area until his charges are cleared by the tournament director and the head referee.

i) A disciplinary panel will be set up for each event to oversee the management of errant players. We hope that with these changes and implementation, we will be able to bring Singapore paintball to greater heights and to allow teams to prepare for a very exciting year ahead. As we approach year 2012, we would like to thank you for your contribution to the progress of Singapore paintball, for without your display of passion and dedication to the game, we will not be able to reach higher achievement for this sport.

Thank you.

Jane Koh

SPS Tournament Director

Singapore's biggest paintball tournament - Singapore Paintball Series

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PAINTBALL BONDS THE COMMUNITY
Changing the perspectives of a war game into a sport

28th September 2011 - The Finale of the Singapore Paintball Series 2011 – My Buona Vista Cup will be held on 8^th and 9^th October 2011 at East Coast Park. Established in 2008, the Singapore Paintball Series has now more than 400 registered players with the youngest participant – a student at the age of 16 years old and the eldest participant being a Union leader at the age of 50 years old. All participants compete on equal grounds within their divisions regardless of age and gender.

Acting Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports, MG(NS) Chan Chun Sing will be gracing the event as the Guest of Honour. In support of Minister Chan’s initiative for Vision 2030, a platform to gather feedback and suggestions to formulate a master plan for the sporting scene in Singapore, local paintball enthusiasts voiced their concerns about the development of paintball in Singapore in a Strait Times report in July. While at the event, Minister Chan will witness an exhibition game between the SPS All-Stars, comprising of local players, and an International All-Stars side with overseas players from Malaysia paintball teams, Xtioneers and Demonz, who are both ranked as Division 1 teams in the paintball scene. The exhibition game will be organized in the Race-to format which is a popular format in the US and many European countries. Ben Seow who is the series Tournament Promoter exclaimed: “This sport is gaining popularity amongst Singaporeans and in Asia. Teams work together to strategize game plans to counter opposing teams and in the process help the team to bond and foster camaraderie.

The Singapore Paintball Series has grown from a league of 7 teams in 2008 to a league of 36 teams in 2011. The unwavering passion of the sports has brought many players from 2008 to 2011, still competing in paintball and promoting the sports of paintball. In the few years of the development by Singapore Paintball Series, an official refereeing body has been formed to provide an international standard of paintball refereeing in Singapore similar to regional countries. The Singapore Paintball Series is also affiliated to and a promoting partner with the Paintball Asia League Series (PALS) which is Asia’s most recognized paintball series. PALS has a network of promoting partners across more than 10 Asia Pacific countries such as Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, Australia, China, Indonesia, Singapore, India, Japan and Taiwan. PALS will be organizing Asia’s biggest paintball tournament on 10-13 November this year – the World Cup Asia – which will be attended by more than 140 paintball teams from across 30 nations. The Paintball World Cup Asia is a strongly endorsed sport event by the Malaysia government and Forbes Billionaire, CEO of Air Asia, Tony Fernandez who will be participating in the event. Singapore will be represented by 14 Singaporean paintball teams across 3 divisions out of the 4 in World Cup Asia 2011 in Langkawi, Malaysia.

“Since I started playing paintball in 2008, I have become more socially engaged with people who are older than me. The demographic of participants is wide and comes from all walks of life. In the team that I am playing for, we have a graphic designer, a professional golfer, a veterinarian’s assistant, a university student and dance instructor, said Mr. Gerald Lee, 21 who is working as surveyor for an oil company.

The Unsung Heroes - A tribute to the Singapore Paintball Series Referees

Formed in 2010, the Singapore Paintball Series (SPS) Referees have been the strong pillar of rules and regulations in Singapore. Unknown to others, since the formation of the SPS Referees, several referees from the SPS Referees have been travelling around the Asia region to officiate in regional paintball tournaments with the primary purpose of enhancing their skills of officiating and also to further gain invaluable refereeing experiences from referees across the globe.

