Proposal: Pro Paintball Tour
A New Era for Competitive Paintball
Presented by Jimmy Hickey
1/15/2025
Updated 6/20/2025
Introduction
The future of competitive paintball requires a shift toward consistent, high-quality engagement. To achieve sustained growth, the sport must evolve beyond sporadic, multi-day tournaments to a weekly broadcast series that delivers regular, structured content to fans, sponsors, and teams alike.
This proposal outlines a plan to launch a weekly or biweekly paintball broadcast series, leveraging regional hubs to streamline operations, reduce costs, and provide consistent engagement throughout the season. The series will offer teams more opportunities to compete, fans more consistent content, and sponsors regular visibility.
This proposal is a simple, early-stage blueprint meant to serve as a starting point for constant improvement & discussion toward building something great. It will take a team of bright minds to execute this at the fullest level, and I welcome ideas and constructive criticism to help this reach its full potential.
This proposal is designed to be a living, breathing document that changes over time as the discussion evolves.
Objective
The primary objective of the Pro Paintball Tour is to establish a sustainable competitive format that:
Increases fan engagement with regular broadcasts.
Expands sponsor visibility by providing continuous exposure.
Creates new opportunities for teams to compete and grow their brands.
This initiative aims to become the premier platform for competitive paintball, building a foundation for long-term growth and stability within the sport.
Season Structure
Regional Hubs
The series will be hosted at centralized regional hubs across the country to reduce travel costs and maintain professional production standards. These hubs will serve as the primary venues for all matches, ensuring consistency in field quality and broadcast production.
Proposed Locations:
Los Angeles (West Coast)
Chicago (Midwest)
Texas (South)
Florida (East Coast)
Each hub will be equipped with:
Standard turf fields and layouts.
Production infrastructure to support high-quality broadcasts.
Local operations teams to handle logistics, refereeing, and on-site production.
Match Schedule
Matches will be held weekly or biweekly, primarily on Sundays, to create a consistent viewing schedule for fans.
Sunday Broadcasts: One match will be streamed each week.
Extended Gameplay: Matches will run for 30 minutes or more, with two 15-minute halves and a halftime break.
Double-Headers: Some Sundays will feature two back-to-back matches to maximize team participation and reduce travel costs.
This structure creates a must-watch weekly event that keeps fans engaged throughout the season.
Game Format
To enhance the viewing experience, matches will adopt a format designed for broadcast appeal and competitive depth:
Two 15-25 minute Halves: Longer matches allow teams to adapt strategies and create more compelling narratives.
2-Minute Breaks Between Points: Provides opportunities for analysis and storytelling during the broadcast.
Halftime Show: Incorporates player highlights, interviews, and team insights to enhance the narrative and build fan connections.
Possible Center Flag Format: Re-introducing a single easy-to-digest point of interest may make it easier for the average viewer to have something to focus on.
Other Entertainment: Exhibition & novelty matches hosted before or during halftime for entertainment purposes. Lean into cross-over opportunities with pro gamers, influencers & athletes.
Abstract: We need to be open to shaking up the status quo to create great action & draw in new fans. One idea worth exploring is slightly lowering paintball velocity (FPS) to encourage closer action and reduce pain, allowing for more dynamic on-field close engagement. Additionally, field layouts could be intentionally designed to create key action points. Any potential change should be carefully tested to preserve the core style and excitement that draw players and fans to the sport. Finally, we may want to explore some level of slight cross-over to mil-sim-inspired bunkers at the center 50. This may be pivotal to adapting new crossover fans.
Broadcast & Production Strategy
Platforms:
Matches will be streamed on YouTube, Twitch, Facebook, X, and potentially a dedicated platform to maximize accessibility and reach.
Production Team:
Local production crews will be hired at each hub to handle filming, commentary, and technical aspects.
A core team will ensure consistency in quality across all hubs.
Content Focus:
The broadcasts will emphasize narrative-driven content, including:
Player Profiles: Humanizing the athletes to build fan loyalty.
Team Rivalries: Creating compelling storylines that keep viewers invested.
In-Game Analysis: Providing strategic insights to educate both new and seasoned fans.
High Energy Commentators: Commentators only having to work for a much shorter period will allow more excitement & animation during the single match.
Key Benefits
For the League: Lower Overhead Costs
One of the key advantages of this model is the significantly reduced overhead compared to traditional multi-day events.
Here’s what a typical broadcast would require:
Referee Pay: Only one match’s worth of ref coverage, instead of staffing multiple games and fields across an entire weekend.
Field Rental: Renting the field for two hours is all that is needed, which could likely be covered by a local field sponsor.
Production Costs: Paying a half-day or hourly rate for a production company (or hiring an in-house team) significantly reduces setup costs compared to running an entire event.
Minimal Setup: No need to build new fields, coordinate multiple vendors, or cover excess operational costs that come with multi-day tournaments.
This model allows the league to focus on producing high-quality broadcasts without the logistical burden of a traditional event.
For Teams:
Lower Travel Costs: Regional hubs minimize logistical burdens.
Increased Exposure: Regular broadcasts provide continuous visibility for players and teams.
Travel is already happening: Teams are already traveling for practices, this could fit well into the current schedule and not increase additional travel needs.
For Fans:
Consistent Engagement: Weekly broadcasts keep the community connected year-round.
Enhanced Viewing Experience: Longer matches provide deeper storytelling and more exciting gameplay.
More Entry Points: By being featured online, for free, across many different platforms, there are more opportunities to reach new fans.
