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Is Airsoft a dying sport?

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  • Is Airsoft a dying sport?

    As a long time air softer (2006>) I've been to a range of sites all over the place from outdoor, indoor CQB to one off events and specialist games run by ia designed for more serious players etc etc.
    I've not been for the past few months due to work, home life demands but when I was going regularly with friends
    I noticed that a lot of the sites seemed to be quieter on experienced players, or some sites not having much In the way of any players at all! I certainly know a lot of players that have packed in the sport due to overpricing and poorly run days, I'm going down the lines of the same reasoning and thinking of calling it a day

    Between a lot of airsoft shops being nothing but over priced pedantic traders lacking in many supplies and guns that were once readily available at a reasonable price and sites that think it's ok to charge >£40 for 5 hours of broken gameplay and call it a full day with poor organisation, putting people off...

    Do you think airsoft is a dying sport in the U.K.?

  • #2
    Re: Is Airsoft a dying sport?

    No, it's definitely growing. My local site plays every Sunday and is usually 70-150 players, when I started 12 years ago we struggled to get 30 regular fortnightly as the hobby was smaller and less socially acceptable.

    Prices on physical retailers has always gone up (my BBs used to be £5 are now £11) but I think that is due to the market and cost of overheads more than anything else. Unfortunately the cost difference means I only buy online unless there is something specific on the day I need.

    As with anything growing and becoming popular, you always get individuals who want to profit and play the short game. The problem with sites is they're not regulated or monitored, find a field and suddenly it's acceptable to be an airsoft site. From my experience these type of sites have no idea how to run an event or have the understanding of what makes a good objective (chokepoints, tempo and unique missions). A site I went to regularly was fantastic due to the head marshal being a player and heavily organised. The owners continued to run the site after he left but simply have no idea what makes good gameplay, and so they struggle to find 10 players and no doubt will(should) close early this year.

    Saying all that, put your money where you have fun. I'd rather travel further out than always play at my local site (10mins away) simply because their objectives are the same week in and week out.

    I see a long future ahead for UK Airsoft, it will definitely get more popular and grow but I do believe regulation will be required in the near future.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Is Airsoft a dying sport?

      There are a lot more sites and retailers than there were in 2006, so I'd say no, it's not dying.

      When I started airsoft circa 2004 there were probably only about 4-5 recognised retailers in the UK. Now, I wouldn't have a clue how many there are

      I believe the reason some sites are quiet isn't necessarily down to the lack of overall players, but more attributed to the fact there are more sites available now

      So if you're disheartened with retailers and sites, shop around and vote with your feet!
      Originally posted by Nun-Chuck
      I'm down every games day at EAG buddy just give me a shout and I'll whip it out, can have a squeeze too if you like.
      Originally posted by deanfirst
      why not use zeroone's escort service?

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Is Airsoft a dying sport?

        I'd agree 100% with what Fizzy says, there are sites springing up everywhere, which has to be a positive sign, I do think paintball is struggling a bit though..
        "This is my rifle, it's just a toy one, there are many like it, they're toy ones too, without it, i'm £250 better off, without me, it gathers dust in the corner, we're just big boys playing soldiers, lets try and remember that" play fair have fun.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Is Airsoft a dying sport?

          Yep agree

          I think the paintball struggle is to do with cost potentially, I went many moons ago and it cost a fortune spent nearly £120 on the day and from what I'm told prices have gone up!

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Is Airsoft a dying sport?

            I'm finding the games to be growing, but getting hold of stuff is beginning to get on my nerves. Go on any uk retailer, go on airsoft weapons and see how many are there. Then click 'in stock only' and watch 90% disappear. I've wanted to buy quite a few things in the past month, and nobody has stock.

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Is Airsoft a dying sport?

              Originally posted by W0lf View Post
              I'm finding the games to be growing, but getting hold of stuff is beginning to get on my nerves. Go on any uk retailer, go on airsoft weapons and see how many are there. Then click 'in stock only' and watch 90% disappear. I've wanted to buy quite a few things in the past month, and nobody has stock.
              Not necessarily the retailer's fault. Some of it is down to the distributors. Because there are more retailers, distributors seem to be having a hard time supplying everybody, so they're having to wait longer for stock, and when they do get a delivery, it's only a partial one

              You will also find that the smaller retailers stock is 'sale or return' so they're not actually purchasing stock. They tend to be further down the distributor's pecking order for getting items
              Originally posted by Nun-Chuck
              I'm down every games day at EAG buddy just give me a shout and I'll whip it out, can have a squeeze too if you like.
              Originally posted by deanfirst
              why not use zeroone's escort service?