In search of the reasons behind their passion to marshal and to upkeep the law and order in paintball games remains a mystery to others. One of the toughest and grueling job in any sports where decisions and judgements are made in split seconds, we pay a tribute to these guardian angels who continue to keep the game fair and just for many paintball events around the region. Considering the 100 of paintball games that they have to go through in a single day and the unbearable physical pain that they have to endure at the end of the tournament, today, we single out a few of our most experienced local SPS referees and let our heroes sing the fat lady's song!

Muhammad Azhar is the appointed Head Referee of the Singapore Paintball Series and the organizer of the Singapore Paintball Series Referees. Azhar's interest in paintball started in the woods where he is an avid participant of scenario woodsball game. His first refereeing stint was in Kedah when he officiated in the Kedah Sultan Cup in 2010. Since then, Azhar has officiated in several paintball tournament such as the Malaysia Paintball Official Circuit, the Singapore Paintball Series and more significantly, the World Cup Asia 2010 and the India Open Invitational held in Bangalore in 2011. "Acid" as he is named in the paintball community, Azhar continue to better himself as a paintball referee by organizing the recent SPS Referee Level 1 Certification as a course instructor.

Idi Bakhtiar B Md D'zokere started his paintball interest as a player participating in the Red Dynasty Rookie Challenge. His team, Hitmen Inc took part in the tournament and had a decent outing but never did Idi knew that he has a higher calling in the sport of paintball. It wasn't long that his team was disbanded due to commitment issues but that did not stop Idi from getting involved in the game. He took on the challenge to attend the first Singapore AsiaRef Certification and was officiating in the Singapore Paintball Series 2010. His enthusiasm in refereeing spur him on to better his refereeing knowledge as he took on the journey to officiate in the World Cup Asia 2010. Working as a prison officer for 10 years, Idi has vast knowledge in the area of leadership and discipline which he put to good use in refereeing. He recently returned to Singapore after officiating in the PALS Philippines United Paintballers Philippine International Championship 2011.

Shahirah Alqadri was part of the now defunct team Extreme Estrogen, Singapore's first female team. Since her acquaintance with paintball, Shahirah has always been a devotee for paintball and she still is... Shahirah is the classic example of a paintball player who wants to better herself in the game. While in love with the sport, she also took time off to officiate in paintball tournaments with the belief that a good paintball player should also understand the rules within the game. She is currently part of Team SKIN which participates in the Division 3 category of the Malaysia National Paintball League. She draws the line clearly for her roles as a player and a referee as Shahirah officiates in the Malaysia Paintball Official Circuit and participate in the former. Yeah... don't judge her by her petite physical frame... Be warned!

All photos belong to rightful owner.

Contract Killers - Singapore wins MY-NPL Round 3 Division 3 Champion!

Photo shamelessly ripped from rightful owner

Singapore based team Contract Killers took the Division 3 Champion title in the recent Malaysia National Paintball League (MY-NPL) Round 3. The Contract Killers which was formed in 2008 is one of the oldest team in Singapore and has witnessed the development of paintball as a sport in Singapore. The team was formed in a paintball get-together event, "The Magic Gatherings" organized by Red Dynasty Paintball Park in August 2008. The 3 year old team made their first international experience by participating in the World Cup Asia 2009 and came away with a podium finish in the Division 4 category. In Singapore, the Contract Killers remains to be a significant force by winning several podium in the Singapore Paintball Novice Series (SPNS) now known as the Singapore Paintball Series (SPS). Sponsored by Skirmish Paintball Asia, Captain O-Ring and Ansgear in 2011, the Contract Killers will be participating in remaining series of the My-NPL and the SPS 2011 Leg 2.

Congratulations to the Contract Killers!

