Question for the refs

[uncleted]

Looking at opening a field and was wondering what kind of pay refs usually get ? This will be a large woodsball course, 10 hour days, also trying to make part of it UV glowball.

[SignOfZeta]

State Minimum, pretty much.

[Chuck E Ducky]

The better the field the better the pay the better the refs. Good refs are key to a good experience. Good experience is key to a successful paintball business. Payroll is an overhead cost so your business needs to support the overhead. Starting out unless you have massive capital and a great location. You are just going to have to pay competitively to local available jobs and adjust accordingly as your business progresses. That being said It’s location dependent so asking random fields/refs isn’t the best litmus test.

I will say this if you are looking to start a paintball business. OSG paintball in Barnstead NH is 2nd to none. It started renting 98s out of the back of a beat up Puckup truck into one of the best paintball destination fields in the US. If you are looking to start a paintball business I highly suggest checking out how that place operates, advertises, and handles customer service.

-Set pay bands and test.(example)

Minimum wage + $1–$4/hr (or 10–25% above) for reliability.

Adjust for skills: Refs need quick decision-making, rule knowledge, safety enforcement, and people skills—often filled by regular players.

Review every 6–12 months or after your first busy season.

-Tie it to your budget and role needs.

Calculate what you can afford: Project revenue (e.g., players per session × ticket price) minus fixed costs (rent, paint/gear, insurance). Labor for refs is usually a small slice.

Consider total compensation, not just cash: Paintball refs love perks like free/discounted play, half-price paint, gear discounts, flexible weekend/summer hours, or even tips in some setups. These are huge for retention in recreational businesses and cost you little.

[uncleted]

That’s what I was wondering I am near a big university so help shouldn’t be hard to find. I also know they have to have some training courses for my insurance like CPR training, wasn’t sure if that demanded a higher pay. Really just wasn’t sure how many it is going to take on a large spread out field. Also I was wondering if refs sometimes worked for a lower hourly wage in return for perks at the field, (discount paint, free admission, wholesale gear prices.) There are no courses nearby to compare to. Closest legit field is 2+ hours away. We have had a field and played since the early 90’s, just never went public or have used refs. Appreciate the info. Debating weather to start a smaller indoor glowball field and run it year round, or start with the bigger outdoor field that could easily handle 100 players at a time but only be able to be open for about 7-8 months a year. Would like to eventually do both. The indoor glowball field would be small and have to book time slots to play, I just think the new Uv glow ball looks fun and would bring in players from further away. How many refs do you think a single field running say 30 vs 30 in the woods would need to be efficient? Not help with sales or anything just refs on the field ?

[uncleted]

One more question looking for options…on rental setups do you think it’s better to offer 2 classes or guns. Like tippmann rentals and then a higher class of Emeks or just stick to all higher end rentals? My theory is nicer faster guns will shoot more field paint= more sales? Or offer both options ?

[GattoDiavolo]

Fogging masks also becomes a safety concern because renters often pull their masks to wipe a fogged lens

[Cyberpyr8]

I would say one type of marker (like Ecapnation said, you will need more spares for multiple models) but offer upgraded hoppers. An Emek is a totally different beast with a better hopper on it. Some fields I have seen have regular Emeks and then the upgrade package has the Emek with the protoys hopper and and a better barrel. People will pay the difference and they also shoot more paint (win-win). Also if you do 50 cal, the Emeks can do that and you can have overlapping spares and parts. If you haven't bought markers yet, reach out to PE about being a dealer. The first purchase they offer a bigger discount and you can get all of your equipment at a lower cost. Plus going forward you can get a discount on the markers or parts you need.

[Chuck E Ducky]

Get emeks and dual pain lens rental masks. Again it’s an investment in the experience. If you have capital the to do so. If you don’t make it your first upgrade when you do.

You could always up sell hoppers like OSG they offer LTR rotors now with rentals. A new player is walking on the field with Zero equipment disadvantage right from day one. This is key because it builds a fantastic first time experience.

Good refs and good rental equipment should be priority #1 they can make or break a field.

Priority #2 would be sourcing and properly storing quality paint.

[Ecapnation]

Stick to one type unless you want to keep double the amount of spare parts

[GattoDiavolo]

Around me, the .50 cal "low impact" games are fairly popular for the younger players (birthday parties, etc.). If you're considering a second set of rentals give some thought to whether that might work in your local area. Otherwise I recommend keeping it to Emeks.

[Cyberpyr8]

Back to your first question, pay the good refs more to keep and reward them. A good ref can make or break a players day. Working with them to see what they do (or don't do) and helping them get better, will pay off for you. I watched refs to see what they did. Then I would work with them to help them improve their skills as a ref. It makes them happier and the field better. We started off the refs at a base pay then started bumping up as they progressed. The ones that didn't progress, we kept lower and they either got better or left.

