Starting a Field? Input please!

[ArmyEngineer]

Hey guys,
So, the local paintball field is closing down. The end has apparently been a long time coming based on the reputation it has garnered. It was a 7000 sq ft indoor reball field, and it was horrible.

I was there last Saturday for a test run of my marker, and no one who worked there knew ANYTHING about the sport. I asked the two guys in the shop if they had a spare VL Revolution door lying around and they replied, "I don't know what that is." They didn't even know that a fiberglass tank requires a rehydro every three years. The guy argued with me when I told him mine was expired, so I pulled my rhino skin off and showed him, The building is still full of paint from before the switch, and they had never washed the reballs. I asked when they planned to clean them all up, and the guy said that they had been meaning to do it for a while and even had an industrial adhesive remover, but that they hadn't gotten around to it... So I went home and wrote the owner an e-mail asking him to give me a chance to fix his field. This evening I learned that they are closing.

In a matter of weeks, paintball in Huntsville will either be outlaw ball or a little over an hour away. I am not okay with that. I would be, but Bearclaw is not regularly open. Does anyone here own or run a field, and can you comment on its profitability. What percentage of revenue is from equipment sales? I understand that there is a lot of financial liability ranging from insurance to property tax to utilities. All I am asking is if it is possible to break even if you are starting a field from nothing. I wouldn't be trying to make a living in paintball, but I would like to think that if someone dedicated and somewhat knowledgeable made an attempt, the game could succeed here. What is the best way to fund the launch of a field if you can't do it with your own wallet alone? Please offer whatever input you can.

Thanks!
AE

[Shirow]

Hey guys,
So, the local paintball field is closing down. The end has apparently been a long time coming based on the reputation it has garnered. It was a 7000 sq ft indoor reball field, and it was horrible.

I was there last Saturday for a test run of my marker, and no one who worked there knew ANYTHING about the sport. I asked the two guys in the shop if they had a spare VL Revolution door lying around and they replied, "I don't know what that is." They didn't even know that a fiberglass tank requires a rehydro every three years. The guy argued with me when I told him mine was expired, so I pulled my rhino skin off and showed him, The building is still full of paint from before the switch, and they had never washed the reballs. I asked when they planned to clean them all up, and the guy said that they had been meaning to do it for a while and even had an industrial adhesive remover, but that they hadn't gotten around to it... So I went home and wrote the owner an e-mail asking him to give me a chance to fix his field. This evening I learned that they are closing.

In a matter of weeks, paintball in Huntsville will either be outlaw ball or a little over an hour away. I am not okay with that. I would be, but Bearclaw is not regularly open. Does anyone here own or run a field, and can you comment on its profitability. What percentage of revenue is from equipment sales? I understand that there is a lot of financial liability ranging from insurance to property tax to utilities. All I am asking is if it is possible to break even if you are starting a field from nothing. I wouldn't be trying to make a living in paintball, but I would like to think that if someone dedicated and somewhat knowledgeable made an attempt, the game could succeed here. What is the best way to fund the launch of a field if you can't do it with your own wallet alone? Please offer whatever input you can.

Thanks!
AE

I can't offer you any useful advice other than:

1) It's awesome that you're thinking about doing this and..

2) Try sending a PM to breakaway (or breakawaypaintball, I don't remember) on here - he recently took over my local field which was in very bad shape. It's an outdoor field and not quite the same kind of situation but it had gone far downhill. He may be able to offer some advice.

[Chrishew09]

I don't own a field, but my good friends owns a field and we talk about his finances with it. The money is not in equipment rental, that all goes towards overhead like, rent, insurance, electricity, taxes........ the money is in the paint, a case of paint cost like $23-$28 and the average sale price can be like $50-$100.

If that field was the only one around and it went out of business then there's a good change there is no customers around to keep the business profitable.
Owning a field is a nice notion but it's business venture, and as such requires lots of time, motivation, determination, and most of all lots and lots of capital (AKA cash)

[Daze]

Are Phoenix and Misson out towards Athens both closed down? I thought at least one was still open. I know that Liberty Paintball is still open, but it's almost as far as Bearclaw.

Good luck getting something started. It would be nice to have a decent field in Huntsville for once.