Singapore Paintball Series 2011 Leg 1 - Jurong Central Park

The Singapore Paintball Series (SPS) 2011 Leg 1 was held in Jurong Central Park on 16 & 17 April 2011. This tournament leg saw a total of 29 participating teams shooting for the Champion's title. With up to 4 playing Divisions, paintballers swarmed to Jurong as the first paintball event to be organized on the Western part of Singapore. Organizers settled into the Circle Lawn (name of the field) a few days before the event with hopes of bringing a carnival theme tournament to the participants and they did not disappoint. For the first time, the SPS committee has decided to set up a food stall to cater to the ever hungry paintballers, isotonic drinks were distributed throughout the event to subdue thirst, booths selling paintball accessories were not to be missed. As part of SPS’s objectives of showcasing paintball to the masses, the organizers brought back the inflatable shooting gallery for members of the public to have a go at the game, for free of course! Newly included into the program was a tryout game for staff of the Singapore Sports Council; however this tryout initiative was stopped by the heavy downpour at noon. With the Novice Division teams playing 4 qualifying games in the morning, it was the Open Division teams who displayed high intensity shooting capped at rate of 12 balls per second, semi-automatic mode.

With a database of more than 500 paintball players in Singapore and a rich history in the organization of paintball events in Singapore, the SPS identify opportunities of collaboration with industry partners in creating awareness for the sport and product branding during the tournament. With an intensive sponsorship program and capable sponsorship team, the SPS 2011 is proud to partner our industry sponsors in product sponsorship and brand awareness. For the first time in SPS history, the SPS had achieved the support of FORCE 21 Equipment Pte Ltd as our title sponsor for the Open and Novice Division. FORCE 21 Equipment Pte Ltd a leading regional supplier of security, defence and rescue gear has also extended their support for the league for the entire series in 2011. CEO of FORCE 21, Daniel Cheah quoted “FORCE 21 is proud to sponsor the Singapore Paintball Series 2011, as we watch this dynamic sport catching the hearts of Singaporeans, and growing its membership steadily. We believe the passion and enthusiasm both the organizers and players share for this sport will create a strong bond and hence drive the standards of the game to international level.” Together with partnership of FORCE 21, the SPS sponsorship team also managed to garner the support of other industry sponsors and they are: 100 PLUS, Voxsports, Park Royal Hotel (Kitchener), AntConcept, Tilt, Citibank, D’Dreamz International, Sweet Delights, RAMPED Magazine, Pro Paintball Resources, Bottle Tree Park, Red Dynasty Paintball Park and Paintballers World.

Participants came back on day 2 for more intensifying action on the field which many refer to as the “mud spa” after the soaking rain a day earlier. However, this did not deter the local ballers as they battled even stronger as the competition takes its toll. D’Dreamz International took the main spotlight when they put up a lunch time performance by showing their grooves on the field with kids gymnastics dance to hip hop pop dancing. Lester Wing a member of the Red Sevens who participated in the tournament but was shown the early exit received the loudest cheer as he donned his paintball gear and moved gracefully on the field. “The team of paintballers consisting of Jose Cerda (Professional dance instructor), Carl Sahetapy (Professional golfer) and Lester Wing (Graphic Designer) had prepared for the dance piece for the past few weeks as part of their dance class routine. When we were approached by Carl and Jose who mooted the idea of performing a dance in front of the crowd, we knew that this will surely be the highlight of the day” exclaimed Ben Seow who is the Tournament Promoter of the SPS.

As the day draw closer to an end, it was Team ZOO who clinched the FORCE 21 Open Division SPS 2011 Leg 1 Champion title by edging out Team SKIN in a best of 3 games format. With this win, Team ZOO has successfully defended their Champion title having won last year’s SPS 2010 series. In the Novice Division, team Rampage Onslaught who was the 4^th position winner in the World Cup Asia 2010 held in Malaysia took the Champion title and similarly to Team ZOO, Rampage Onslaught defended their title too. Their final game with team Heartbreakers showed that they were a notch above most teams in the league. SJI Fluffy Rabbits which represented SHELL Petroleum and Team Generation Kill from Singapore Polytechnic took home the Corporate Division title and Tertiary Division title respectively.

