USPL 2009 Schedule

USPL 2009 schedule from in a press release

Surf City Open April 3 – 5, 2009                        Huntington Beach, CA
DC Challenge May 15 – 17, 2009                     Washington D.C
Bay City Open June 12 – 14, 2009                     San Jose, CA
New England Classic July 31 – August 2, 2009             Boston, MA
West Coast Open August 28 – 30, 2009                  Venue to be Announced
World Championships October 2 – 4, 2009                    Venue to be Announced

Registration for the Surf City Open begins on February 16, 2009 at USPL’s site.

The USPL offers 3 titles for divisional teams to win: Conference titles, East and West; and a National title. In order to win a conference title, a team must have played in 3 events. To win the national series title, a team can only have played in 1 event. That teams top 4 scores will count towards the national title.



USPL Surf City Open

USPL is off to a start with their first event in Huntington Beach, California. Registration for this event begins on February 16, 2009 and will be capped at 130 teams. Seeing as their was probably 130 D2 and D3 teams at the NPPL huntington Beach event last year, I suggest that your team register and pay as soon as possible. At this time,  no site, phone number, or address has been set up for registration.

Divisions
– Professional (Invite Only)
– Division 1 7-man entry $2,350
– Division 2 7-man entry $2,150
– Division 3 7-man entry $1,850
– Division 3 5-man entry $1,100

Classifications
– Professional – Anyone on a 2009 pro USPL roster or 2009 NXL roster
– Semi-Pro – Anyone that played pro in 2008 but is not on a 2009 pro roster
– D1 – Unlimited D1 players, unlimited SP players and up to 2 Pro players
– D2 – All D2 players, up to two D1 players, no SP or Pro players
– D3 – Only D3 players
– 5-man – Cannot have any NPPL experience (this classifies them as D3 5-man) with the exception of up to one D3 7-man player.

I have no info, at the moment, on what the roster caps will be for the USPL nor do I know if they are going to use the NPPL player database for confirmation on a player’s divisional status.

Prizes

Division 1
1st $9,000.00
2nd $4,250.00
3rd $2,250.00
4th $1,500.00

Division 2
1st $6,500.00
2nd $3,250.00
3rd $2,000.00
4th $1,000.00

Division 3
1st $4,250.00
2nd $2,250.00
3rd $1,250.00
4th $750.00

Division 3 5-man
1st $2,000.00
2nd $1,500.00
3rd $1,000.00
4th $500.00

Not sure if there are going to be series prizes.

USPL Press Release

U.S. Paintball League (USPL)

(Huntington Beach, CA) – Sixteen Professional Teams have invested heavily in forming the US Paintball League (USPL) – your paintball league. The player-owned league is dedicated to growing the sport of paintball across the United States by offering 7-man play from Division 3 to the Professional level in addition to a division of 5-man.

Season Opener Confirmed: Huntington Beach, CA April 3 – 5 2009
The 2009 season will consist of six events held across the United States. The following teams will be competing in the 2009 Pro Division:

Chicago Legend
D.C. Arsenal
Edmonton Impact
Indianapolis Mutiny
Los Angeles Infamous
Miami Rage
Oakland Blast
O.C. Bushwackers
Phoenix United
Sacramento XSV
San Antonio X-Factor
San Diego Dynasty
San Jose Explicit
Scottsdale Elevation
St. Louis Avalanche
Tampa Bay Damage

The 16 teams have formed a five-member Board of Directors to oversee the league. The USPL has recruited some of the most experienced promoters in tournament paintball; Chuck Hendsch, Camille Lemanski and Tom Cole.

Hendsch, former president of the National Professional Paintball League (NPPL) has been named Commissioner of the USPL. The Commissioner will handle executive decisions and report to the Board of Directors. Lemanski, former Vice President of Media and Marketing for Pacific Paintball, will be handling the day-to-day operations of the league as the General Manager. Tom Cole, also a former President of the NPPL, will be the Ultimate Official.

Alex Fraige of San Diego Dynasty said “although this league is owned by the pros, the mission is to make it your paintball league.”

The 16 owners have already discussed many changes to satisfy all players interested in playing the 7-man format. Rich Telford of Sacramento Excessive went on to explain that “much emphasis has been placed on catering the events toward the lower divisional teams and making the series as affordable as possible. Highlights include lowering entry fees, adjusting the schedule to reduce time away from school for younger players, streamlining the registration process to make it easier and more enjoyable for teams to check-in and walk the fields, introducing an exciting, faster-paced schedule of games and setting up a Steering Committee with representatives from all divisions so everyone’s voice can be heard.”

Individuals interested in serving as a representative on the Steering Committee should email [email protected] with his/her team name, division and phone number.

More details on the league and the 2009 season, including the registration opening date for Huntington Beach, will be released in the days to come. In the meantime, please email [email protected] for more information.

US Paintball League is a player run organization that governs Paintball tournaments and play. The USPL in conjunction with the Pro Team Association will host 6 events in the US where Paintball teams compete and are awarded points in four divisions Professional, Division I, Division II and Division III to determine an overall Paintball champion in each division. The USPL is committed to setting rules, standards and guidelines for safe, competitive, fair Paintball competitions worldwide. For more information call 714 858 1923.