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Is Airsoft a dying sport?

                Id say it's definitely growing (at least down south it is), 2 of my closest sites which are dedicated paintball sites, regularly turn higher numbers for airsoft than they do paintball.
                dsgdreamteam

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Is Airsoft a dying sport?

                  It's growing at one hell of a rate. I started skirmishing back when there were only three sites in the whole of the UK (yes, i'm that old), and first started buying airsoft guns when Hamleys were selling the old build-it-yourself kits, which if memory serves were made by Academy (which is close to three decades ago now). There are now more retailers and sites than there have ever been, so no, it's not dying.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Is Airsoft a dying sport?

                    Not dying, "Evolving" may be a more suitable term.
                    Regards pricing, everything has gone up, so why should airsoft be any different, don't want to buy bb's for £11 a bottle, not a problem, you have a choice, splurge a ton of cash on 50k+ of high quality bb's, or be cheap & buy some market stall puke yellow 0.12's, super cheap but likely to kill your hop after one or two mags.
                    Whether sites are improving is another matter, I've also been playing for a long time, & have been lucky to have played some epic sites, some of which are no longer available to us, & to be honest most of the games I've played at what I consider to be "new"-ish, have left me kinda deflated, & feeling that their either poorly organised, or the clientele take the game (more like themselves) way too seriously, too much "gamesmanship" (aka cheating), coupled with too much aggression towards other players.
                    These aspects will deter some people from putting down roots at a particular site, even if its their "local".
                    Plus sites are expected to have more features, plain woodland is so last century lol, people want buildings/bunkers/vehicles etc, & again couple this with poor management, in this era of social media, forums & YouTube, sites soon get the shit ripped out of them in a very public fashion, in turn affecting numbers.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Is Airsoft a dying sport?

                      Playing airsoft seems more popular to me. But don't forget, life can get in the way and regulars' priorities change too.

                      There are loads of retailers, worldwide. And it is a smaller world; I find it easier and more reliable buying airsoft products from Poland than it is from Portsmouth (sadly).

                      Forums certainly seem to be quieter. Am not on Facebook but can easily believe that is where new people first turn to for information. As older players more inclined towards forums drift away from the hobby, so then forums get quieter.

                      Certainly companies such as ASG, G&G, Nuprol and ICS; who seem well stocked throughout the UK (for good and for bad) have never made getting into airsoft more easier or cheaper than when I first started in 2005.
                      Wanted - Western Arms Beretta M1934 GBB

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Is Airsoft a dying sport?

                        The sport is growing well , forums on the other hand don't seem to be , and that goes for many types like car clubs etc . A lot of younger people don't even know what a forum is so Facebook doesn't even need to try hence why it's rubbish lol

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Is Airsoft a dying sport?

                          Originally posted by lemon191 View Post
                          A lot of younger people don't even know what a forum is so Facebook doesn't even need to try hence why it's rubbish lol
                          Ha! Yeah! The amount of confusion when Facebook stopped RIF sales was surprising. People genuinely didn't have a clue what to do without Facebook
                          Originally posted by Nun-Chuck
                          I'm down every games day at EAG buddy just give me a shout and I'll whip it out, can have a squeeze too if you like.
                          Originally posted by deanfirst
                          why not use zeroone's escort service?

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Is Airsoft a dying sport?

                            Lol, if Facebook imploded tomorrow I'd have a bloody big party, I only go on there for some of the funny mickey takes mates put up, but the rest of it, the whining disinformation spreading keyboard warriors & dopey "kids" proclaiming their word is law........ffs, rot in fb hell you twats.
                            Fb is the worse thing to happen to airsoft EVER.

                            Rant over lol

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: Is Airsoft a dying sport?

                              I think Facebook is good and has its place , it's great for picture sharing , communicating etc but as a place for information and advice? No thanks it just doesn't cut it. However Facebook can keep all the idiots

                              Comment

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