As a growing paintball league in Asia, the SPS Committee recognizes the need to invite overseas participants to participate in the SPS so as to create opportunities for skill exchanges and interaction. For SPS 2011 Leg 1, the SPS allow each team to register up to 2 foreign players. This initiative was not permitted in the earlier paintball tournaments such as the Singapore Paintball Novice Series in 2008/2009 and SPS 2010 as the SPS wishes to establish a good foundation and fundamental of skill for the local players before opening the tournament to foreign teams. “The 2^nd Leg of SPS which will be held on 8 & 9 October 2011 will see the participation of International paintball teams from the regional countries. The SPS will partner the Paintball Asia League Series (PALS) to further improve the local paintball scene with a taste of international flair. Participants can expect to see other collaborative projects with reputable stakeholders such as the AsiaRefs, Asia Pacific Paintball Federation (ABBPF) and Singapore Tourism Board. The planning for Leg 2 is already underway and we promise to make our next tournament the biggest paintball event ever held in Singapore!” added Jane Koh, SPS Tournament Director and former President of the Paintball Association (Singapore).

The SPS Committee would also like to thank all participating teams, sponsors, spectators, AsiaRefs, SPS Referees and vendors for making this event a success for paintball in Singapore!

For more information about the Singapore Paintball Series (SPS), please visit www.singaporepaintballseries.com or visit the SPS Headquarters at One Commonwealth Building, 1 Commonwealth Lane, #03-03, Singapore 149544

Singapore paintball teams make history in MPOC 2011

Singapore teams look forward to making another milestone for paintball in Singapore. In March, there will be a total of 11 Singapore paintball teams heading to Malacca for the Malaysia Paintball Official Circuit (MPOC) 2011 Leg 2, making this one of the biggest showing for Singapore contingent in an overseas tournament. Held in Dataran Palahwan, Malacca, the MPOC will be played in one of the best playing fields in Malaysia. Located above a mega mall comprising of more 100 retail stores, paintballers can sipped coffee while waiting for their games to start. Among other shopping areas near to the field is the famous Mahkota Parade and Malacca's distinctive Jonker's Walk where the night market is robust as the night comes alive!

In collaboration with the Singapore Paintball Series (SPS) since 2009, the MPOC has come a long way in the support of Singapore paintball teams and has finally seen these investments flourish into good returns. The MPOC has supported winning teams of the SPS with free berth to the World Cup Asia 2009 and 2010. All Singapore teams which registered with MPOC also receive 50% discounts for their participation in 2010. With a possible good turnout in MPOC Leg 2, the MPOC has set a name for themselves as the most popular overseas paintball league for Singapore teams! With good infrastructure and a taste of international competition for teams arriving from Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia, the MPOC continues to outshine the rest.

The Singapore Paintball Series (SPS) will continue to work with the MPOC to improve our local league and continue to provide a competitive platform for all our local paintballers! The following teams will be representing Singapore for the upcoming MPOC Leg 2:

Division 2: Red Sevens, ZOO

Division 3: Red Sevens II, ZOO Militia, Karma

Division 4: The Outlaws, Dare Devils, Rag Dolls, Raving Lunatics, Black Ops, iScreamWar

Inter Tertiary Paintball Championship (ITPC) 2011

Inter Tertiary Paintball Championship (ITPC) 2011 is a tertiary paintball tournament organized by the Singapore Paintball Series (SPS) with objectives of promoting the sport at school level and to create paintball awareness amongst students in Singapore. It is important for the sport to gain recognition in schools as there are misconceptions about the sport being dangerous. With the introduction of the ITPC 2011, the organizers are ready to dispel these beliefs and at the same time providing a healthy competitive platform for students to compete. In 2011, there will be 2 legs of ITPC (ITPC Leg 1 -20 Feb 2011 and ITPC Leg 2 - 26 Jun 2011) where the overall champion team will be crowned as the ITPC Champion for 2011. The ITPC series will be an inaugural paintball tournament which caters to full time students.

"We are committed to the establishment of a complete structure for the tertiary sector as this is where all the future paintballers are. Our aim is to introduce the sport to them while they are still in school with hopes of them forming the future for this sport in Singapore" said Ben Seow, founder of the SPS.

The SPS will form a sub committee with representatives from the tertiary sector to path the development of paintball as a sport in schools. In the first year of establishment, the ITPC will be conducted as a 5 vs 5 hopperball format.