A couple of suggestions. Take it for what it's worth. But I implemented a timer between games. When the ref comes back from the last game they reset the timer for 6 minutes. They ref told the players to get filled up and ready to go. In 6 minutes start calling the players up. It keeps the games moving and eliminates large lags between games. That's a bigger frustration to players than owners realize. Plus, when they are on the sidelines you're not having them shoot paint and potentially making more money. And if your rental fleet is limited, you want to turn it around quicker.

The other thing, if I were to start a field today, I would have a plan to host parties and have that be my focus. Then I would offer the paintball field as the special feature. You will make more profit from parties than you will a field full of renters. The party is for a set amount of time and a set cost. You know what you are going to get. The renters may or may not spend a lot. But the party is a given minimum. Make the party easy for the people hosting it and they will come back and recommend you. I would have or partner with a pizza place or even have the ability to get food for the party. If you can get a ref that is fun and excited, they will make the party great. Those refs are mostly dedicated to that. Because the parties are going to be what makes you the most money. Everyone thinks it's speedball or renters, but that's not the case. I would open a party company that has a paintball field. I know as a a player that doesn't sound fun. But as a business owner it's the reality.

Good restrooms and offering food and drinks will also be helpful. Don't forget the essentials!

Good luck!

[GattoDiavolo]

These are all excellent points. You want to keep your players on the premises as much as possible, so food & restrooms are an essential part of the experience.

[uncleted]

Is there any other things you would incorporate in this party business besides having the paintball field and offering food? This is where the indoor glowball field might be the better option, then I could offer better accommodations, year around play, and possibly other sources of entertainment….. just not sure what. Was going to put in a nice golf simulator but that is something we have plenty of locally so decided against that. Would always be able to offer the course for private airsoft parties but I didn’t plan on offering rentals for that it just doesn’t seem popular here. Im open for ideas tho.

[Cyberpyr8]

Just remember that you are in the entertainment business that has a paintball field. That's where a lot of fields falter. If you do indoor field with glowball, maybe look at an arcade or something like that. Even in 2026 they are still popular, plus it's a good indoor activity. The field I managed had a trampoline park and arcade attached plus, a kitchen there where they made and sold pizza and hot dogs/hamburgers etc. The kitchen made a decent profit and kept people there spending money.The arcade was a hit with all ages and made them money. The trampoline park was expensive to setup ($300k) and you needed a lot of staff to make sure it was safe. I wouldn't recommend that, but something like an arcade with video games and skeeball type stuff would not need a lot of staff and keep people involved. For parties with smaller kids, it would be a draw.

I don't know how popular glowball will be, but for parties it might be interesting. Something else to consider is having a photographer always there. At Orlando paintball they have a photographer and they post the pictures each week so people will come back to your facebook page or website. I really appreciated being able to get some pictures of playing. If you have someone that likes to take pictures put a camera (or iPhone) in their hands and let them do it. Even refs could take some while they're out on the field. Have them upload them at the end of the day to post to social media. People want to remember the experience.

Whatever you add to paintball, try to find things that don't need a lot of supervision with staff. It's just lower overhead and with something like an arcade, charge a flat fee to play it or even charge for tokens to make sure you are making some money on it. That also doesn't need a lot of infrastructure added to your location to make you money. I would also partner with a bakery if you could to offer cakes for birthday packages. You could upsell it and both of you make some money. Having a dedicated room or rooms for parties to be hosted would be great. You could have some basic decorations there and then parents could bring in their own stuff too. If it's easy for a parent to do a party there for a bunch of 10 year olds, they will tell everyone. Trust me on that.

[Cunha]

Good refs are the whole field so just figure out what you gotta do to keep the cool ones around.

[boomersruckus]

Put 50% of your profits back into the field one way or another. Not your pocket. The number of fields that start and die due to someone trying to make a living off of paintball is ridiculous. This field needs you to work a real job until the 50% of the profit you can take home matches your current pay.

[RPP]

Over the years Ive noticed this more and more. Its become easier and eaiser to tell which fields invest back into their "product" and which fields just "milk the cow dry" so to speak. My local field just redid all the netting on one of their fields and it transformed that whole section of the park.

[uncleted]

I didn’t have those numbers on paper yet but this is something I would want to last long term and hand it down to my daughter. I’ve played for 29 years and there has never been a decent field locally I’ve watched a dozen try and fail and I don’t plan on this failing. I hope it can sustain itself but don’t plan on it for the first few years and will put money into it until it does. I’m not really a “half asser” if I’m going to do it it’s going to be something I would want to play at and bring my kids too, I just never understood why paintball didn’t take off more then it did, it’s one of the best team building and exciting sports out there in my opinion but just never seems to get any bigger atleast here in Michigan.

[RPP]

uncleted , Kudos to you my dude. As someone who has a pipe dream of doing the same thing one day im super happy for you.

[uncleted]

Wow, didn’t expect this much great advice, really appreciate it. I 100% agree on the mask I planned on all the rentals being higher end thermal just because I know personally how much a bad mask can affect your day being fun or miserable. Didn’t plan on charging extra for the mask I think they are cheap enough wholesale where I don’t have to charge a premium.

