We just received the following press release in our inbox. According to the information below, the CFOA just inked a major sponsorship deal for the 2011 paintball season. Congratulations!

Empire Paintball, one of the most well-respected manufacturers in the paintball industry, offering several of the most widely known and highest quality products available, have reached an agreement with the CFOA to once again support the league as a League Presenting Sponsor for the 2011 season. “For the 6th year in a row, Empire Paintball is pleased to support the CFOA,” said VP of US Sales, Johnny Postorivo. “The CFOA has always put on an outstanding event series, with top notch locations and event support for the Southeast.” This arrangement will enable players and teams to shoot Empire’s brands of paint at  all the CFOA events in 2011 as well as purchase a selection of Empire’s tournament grade paint’s such as All-Star, Evil and the prestigious Ultra Evil at the events.

“Thanks to the support of Empire, the CFOA will continue offering great events and will continue to make bold steps to reduce the cost of competing for players at all levels in our region. We are really focused on bringing the fun back to tournament paintball in 2011, and none of this would be possible without their generosity and faith in what we do,” explained Event Coordinator, Ken Barrett.

About Empire Paintball:
Empire Paintball offers a variety of paintball products from warehouses across the United States and Europe and supports several of the most successful professional tournament teams in the world. Infamous, Dynasty, XSV and Vicious each found extensive success shooting Empire brand paintballs. The world’s top professional teams also wore E-Vents goggles on their way to the top of the podium. Empire continues to offer some of the best and most stylish clothing and performance wear available today.

About the Carolina Field Owners Assocation:
The CFOA will promote nine events in various formats and divisions in 2011 at venues across the Carolinas. For more information or to register for an event, visit the official league website online at www.thecfoa.com.

Paintball Sports Promotions (PSP) has just released their 2010 affiliate program with other regional tournament series’ nationwide, along with a map depicting the locations in which these series will be held. Read on for the official statement released including dates and the regional map!

January 15, 2010 – Paintball Sports Promotions (PSP) is pleased to announce the creation of a network of affiliate regional tournament leagues that, along with the PSP, share the goal of introducing the “RaceTo” format to players throughout the country.

These affiliated leagues will work together to provide a consistent experience for players across leagues and divisions, as well as create a universal player ranking in conjunction with the APPA that fits both the regional and national levels.  Over time, this system will provide a national ranking for teams at every level across the United States, allowing a player to compare his/her team to those playing in other leagues on the other side of the country. As this system grows, the ability to rank teams will extend to ranking individual players.  For the first time, the sport will have a true national ranking for both categories, enabling players to measure themselves against competitors.

The affiliate leagues heading the 2010 Unified National and Regional RaceTo Format include:

Ryan Bosch, Arizona Paintball Players League (AZPPL), www.theazppl.com
Larry Motes, Carolina Field Owners Association (CFOA) Tournament Series, www.thecfoa.com
John Smith, Central Florida Paintball Series (CFPS), www.cfpsevents.com
Jeff Stein, New England Hurricanes
Lane Wright, Paintball Sports Promotions (PSP), www.pspevents.com
Carl & Karen Bortol and Greg Pauley, Vicious Series, www.pbnation.com/forumdisplay.php?f=531
Mike Hinman, West Coast Paintball Players League (WCPPL), www.wcppl.com

By partnering with these leagues and implementing player rankings, the sport of paintball will be unified from top to bottom, coast to coast.  This network will continue to pursue expansion across the country with the ultimate goal of creating a more unified sport.

2010 Unified National and Regional RaceTo Format Schedule:

• January 23 – 24, 2010: CFPS Event #1
• February 20 – 21, 2010: AZPPL Event #1
• February 20 – 21, 2010: CFOA RaceTo-X Event #1
• February 27 – 28, 2010: CFOA RaceTo-2 Queen City Masters
• March 6 – 7, 2010: CFPS Event #2
• March 6 – 7, 2010: WCPPL Event #1
• March 19 – 21, 2010: PSP Phoenix Open
• March 27 – 28, 2010: CFOA RaceTo-2 Dirty South Open
• April 9 – 11, 2010: AZPPL Event #2
• April 10 – 11, 2010: CFOA RaceTo-X Event #2
• April 17 – 18, 2010: CFPS Event #3
• April 24 – 25, 2010: CFOA RaceTo-2 Tarheel Open
• May 1 – 2, 2010: Vicious Series Event #1
• May 15 – 16, 2010: WCPPL Event #2
• May 22 – 23, 2010: CFOA RaceTo-X Event #3
• May 29 – 30, 2010: CFOA RaceTo-2 River JAM
• May 29 – 30, 2010: CFPS Event #4
• June 5 – 6, 2010: Vicious Series Event #2
• June 24 – 27, 2010: PSP Chicago Open
• June 26 – 27, 2010: CFOA RaceTo-2 Carolina Classic
• July 9 – 10, 2010: CFOA RaceTo-X Event #4
• July 17 – 18, 2010: CFPS Event #5
• July 17 – 18, 2010: WCPPL Event #3
• July 24 – 25, 2010: Vicious Series Event #3
• August 7 – 8, 2010: CFOA RaceTo-2 Atomic FallOut
• August 13 – 15, 2010: PSP Mid-Atlantic Open
• September 11 – 12, 2010: CFOA RaceTo-2 Dog Daze Challenge
• September 11 – 12, 2010: CFPS Event #6
• September 11 – 12, 2010: WCPPL Event #4
• September 18 – 19, 2010: CFOA RaceTo-X Event #5
• September 18 – 19, 2010: Vicious Series Event #4
• October 2 – 4, 2010: AZPPL Event #3
• October 20 – 24, 2010: PSP World Cup
• November 6 – 7, 2010: CFOA RaceTo-2 Homecoming
• November 13 – 14, 2010: CFOA RaceTo-X Event #6
• November 13 – 14, 2010: WCPPL Event #5
• December 4 – 5, 2010: AZPPL Event #4