Interested parties can email to info@singaporepaintballseries.com

*History into tertiary paintball in Singapore.

The idea was first mooted in 2008 with plans to establish Singapore's first tertiary paintball championship by Red Dynasty Paintball Park and Red Sevens paintball team. The plans were short lived as competitive paintball was relatively new to many Singaporeans and the organizers were unable to recruit enough teams leading to the competition.

Come on you gunners!

Like radio DJ Glenn Ong always say: "Come on you gunners!" (in show of support to his favourite soccer team). The same phrase can be used to describe Singapore paintballers. Sick and tired of the common excuses such as no time, family day, no leave, work, no money... it is time Singapore paintball teams step up to the next level. Supposedly a record showing of 6 Singapore teams participating in MPOC Leg 1 turns out to feature only 3 local teams. 3 other teams which indicated interest to attend MPOC Leg 1 fail to make the trip. Where are the Singapore teams???

It is funny because we do have teams in Singapore... the last Singapore Paintball Series (SPS) which was held in October 2010 had the participation of 29 local teams. Let's be fair and minus away the teams from corporate and tertiary divisions and we have 19 teams remaining... so where are you guys???

The most difficult part about forming a paintball team is not getting together and thinking of a team name but instead staying together. I cannot emphasize enough about getting the team to stay together and participating in every paintball tournament out there... Commit the team to play in a regular tournament series and go out there and compete. Choose this carefully as this determine the team's budget and commitment to train before competition. Play in competitions and get the most experience out of competing, experiences that you can never get from a regular training session.

Forming a team is as close to training a regular guy into a fighter pilot. It will be a waste not to clock flying hours after going through hours and hours of flight simulation. Likewise, for a team to train and not compete at all can be the worst that can come off this competitive sport. With the formation of a new interim committee for the Paintball Association (Singapore) PBAS, we are hoping that things will change for the better as they look into developing the local community for the local scene. We can only wait... and time is of the essence. Come on you gunners!

Teams participating in MPOC Leg 2 can email to info@weplaypaintball.com and we will list your team name in the paintball forum.

Singapore Paintball Series 2010 - Post event report

On 16th/17th October 2010, 29 local teams participated in the Singapore Paintball Series (SPS) 2010 (www.singaporepaintballseries.com) held at East Coast Park. Singapore's #1 Paintball Tournament, Singapore Paintball Series (SPS) 2010 concluded in East Coast Park with a resounding success with more than 500 participants and spectators. With 29 local participating teams from 4 different divisions, the SPS saw the highest participation rate since it was first established on 30 March 2008 as a 3 vs 3 paintball tournament which was formerly known as the Singapore Paintball Novice Series (SPNS).

Recognized by the Asia Pacific Paintball Federation (APPBF) and Paintball Asia League Series (PALS), the SPS is Singapore's top notch tournament organizer which provides a competitive platform for the Singapore paintball community in accordance to international paintball rules and regulations. With aims of creating awareness for the game of paintball, the SPS conducts regular basic paintball courses, workshops and outreach program to introduce paintball to the masses so as to promote competitive paintball in Singapore and in the Asia region.

"SPS 2010 is the first paintball tournament in Singapore to showcase 2 opposing teams competing in electronic paintball markers (guns). We are taking a big step towards the investment of the league so as to promote and develop the local paintball scene", mentioned Jane Koh who is the Tournament Director of the SPS and a member of PALS (Singapore).

The planning of SPS 2010 started as early as April 2010 with a restructure of the organizing committee where several prominent industry individuals are invited into the planning team to organize Singapore's biggest paintball carnival. To ensure that the refereeing standards were up to par with international refereeing standards, Mr. Junaidi Kalil, Manager of the AsiaRef were invited to Singapore to conduct a 2 day refereeing course for budding local referees who are interested to learn more about competitive paintball refereeing. The SPS Referee Level 1 Certification was attended by 9 local participants who were eventually put to the refereeing test during event day.