I’ve never played .50 cal paintball and really never thought of that being an option i guess. Is it more focused on being “less painful” for the younger crowd? I started playing when I was 7 and remember it being scary but that was part of the fun. I was just going to make sure people understood the rules and have a zero tolerance on any type of foul play with younger kids or anyone for that matter, and I know that’s where having a good group of refs comes into play. I’m not sure how popular .50 cal is around here im guessing not very or I would have ran into it by now?

I love the idea of mainly focusing on private parties and planned on being available for that at all times but also my main focus was a few very large games a year with continuous play, no breaks between games. Similar to hell survivors game play.

Already planned on capitalizing on the food for sure and catering it ourselves, I think there is some decent money to be made just by offering good food.

I also agree on the bathrooms but there is my hangup. This property will have electricity but it has no buildings or a well at this point so was going to start off with having portajohns and just have enough of them where they stay clean and have them switched on regularly. I would like to have a permanent set up but it wasn’t in the plans for the startup. I could do a big pavilion for the private parties but planned on just a couple large tents with picnic tables to get things going and really focus on marketing the big games and try to draw a crowd of 100+ players a weekend.

Any idea on number of refs it would take to cover a 10 acres woods ball field? Like i said it would be continuous play with objectives and different strategy games. Also have plans to have a tank or 2 that will be available for players to rent rides in so that requires a driver as well.

As far as the distributor goes I am getting set up with Gi sportz but would love be a PE dealer.? I’ve been a PE fan since the first gen E blades came out. Any dealers recommend a different route besides Gi sportz? Last time I had a wholesale license was with National paintball supply so it’s been awhile but first time speaking to GI sportz the guy helping set it up use to work for National paintball supply, lol small world. Again thanks for all the input really appreciate it.

[Cyberpyr8]

Sorry to keep jumping in here but this is my wheelhouse.

50 cal as an option is a good thing to get younger players in. Even if you only have enough to do 10 players at a time, you could offer it. Just limit those parties when you book them. People (mom's) will do the low impact a lot of times and it is the gateway drug to getting players to eventually come back and play 68 cal.

Doing the food yourselves will be a good way to make easy money. A lot of fields don't realize how much they lose by not offering it. Even if you do it at a slight loss or break even, it is a big draw for players. Especially if you are going to focus on parties, the food is a big deal.

A portapotty is ok as long as you keep them clean or swapped out. If you do outside fields they will be enough. You just don't want to have to have parents going to a gross porta potty. They won't come back. But if you do indoor, the bathrooms would be a big selling point (more than you would probably know). Make sure you can take electronic payments with no issues. Our local field does that with their POS system but they also have an ATM onsite. On the rare occasion when their POS system went down, we could pay for it all with the cash from the ATM. I bet they don't pay for that ATM either since it's owned by someone else.

For 10 acres you're going to need a fair number of refs. I guess it depends on how many players will be on the field at a time and how visible it all is. You will want refs at point to cover the whole field the best you can.

Reach out to PE sales to see what they say. Another thought is HK Army. I know people hate them, but they sell more than just their own stuff (Valken used to also do this but they are gone). HK would allow you to buy all kinds of products from multiple manufactures they have partnered with. But your GI agreement might cover you as well. I would talk to them and see that they can do for you. Then you can fill in the gaps with others.

[GattoDiavolo]

Like I said, the .50 cal games appeal to younger kids (and their parents) near me (Battle Creek Paintball). They use the same fields (NOT with 68 cal players at the same time), so there's not additional investment to set up a dedicated map. It's mostly birthday parties and it gives a wider group of kids (and their parents) a taste of the game.

If you use portos, make sure to get the ones with a big vertical handle on the inside of the door. It makes things easier for the women, who prefer to "hover" over the seat. (sorry- probably TMI, but my wife is particular)

I think a big pavilion is a great start. Many fields I've played at are lacking in the shade department at the staging area. Plan out the staging area for future expansion (more picnic tables, a 2nd pavilion, etc.). I don't have a good ratio of refs to field size, because it matters how much of the field is developed and in use, the number of players on the field, etc. I think 1 ref per 12 players is a decent ratio, though.

[uncleted]

On a side note any idea who I would contact to get my old account back on here ? I have an account from like 2004 or something I was pretty active on here.

[Cyberpyr8]

There was a hack a while back. Those accounts are gone.

[uncleted]

That makes sense I’ve spent hours searching for threads and keywords and looking up old emails ….I will stop doing that lol thanks.

[ATBen]

Experienced refs seem to run about $200-250 Canuckistani Dollars per 10hr day around Southern Ontario. That's around $150-185ish orange-man backed greenbacks?

First year new refs without any experience usually get minimum wage. But they seem to come back because they get plenty of extras. At least until they go away to college/Uni. My local field treats their refs pretty good; access to home team discounts for speedball leagues, free entry for walk on games or events they aren't reffing at, the odd lunch, etc.