[kruger]

I do own a field here in Rome, GA. Not too far from you. And, if the conditions are as you stated, then I know why nobody went to that field. The owners attitude has a lot to do with how a field does. If the owner doesnt have an interest in the field other than making a buck, then, the field will not make it. You have to take an active interest in the field, only hire people that have an interest in paintball. You need more than some jerk to take up money and hand out paintballs to help out. Also, try to run the field the way that you would want to play it. Keep your prices at a level that will allow you to pay your bills, but also be not too much of a hit on the player. If you have only premium paint, and have to charge 80 bucks for it, then you are gonna price your casual player right off the field. I usually keep two grades of paint, field grade and mid grade. The new player does not care what kind of paint he uses, and the experienced player knows that mid grade is good enough. If your field is gonna be a speedball only field, then take into consideration that speedballers usually carry a certain attitude with their style of play. Not everybody is a speedballer and this type of attitude will scare the new players away, or, at least scare their mom's enough that they wont be back. If it is Woodsball, or even a mix of both, then you need to make sure that your customers know how you expect them to play. NOTHING sours the new player more than seeing blatant wiping or playing on, and nothing is done about it. Takes the fun right out of a game. Set your rules, and stick by them no matter who wants to break them.

Also, I dont have a store at my field, there is no sense to it. I do have accounts with most suppliers so that I can order anything. If you dont have a lot of stock sitting around, you dont have to worry about selling a gun to get your money back. I do have some small stuff, drops, tanks, fittings, ect. But, no guns. The internet has made the paintball store a very "iffy" situation. You can get a massive amount of money tied up in guns and gear, and have to sit on it till it can sell.

Build you own field, dont tie up a bunch of money in the blowup fields unless you plan to hold tournaments there. The blowups are a pain to take down, put up, store, patch, ect. Make your field easy on you. Most guys are just looking for a place to sling paint, and somebody to sling it at. After you get a regular clientele, and see what you can make in a month on average, then you can see about getting the blow ups. Lots of things affect the turnout at a field. Holidays, major sporting events, weather just to name a few. Put as little into your overhead as you can get away with, and still run the field. If you think that you are going to make a killing, and you invest a load of money into your field up front, you may be in for a surprise.

These are just a few thoughts I am tossing out at you. If you want to talk about stuff, then you can PM me and I will give you my cell number and I will be glad to tell you anything that I can about it.

Good luck

[WickedKlown2]

Are Phoenix and Misson out towards Athens both closed down? I thought at least one was still open. I know that Liberty Paintball is still open, but it's almost as far as Bearclaw.

Good luck getting something started. It would be nice to have a decent field in Huntsville for once.

ArmyEngineer,,,

I think Pheonix on 72 caught fire again some time ago and I am not sure if they have re-opened or not but here is their web link : http://phoenixpaintballdivision.net/ ... I know that one of the Wiley's Outdoor Sports had a indoor field (either Huntsville or Decatur,,, I can't remember which)...

Kruger has a Great Field in Rome, GA. and you should try to make it to the next AO South (should be in the Spring '10)... Scenario Paintball Games (Kruger's Place) is one of the best kept secrets in our neck of the woods... Once you play at his field you will be spoiled and not see any other field the same...

I have family that lives in Athens and next time I make it down I will send you a PM so we can link up... Also I will be going to BNCOC Phase II at Redstone in the near future and will hit you up then as well...

I hope this somewhat helps

WK2

[Daze]

Looks like Missions is down, but Phoenix is running games. I've seen some questionable things from Phoenix's ACEs teams and hear all sorts of rumors about the fires and owners in general. Be prepared for another one of "those" fields if you go. I hope you're plesantly surprised.

[ArmyEngineer]

Thanks for all the info, guys. I have the motivation to start a field and run in a manner that would keep the most particular players coming back for more. FPS Paintball has failed due to a lack of knowledge, enthusiasm, and commitment on the owner's part. No one wants to play on a neglected field, much less a neglected indoor field.

The median age here is around 36, and last years employment data shows that a little over 1 in 5 people are employed by the government. That means lots of financially stable households and fairly affluent customers. Having played the game for over a decade, I have seen some success and a lot of failure. I realize that a field is a huge investment and that such a venture cannot be undertaken without a great deal of research, time, and money. Chattanooga has an indoor/outdoor facility, which seems to do quite well as it will accommodate the two styles year round. That type of setup would be my goal. I am going to try to get in touch with the owner and glean from him what I can.

My first order of business will be finding out why fields have failed here in the past.
I haven't made it out to Athens yet, but I have heard good things about Liberty and high Speed Paintball. Phoenix sounds like it is having a hard time. High Speed is the closest field at 45 minutes away.

I will be in touch with everyone that has offered to answer my questions. I really appreciate it! (I have to get to bed so I can get back to work tomorrow. This overtime thing is wearing me out!)