"The SPS Referee Level 1 Certification will be the de-facto refereeing standards for all Singapore referees. We are working closely with the Malaysia Marshals and AsiaRef body to establish our own local referees. We will also be sending our referees for international paintball events such as the PALS series and the World Cup Asia", exclaimed Mr. Muhamad Azhar who is the appointed SPS Head Referee whose real job is a Sales Manager for a IT firm.

Working with 29 sponsors and partners, Mr. Travis Liauw who is the Sponsorship Manager for the SPS said, "We associate paintball with a corporate identity as the sport focuses a lot on communication and working together as a team to achieve a common goal in the playing field. These values are very much associated with companies who would also like their employees to have." Sponsors and partners of the SPS are also treated with opportunities of advertisements and marketing throughout the event with shout outs, facebook advertisements, webpage inserts, banners, posters, etc. With corporate sectors in mind, a Corporate Division is introduced to the SPS 2010.

SPS roadshows were organized at Republic Polytechnic and Singapore Institute of Management to garner sign up for the newly included Tertiary Division. Posters of the SPS were sent to community centers and tertiary schools to create awareness for the event. Joining the SPS Tertiary Division is a group of Singapore Polytechnic students who were introduced to paintball during one of the paintball roadshows early this year. "One of the many objectives of the SPS is to create paintball awareness to the masses, it is therefore necessary for us to penetrate the tertiary sectors. As a growing and young sport in Singapore, we need a pool of youth players to form the foundation for the sport", remarked Ben Seow who is the SPS Tournament Promoter.

With the closure of the SPS in 2010, the SPS committee is looking ahead into the new year, bringing another wave of exciting paintball scene for local community in 2011. As an established and recognized paintball tournament in Singapore and the Asia region, the SPS is looking towards an international favour in 2011!

What our partners say about the SPS:

"Dye Asia is a proud supporter of the SPS and we are eager to offer our continued support as they strengthen tournament paintball throughout the Southeast Asia market." - Zyzek Barro, Dye Asia

"I was very excited to see the development and growth from the SPNS to what is now the SPS series; I'm glad that Ben and Jane has managed to include us in the event as sponsors as we love to extend a helping arm in developing the sport which we are so passionate about especially in a controlled environment like Singapore. The event went on well I would say, you even have better numbers of team participation in comparison with the local leagues that we run in Thailand. Wishing you nothing but the best in your future endeavors with SPS from now on." - Patrick Tan, Pro Paintball Malaysia

We are not ready...

Well... just like to comment on this "We are not ready" statement. A few years ago when we were introducing speedball and encouraging people to play paintball, often than not, we always hear this phrase: "We are not ready". I mean when are we really ready?

Received an email a few days ago from someone who is new to the game and telling me how hook he is after playing paintball and wanting to join a paintball team and even considering the option of starting his own paintball team. He mentioned that he knew of a paintball event in October (pretty obvious he was talking about the SPS) and how much he wanted to take part but ended up saying perhaps "We are not ready". The question is are we always ready for anything? Teams are always asking themselves... are we ready? The answer is... you are ready if you have:

1) Played a few paintball games. Doesn't matter if it is woodsball or speedball... its still the same. The only major difference is understanding the rules and regulations.

2) A group of enthusiastic friends who are keen to pursue the game.

3) Open minded about learning. Embrace the learning...

In 2008, I made a grave mistake when I commented about Singapore teams being not ready for the bigger stage i.e World Cup Asia 2008. I think those comments were selfish, ignorant and indeed not welcoming. I want to apologize to any Singapore teams who might feel affected with my snobbish comments. My reasons being: due to our lack of resources, lack of training time and lack of tournament experiences, teams should not go to World Cup Asia just for a mere representation as teams are going there to win! In 2009, there were 7 Singapore teams who went for the event and one team even went on the podium. And so... my concerns were unnecessary. This year... I am rallying for more Singapore teams to go and play in World Cup Asia 2010! My target is to rally 15 Singapore teams to the World Cup! And I believe we do have the numbers! If indeed this wish comes true... we will be the next last contingent other than the host country, Malaysia to have the most number of teams playing in the World Cup Asia.

