From the Sporting Goods and Manufacturers' Association
Highlights
PAINTBALL PARTICIPATION TRENDS ARE UP
NORTH PALM BEACH, FLORIDA - October 21, 2002 - Paintball - what was 'extreme' is now becoming mainstream. That appears to be the case if you check the latest stats from SGMA International, based on the Superstudy(r) of Sports Participation (conducted by American Sports Data, Inc.).
Since SGMA International started tracking paintball participation in 1998, there's been a steady upward climb - 5.923 million participants in 1998; 6.364 million participants in 1999; 7.121 million participants in 2000; and 7.678 participants in 2001. This equates to a 29.6% increase in overall participation from 1998 to 2001. The number of frequent (15+ days per year) participants also increased from 793,000 in 1998 to 1.414 million in 2001 - a 78% increase.
Listed below are some other relevant facts on paintball's frequent participants.
- It's a man's world. 85% of frequent paintball players are male.
- Youth reigns. Nearly 90% of frequent paintball players are aged 12-24. The average age is 17.9.
- Financial Factoid. The average household income is $48,200 for frequent paintball participants.
- Where are they? The South and North Central parts of the country have the most frequent paintball players - 41% live in the South and nearly 35% live in the North Central part of the country.
- Small Town U.S.A. Thirty-six percent of all frequent paintballers live areas with less than 100,000 population.
- The second largest concentration of paintballers live in metropolitan areas with more than two million people.
According to SGMA International's Recreation Market Report, wholesale sales of paintball equipment have also been rising - $170 million in 1999; $195 million in 2000; $225 million in 2001; and almost $400 illion in 2004. SGMA International, owner of The Super Show(R), is the global business trade association of manufacturers, retailers and marketers in the sports products industry. SGMA International fosters industry growth and advances members' interests through market research, communications, public policy, sports promotion, and international business development programs.
From Paintball 2Xtremes Magazine's January 2001 Issue
According to American Sports Data Inc., paintball has recently moved ahead of snowboarding as the fourth largest alternative sport in the United States. Their study concluded that more than 5,900,000 people played paintball at least one time in 1999, and that 793,000 play at least fifteen times per year. The results of a recent Paintball 2Xtremes poll of paintball field operators in the U.S. shows that the average player spends around $44 each time out to the paintball field. Simple math indicates that those 5,900,000 people spent approximately $259,600,000 in 1999, and that number does not account for people that played more than one time in 1999. We do know that almost 800,000 people played paintball fifteen times in 1999.
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 — approximate circulation 420,000 copies
- Paintball stores in the U.S. Approximately 1,160
- Paintball fields in the U.S. Approximately 950
- Number of players worldwide More than 11,600,000
- Number of competing teams in the U.S. 5,500
- Paintball products carried by K-Mart 176
- Number of paintball web sites 1,827
- Countries where paintball is played 104
- Number of paintball items listed on Ebay 3,267
- Number of series' or league events in U.S. 220
- Paintguns sold in the U.S. per month Approximately 67,000
- Universities with paintball clubs/programs 105
