UK Paintball Sports Federation

The UK Paintball Sports Federation (UKPSF) is a voluntary organisation representing paintball players, teams, venues and trade members in the United Kingdom. It publishes safety guidance, operates a venue accreditation scheme and represents members in dealings with public authorities. It began in the early 1990s as the European Paintball Sports Federation (EPSF).[1][2][3][4]

History

European Paintball Sports Federation

The federation's constitution traces the formation of the EPSF to concerns about the use of carbon dioxide as a propellant in paintball markers. An archived federation history dates its formation by players and members of the trade to 1990. The federation's later committee history gives 1991.[1][2][3]

Terry Martin, who founded the paintball fanzine Born To Dye, recalled serving as EPSF chairman and discussing paintball markers with the Home Office's firearms division. He also recalled helping to draft guidance on setting up paintball sites with English Nature. The federation's archived website lists the resulting woodland paintball guide among its publications and records that the EPSF produced tournament rulebooks.[2][5]

Renaming and publications

In the late 1990s, the EPSF adopted the name United Kingdom Paintball Sports Federation. The federation's accounts say the name reflected the organisation's UK remit. Its archived history records that the committee had no representatives from other European countries.[1][2]

The federation relaunched its newsletter, The WORD, in March 2000. Its website announced that Paintball UK (PBUK) would take over as its official magazine from 1 August 2003. By 2004, the federation also maintained online directories of venues, trade members and tournaments run by members.[2][6][7]

Incorporation and leadership

Companies House records the incorporation of UK Paintball Sports Federation Ltd on 13 January 2012 as a private company limited by guarantee without share capital, company number 07909807. The federation's constitution dates its move to limited-company administration to 2013 and gives protection of the federation's name, pursuit of sporting recognition and financial administration as reasons for the change.[1][8]

Steve Bull ran the federation for many years and later became its honorary lifetime president. Mayhem Paintball recorded Bob Schofield's election as chair on 16 March 2015 as part of a transition to a broader volunteer committee. The federation records that Don Logan succeeded Schofield in 2017.[3][9]

Safety standards and membership

The UKPSF publishes a Code of Practice for Paintball Site Operators. The published code carries an original copyright date of October 2000 and records later revisions. It covers staffing, player briefings, protective equipment, equipment maintenance and first aid. The federation also publishes a player code for tournaments and other organised events.[4][10]

The federation offers membership to players, teams, venues and trade businesses. It requires member venues to follow its site code and offers a separate voluntary accreditation scheme. Its constitution provides for a council and specialist subcommittees, including those representing players, sites and the trade. The federation identifies formal sporting recognition as one of its objectives.[1][3][4][11]

International affiliation

The United Paintball Federation lists the UKPSF as the representative for Great Britain under the European Paintball Federation (EPBF), with membership dating from 2013. The EPBF's December 2016 congress minutes record Ainsley Baddeley attending on behalf of the UKPSF.[12][13]

References

External links

Official website