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Paintball Statistics

Paintball Business News

According to American Sports Data Inc., paintball has recently moved ahead to the third largest alternative sport in the United States. Their study concluded that more than 10,357,000 people played paintball at least one time in 2006, and that 1,891,000 play at least fifteen times per year (2006). The average player spends around $44 each time out to the paintball field.
Simple math indicates that those 10,357,000 people spent approximately $455,708,000 in 2006, and that number does not account for people that played more than one time in 2006.

How big is paintball getting? We've been working on this for several months and have come up with data to support the following figures. Try these industry numbers on for size.

Major Magazines - 16

Countries where paintball is played 104 (as of 2002)

Number of paintball items listed on Ebay 13,732 (Nov. 16, 2007)

In a one week period in October of 2001, paintball was the sixth most popular search term on eBay  

Paintguns sold in the U.S. per month Approximately 67,000 (2004)

Universities with paintball clubs/programs 105 (2004)

Paintball – 56% of all paintball participants list ‘private property’ as the most often used venue to play the sport.
                  The average paintball participant is male, age 12-24, resides in a city of at least 500,000 people. (SGMA 2006)

THE WORLD OF PAINTBALL: A ‘BIG PICTURE’ PERSPECTIVE



WASHINGTON, D.C. – October 30, 2007 – While the sport of paintball may be a ‘new kid on the block’ in the world of sports, it’s the ‘real deal’ at the cash register. According to the Paintball Sports Trade Association’s Paintball Industry Shipments Report (compiled by the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association), global sales of paintball equipment have been up and down in recent years. In 2006, global wholesale sales of paintball equipment sales reached $434 million. They were $427 million in 2005 and as high as $537 million in 2004. The U.S. accounts for approximately 85% of the worldwide business.

When it comes to tracking the paintball business, there are five sub-categories -- markers, paintballs, goggles/masks, tanks, and accessories. Markers account for the largest portion of the business.

According to SGMA’s 2007 Sports & Fitness Participation Report, paintball participation in the U.S. is strong and growing. In 2000, there were 3,944,000 paintball players. By 2006, there were 4,960,000 paintball participants – about a 26% increase. It’s worth noting that more than 51% of all paintball participants are considered ‘core’ participants – they are playing the sport eight days or more each year. Of the 2,542,000 ‘core’ participants, 1,891,000 are considered ‘frequent’ participants – i.e. those who play the sport 15 days or more each year.

“It’s worth noting that the average number of days played per paintball participant is 21 days a year, which exceeds the minimum criteria for a ‘frequent’ player,” said SGMA Vice President Gregg Hartley. “That means the ‘frequent’ players are quite dedicated to the sport and probably spend the majority of their recreational time simply playing paintball.”

Listed below are some other newsworthy facts and figures on paintball:

  1. Paintball participants are spending about $111/year on their gear and supplies – which ranks the sport among the highest in the area of per participant spending. 
  2. 79% of all paintball participants are male.
  3. The average age of a paintball participant is 22.4 years of age.
  4. Roughly 18% of all paintball participants in 2006 were first-timers.
  5. The average household income of a paintball participant is $67,300/year.

SGMA, the trade association of leading industry sports and fitness brands, enhances industry vitality and fosters sports and fitness participation through research, thought leadership, product promotion and public policy. SGMA produces signature industry events including the Spring Market trade show, Sports + Technology Convergence, Industry Leaders Summit and National Health-through-Fitness Day on Capitol Hill. More information about SGMA membership and SGMA's Sports Research Partnership can be found at www.sgma.com.

More information about the paintball industry can be found on a new website for the Paintball Sports Trade Association (PSTA) at www.paintball.org.


 

  • Baseball/Softball ($497 million);
  • Basketball ($385 million);
  • Paintball ($330 million);
  • Soccer ($280 million); and
  • Football ($130 million).
     

    Sports apparel sales rose

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    Most Popular Extreme Sports in the USA
    (U.S. population; 6 years of age or older)

    1. Inline skating: 16,490,000
    2. Skateboarding: 11,382,000
    3. Paintball: 10,357,000
    4. Artificial Wall Climbing: 8,869,000
    5. Snowboarding: 7,304,000
    6. Mountain Biking: 6,466,000
    7. Trail Running: 6,167,000
    8. Wakeboarding: 2,697,000
    9. BMX Bicycling: 2,480,000
    10. Mountain/Rock Climbing: 2,299,000
    11. Roller Hockey: 2,094,000
    12. Boardsailing/Windsurfing: 535,000
      2006 SGMA

     

    Safety Report

     

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