[WickedKlown2]

As far as I know Phoenix lives up to it's namesake when it comes to fires... The last one they had was it's forth... The owner was kind of cool but his employees where not the nicest of people... My Father who lives in Athens gives me regular updates on that place every time it mysteriously catches fire... They do have a AGG mentality at Phoenix so watch yourself if you do decide to play there...

Insane Paintball in Chattanooga is a good place and very helpful... I am sure the owner there will be a great asset to help you out...

Also Kruger is a wealth of knowledge that you need to tap into as well...

WK2

[FutureMagOwner]

Theres three pieces of advice that I can give you, number one is hit up the field owners BST on pbnation to save money on getting a lot of the equipment you are gunna need to get a field off the ground. Second is you gotta get the local kids from your high schools and middle schools to want to come to your field regularly, best way of doing this is to have entry fees for regular folks but have membership fees like a gym that the kids can get that way you can have them coming in almost every night of the week after school instead of maybe once every other weekend. If you do that you'll be making enough to break even at least, and on top of that you can basically make pure profit off of the guys that aren't regulars. My final piece is, as you already know is make it fun, it doesn't matter how good of a deal you make it to people if the place is run by either idiots, or jerks.

My final bonus piece of advice is to sell me that emag you got in sale forum :D

[cdc120602]

http://www.pentagonpaintball.com/

I've been extremely happy with this field. Paint is cheap, Sundays are free play and there's LOTS of variety. The owner is ALWAYS there, the store is right next to his house (literally) and the fields are his backyard. I know he makes money on the place, but he has fun doing it! Kruger was spot on when he commented on the owner's attitude having a lot to do with how the field does. Good luck!

[Skeeter]

Lots of good info in the previous responses... The single most important factor is dedication by the owner. PM me for more details about this.

You, as a potential owner, will ALMOST NEVER be able to play paintball, once you start moving towards the "ownership" role. Can you dedicate every Saturday and Sunday, for the "rest of your life" to the sport, without playing anymore? If no... Then stop right there. If yes, then lets talk...

Some scenario style info:
http://www.pbjunkie.com/forums/scenario-big-game-5/producers-promoters-field-owners-im-having-issues-29559.html

There are also some historic threads on AO where the same questions have been asked, and many good responses given. Do a little searching, right here, and you will find a HUGE body of knowledge on the subject...

Seriously... PM me, if you want to discuss what it takes to keep a field/store running. I have been at it for 13 years, with another 9 years of playing/managing/reffing prior to field ownership.

[Sweet Tooth]

I just found this thread...

Max Lenox (now Sweet Tooth) from MCB here.

You know that if you need any thing, I'm just up the road.

If you need to contact me, you can send me a PM on here, MCB, PBJ, or just send me an email. Maxerdo01 (at) gmail.com

[ArmyEngineer]

I just found this thread...

Max Lenox (now Sweet Tooth) from MCB here.

You know that if you need any thing, I'm just up the road.

If you need to contact me, you can send me a PM on here, MCB, PBJ, or just send me an email. Maxerdo01 (at) gmail.com

Hey Max, I spent some time digging through various resources, and it is looking rather difficult to start a field right now. We need a good facility, but I just don't have the money yet. But I'm saving my pennies hoping that an opportunity will present itself. With lending as tight as it is right now, I just can't make it happen. Plus, the city ordinances are insane. The city council is far from paintball friendly. I need to send you a PM.

[DevilMan]

Are you wanting to do indoor or outdoor?

I know the plastic bunkers at Krugers field were great as they could be made into anything and last forever.

MAKE SURE YOU GET GOOD PAINT!!! I don't mean high dollar paint, I mean paint that melts away after breaking. I can't tell you the exacts on here as I don't know them offhand, but I have access to them.

I know that TAG uses a paint that is light blue in color and after it breaks on a bunker about 45 minutes later it's pretty well clean. It does not stick, and does not form that sludge crap that other paints do. There are a few places that ZMan and I pressure washed the sludge from the barrels/pipes and such and since doing so and using that paint no more sludge build up on it. Same goes for gear and clothing that has been painted with it.

I know I "work" for 2 fields in CA. IT's not so much work as its take care of things when they are busy. In return I get discounted rates and such... Getting paid that way can be alright for someone who has normal income, but always keep in mind that nothing is free. So keep your employees square on what is expected and what they can get in return as in the end you have to know where the funds are going and if it is worth it.

DM