Build up the community: The entire paintball world can come together to watch 1-2 hours of paintball, encouraging discussion & community.
For Sponsors:
Regular Visibility: Sponsors gain consistent exposure through weekly broadcasts, ensuring stronger reach potential compared to the current 5-event structure.
Expanded Opportunities: Year-round engagement increases the value of sponsorship packages.
Field Traffic: As it gains popularity, the local community will want to come out to their field to watch pro paintball.
Revenue Streams Potential
The Pro Paintball Tour opens up new revenue streams that are scalable and sustainable in a way that traditional tournaments aren’t:
1. Broadcast Sponsorships
Selling ad space on weekly broadcasts to paintball brands and non-industry sponsors.
Opportunities for title sponsorships of individual matches or entire seasons.
2. Pay-Per-View Options
While the primary focus is on free live streams, there’s potential to introduce pay-per-view packages for exclusive content, such as behind-the-scenes footage, player interviews, or premium features.
Tipping is huge in e-sports, and may be a nice feature to include on the free stream in exchange for potential prizes, giveaways & shout-outs.
3. Merchandise Sales
Exclusive league merchandise tied to weekly matches.
Limited-edition drops for key matchups, creating urgency and excitement.
4. Team-Owned Content
Teams in the league can leverage their ownership to create additional content and monetization opportunities, such as player streams, social media collaborations, and branded content.
5. Event Sponsorships
Even with reduced event costs, there are opportunities to partner with local fields to cover field rental fees
On-site branding opportunities for sponsors at regional hubs.
6. Gambling Partnerships
There is growing potential to partner with a sports betting service to create an exclusive gambling platform for pro paintball matches.
This could involve:
Exclusive rights to represent the league for betting purposes.
The gambling service pays the league a flat fee or revenue share in exchange for the partnership.
New engagement opportunities for fans, creating more excitement around weekly matches.
Sports betting has been a major revenue driver in other sports and would provide an innovative way to generate recurring revenue for the league while keeping fans engaged.
Implementation Plan
Phase 1: Pilot Program
Launch a three-week pilot series to test the format, production logistics, and audience engagement.
Gather feedback from teams, fans, and sponsors to refine the model before a full-scale rollout.
Phase 2: Secure Hubs and Teams
Partner with an established field to serve as the first regional hub.
Confirm participation from key teams to create a competitive, high-quality product that drives fan interest.
Phase 3: Review, Expand, and Launch
Analyze data and feedback from the pilot series to fine-tune the format.
Assemble a pitch deck to present to potential investors and sponsors.
Sign additional professional teams to participate and become stakeholders in the league.
Why This Matters
The current competitive paintball landscape is fragmented and lacks consistent engagement from fans, players, and sponsors. The event-driven model is not a professional model, it is a hobby model. This creates long gaps between events where the sport’s visibility disappears. Without a continuous, centralized platform, paintball struggles to maintain momentum and grow its audience.
A weekly broadcast model solves this problem by creating consistent, high-quality content that keeps people engaged all season long. This model would be the first of its kind in paintball, offering free, easily accessible streams that could attract new fans, sponsors, and players.
There is a demand for this type of content. Millions of people stream sports, games, and entertainment online every day, and paintball is one of the few sports that hasn’t embraced this model. Paintball fans are already seeking more content beyond the current event schedule, and there’s a clear gap in the market for consistent, engaging broadcasts. Being the first to offer a weekly pro paintball series would establish this league as the leading platform for competitive paintball content.
The current leadership of the Pro League has shown no signs of proactively exploring new frontiers or making meaningful changes to elevate the sport. They have stuck with the same outdated model for years, focusing solely on in-person events without addressing the growing demand for online content. This stagnation is holding the sport back. Other sports have embraced digital-first strategies and consistent fan engagement that have driven massive growth. Paintball is behind the curve and needs a shake-up. The current leadership is failing the sport as a whole.
Without action, the risk of fragmentation looms large as independent organizers step in to fill the gaps left by the current pro league. The time to act is now.
Launching this project gives us a chance to control the sport’s narrative. Instead of relying on existing organizations to make changes, we can build something new that puts the focus on the players, teams, and fans.
The goal here is simply to provide consistent, quality content that grows the sport and brings new fans into paintball.
At the core of this project is a simple truth: We all love paintball. We’ve seen what the sport has given us, and we believe it can be more. The sport needs fresh ideas, new voices, and consistent engagement to grow beyond its core audience. It won’t reach its full potential under the current leadership.
The Pro Paintball Tour represents the next step for competitive paintball. Weekly matches keep fans engaged. Regular broadcasts give players and teams more exposure. Sponsors get consistent visibility. The sport grows year-round instead of only during events.
We have the passion and the plan. Now we need the right people to help bring it to life.
Next Steps
Identify Regional Hubs – Secure partnerships with fields that can host regular matches.
Build a Production Team – Assemble a core team to manage logistics and quality control.
Engage Teams and Sponsors – Pitch the concept to key teams and sponsors to ensure buy-in.
Launch a Pilot Event – Test the format and refine the broadcast strategy.
Closing Statement
This project represents a pivotal opportunity to bring the sport of paintball into a new era. By delivering consistent, high-quality content all season long, we can engage fans, provide more value to sponsors, and create new opportunities for players and teams.
We’ve built a clear plan with actionable steps, and now we’re looking for the right partners to help bring this vision to life. With the right support, this can be the start of something that truly changes the sport’s trajectory.
The groundwork is set, now it’s time to move forward and build the future of pro paintball.