I did mentioned that Singapore teams will do well in Division 4 games and I still stand by this comment. I am also encouraging Singapore teams to venture into the higher divisions and give it a go! If you have never try, you will never know... So yeah... to hell with "We are not ready"... WE ARE!

Why you should join the Singapore Paintball Series 2010?

Since announcing the Singapore Paintball Series 2010. We have several queries about the event and so I have decided to list down a few considerables on "why you should join the Singapore Paintball Series 2010?"

1) SPS is a homegrown paintball brand. Similar to MPOC, My-NPL or the CPCL which are major leagues over at the Northern coast, SPS was the transformation of the SPNS which was the pinnacle paintball event of the Singapore calendar in 2008 and 2009. This homegrown brand has transformed from a 3-on-3 paintball competition using scenario paintball markers to a 5-on-5 paintball tournament using electronic markers and up to 4 divisions for people of all ages and playing standards.

2) SPS is a professionally run paintball tournament with dedicated individuals who wants to make paintball a successfully sport in Singapore. With a combined 20 years of experiences in the sports industry, events management industry and marketing industry and more importantly the paintball industry, the SPS will be an event not to be missed.

3) SPS will be held in the East Coast Park. Forget about the Singapore Padang or the Marina Floating Platform, this is definitely one of the best location to showcase your team and get together for a fun filled weekend.

4) SPS combined with sponsors and industrial partners will produce the biggest payout in cash and prizes for participants of the SPS. A free spot to the World Cup Asia in November 2010 for the eventual winner of the SPS Open Division is already worth more than USD200! We are working towards bringing the biggest paintball brand to the Singapore paintball community.

5) First electronic marker division in Singapore is the first in Singapore and possibly the first in Asia! We will be using Proto Proto Matrix Rail markers as house markers for the tournament! If you know of any similar arrangement in Asia, please write to us... as far as we know, we are the FIRST!

6) Paintball prices have been adjusted to accommodate to the paintball community. This is one of the most significant adjustment to date for the Singapore paintball tournament scene. We are making this affordable for everyone and cost of playing at such a wonderful event should not be an excuse no more... This adjustment is inline with SPS's objective of working towards an international platform.

7) With up to 4 playing divisions, you no longer have to worry about people calling you a beginner, noob, expert, sandbagger, professional... just play in whichever category you deem fit.

8) SPS is working towards making the series a professional outlook with team profiles, up to date information and announcement. We have make use of social platform Facebook, websites, forums, posters, banners, etc to make this event known to every possible single lead. Making way into the SPS are merchandises such as T-shirts and lanyards to promote our branding.

9) Get your supporters to come along as there will be fun games engaging park goers and the public. Get your supporters to try out a game of paintball and let them experience the feeling of being in the field. All this at ZERO cost... SPS will be sponsoring this initiative to make paintball more receptive to the public. SPS will be putting up banners educating the public about competitive paintball and there will be a dedicated booth cater to any paintball queries from the public.

10) Working with the Asia Ref, the SPS aims to facilitate a unbiased competition with some of our SPS referees who will be certified to officiate in paintball tournaments endorsed by the Asia Ref. Certification courses will be organized to ensure that all referees are up to standards in officiating the biggest paintball event in Singapore.

I can go on and on and on... but if these are coming true and becoming a reality. All we need is your support to make all these happen! SPS will not be a one off event and we have vision to stay on track in bringing the best paintball event to the Singapore paintball community! Keep the fire burning!

A teaser for the Singapore Paintball Series 2010 - 16 & 17 October 2010

Singapore paintball is moving away from being a novice league! The organizers of the Singapore Paintball Series (SPS) has decided to drop the word "novice" bringing Singapore paintball standards to a higher level. There will be an introduction of a new division for the local lads.

The Singapore Paintball Series (SPS) 2010 will be held on 16 & 17 October 2010 at an undisclosed venue. More details to be released soon in www.weplaypaintball.com/forum. Mark a date with us. The SPS logo is a trademark of the Singapore Paintball Series, usage of the logo will have to be sought from the SPS organizers.