ProPaintball.com staff just uncovered news of upcoming lawsuits that could greatly alter the cost and quality of your favorite local and national tournament series.

Updated 12/31/09 with a statement and clarification from Craig Miller of Ultimate Airball.

ProPaintball.com inside sources are reporting that bunker manufacturer Ultimate Airball is gearing up for a legal campaign against Sup’Air / AdrenalineGames and possibly US-based leagues utilizing the SupAir products.

As far as we can tell, the issue with the paintball leagues is the use, display and “promotion” of patent-infringing products. Back in 2007, Ultimate Airball was granted Patent # 7,223,185 for a “hide behind bunker system and kit with impact dampening anchors”.

Sup’Air \ Adrenaline Games first introduced inflatable air bunkers in 1997 in Toulouse, bringing tournament paintball out of the woods and onto the turf. While this moment is a sure landmark in paintball history, this lawsuit could mark interesting times ahead for AdrenalineGames / Sup’Air.

From the looks of the Ultimate Airball website, things are starting to heat up:

Today, Ultimate Airball® is proceeding to successfully defend their Patent through amicable licensing agreements, and has returned to full production of the toughest inflatable bunkers ever made, and the dealers and field operators have collectively applauded the return of Ultimate Airball®!

Judging by the list of customers on the Sup’Air ball website; affected leagues may include the USPL, PSP, RPL, CFOA, WCPPL, GPL, and the NCPA.

Potentially, the concept of “use, display and promotion” could be applied to paintball parks as well, including but not limited to CPX, Giant Paintball Parks, Pev’s, CFP, etc.

Update 12/31/09: Craig Miller has informed us that Brimstone & Ultimate Airball have no intention of going after the paintball parks themselves.

While the details have yet to arrive as to the result of the Ultimate Airball licensing agreement, this could spell rising tournament and field fees worldwide. Stay tuned to ProPaintball.com for updates as this story unfolds.

Update 12/31/09: Craig Miller filled us in on the delay between being granted the patent and enforcement of the intellectual property:

The reason for our delay in defending our Patent is because we spent
more than a year negotiating with our competitor, which resulted
in a mutually agreeable legal arrangement, which was signed in
Washington DC, but the competitor almost immediately breached
the agreement and failed to fulfill their signed, legal obligations.
This left us no more choices.

The fact is, Brimstone is looking for absolutely nothing that is not
ours. The Paintball industry is funny regarding patents and
intellectual property. It is a cottage industry full of opportunities
for inventors and designers, many of whom begin as players. So,
you’d think that the player base would want to protect their own,
and show loyalty to inventors that come up with a “better mousetrap”
that improves the game.

But sometimes, it seems to be the reverse. We’re a company of
players. At 52, I still play at big games and scenarios every year.
Our original labor force was a Team – Brimstone Smoke. So when
a foreign company failed to compete with our improved tubeless
system and finally contracted with China to illegally make carbon
copy knock-offs of our much better design, it seems that players
would side with us, the originators.

– Craig Miller, UA

As reported on earlier via VFTD, Dave Youngblood (DYE), Lane Wright (PSP) and Rob Staudinger (Paintball Central), among others, are meeting in Las Vegas to discuss the PSP 2009 season. Prior to this mornings announcement (NPPL/Pacific Paintball LLC. throw in the towel), major discussions were to begin in the PSP camp regarding the often dreamed upon one league (one format, one brand, one league).

With the NPPL filing chapter 7 and liquidating its paintball holdings, Lane and Co. will be focusing on how they plan to weather the economic downturn (recession, depression, call it how you see it).

Ideas being tossed around include ending the NXL (as mentioned previously on PBR) and replacing it with professional and semi-professional divisions, increasing the ties with regional series (AXBL, CFOA, etc.) and patching up the relationship between the PSP and Millenium series. With that said, it should be noted that the NXL has been financed for a long time by Smart Parts and they will not be too happy about putting that dog to rest.

On the subject of brand names, rumors are circulating that the PSP is looking for a new series name that they can better brand on the industry. Apparently Procaps holding the X-ball trademark hasn’t helped the organization expand into new mediums and they will be looking for a new brand name. With that being said, word on the street is Smart Parts will be bidding fiercely for the rights to the NPPL brand name.

2009 could very well be the year we see an NPPL branded Xball format.