.......Frequently Asked Questions: FAQs About Your Day at A1 Paintball Scotland UK

A1 Paintball FAQs

Your Questions Answered

 

1. WHAT IS PAINTBALL?
Paintball is the fastest growing Sport in the World, and one of the most exciting you will ever play! It is a cohesive team sport that requires mental agility, enthusiasm and team dynamics, to eliminate members of the opposing team in order to acheive an objective.

2. WHO PLAYS PAINTBALL?
As long as you are reasonably mobile and in good health, you can play paintball. People of all ages, backgrounds and levels of fitness play the Sport to date. Just adopt a role in your team that you feel comfortable playing.

 

3a. WHO ARE A1 PAINTBALL?
A1 Paintball is a family run, independant organisation, and not members of any Franchise, Group or Network Agency. We are therefore proud to be able to offer ALL our Customers a personal, comprehenisive service throughout their experience. We have offices in Bathgate, West Lothian, however our superb, Award-Winning 25 Acre Venue is based in Midlothian on the Edinburgh and Lothian border - just 8 miles from the Edinburgh City Centre. Our central location is easy to get to, and only approx 10-15 minutes from the City By-Pass, M8 (J3) and M9 (J1) Junctions.

 

3b. WHY A1 PAINTBALL?
Paintball is just paintball right? You get your coveralls, marker (paintball gun), mask and run around shooting your friends, family or work mates, yes? Absolutely....but NOT at A1 Paintball. A1 is not just a place where you can go and shoot your team-mates (though this is truly one of the best bits!) - it's also a place where you can relax, have fun, build relationships and make new friends. From your very first call we endeavour to make your experience as enjoyable as possible, and of course offer you a fast, informative and efficient service both off & on the site. A1 offers a very high standard of health and safety - with quality equipment and professional staff. We are also a fully licensed and insured, award winning provider, offering the best value for money possible. Don't just take our word for it, see what our Customers have to Say....

 

4a. MINIMUM AGE RESTRICTIONS
Please, please, please be wary of Paintball Sites that advertise they take children as young as 8 years. The Recommended Minimum Age for Paintball set by the UK Paintball Sports Federation is 12 Years (11 years if the children are in Primary 7 or above). Any player participating in paintball activities must be aware that there are risks involved in paintball, and adhere to the safety rules. Young children, no matter how mature you think they are, may not fully understand certain safety implications, and thus conduct themselves in a manner which may put themselves or others at risk. The equipment is also weighty, and younger children may well struggle to hold the marker (paintball gun) properly. Paintball is a Safe Sport to play when managed by Professionals, thus the Minimum Age is there for a reason, and we as professionals, stick to it. Please support us.

A1 Paintball are Committed to Supporting & Promoting Professional, Responsible, Safe Paintball Activities for Children.

 

4b. PARENTAL CONSENT (for Children under 16 yrs)

 

All children 11-15 yrs old require parental letters of consent to be brought with them on the day, with the addition of parental / guardian supervision for 11-13 year olds (see above). Supervising adults do not need to play, but can of course if they want to! Consent Forms can be obtained from A1 at the time of booking (you can also view / print these via the link button below) or you can provide your own signed parental letters.

4c. FAMILY GROUPS (Mixing Adult and Kids Packages)
If you have a family group / mixed group, do not worry, you can still play together regardless of the packages you choose. For example, if you have 8 players, with 4 children and 4 adults, you can choose 4 x Rookie packages and 4 x Sniper packages, and you will still play together.

5. IS THERE A MAXIMUM AGE LIMIT?
As long as you are reasonably mobile and in good health, you can play paintball. Maurice Gibb (of the infamous Beegees) actively played Tournament Paintball right up until he sadly passed away. If you have a long-term medical condition, we do advise that you consult your GP before considering participation in any adrenaline sport.

6. HOW ARE GROUPS / GAMES ORGANISED ON THE DAY?

On busy days where we need to pair groups, we endeavour to run like for like parties together i.e. childrens with children, adults with adults, stag groups with stag groups etc.( With older children, in particular youths 15-17yrs, an adult group is often more appropriate for them to be paired with.) Exclusive events may be possible on quieter days, or if you have a large group of 20+ players.

 

With regards to the overall group size that you will be playing with on the day, this often depends on the number of players we have on Site at any one time. For example, if we have our 100 player capacity, we would run 3 to 4 of our Game Zones at any one time, meaning an average overall group size of 25-30 players per game zone. Please note however, that we do NOT split up your individual party. With regards to games played, games usually last approx 10-15 minutes long and we will run one game at a time for chilren's parties, with 'best of two' on each game zone for adults.

 

7. WHAT SHOULD WE BRING?

• A pair of old boots / trainers.

• Change of clothes / shoes if the weather is wet.

• Comfortable clothes you don't mind getting dirty.

• Money / purchase cards should you require any additional paint, sundries or goods from our tuck shop.

• Completed parental consent forms for all children under 16 years.

• A wooly hat / hood is also a good idea for added protection at the back of the head, though not essential. (You can purchase hats on site as well. )
• Map / directions for all drivers / leaders.

• And most importantly - a sense of humour and a willingness to get stuck in!!

 

8. CAN I BRING MY OWN PAINT?
Please do NOT bring rogue paint on to the Site. The Paintball Games Industry survives on it's paint sales as much as a Pub survives on the sale of Alcohol! You wouldn't bring your own drink to a pub, so please do not bring privately bought paint to our Site - you will not be permitted to use it! There are also quality issues to consider. Rogue paint is often bought from non-paintball industry retailers over the internet, where industry standards are not met. Some of these paints are highly staining and may have other harmful qualities which can damage clothes and equipment, not to mention our beautiful woodland site and it's inhabitants. In addition to this, our markers (paintball guns) also require a certain calibre of paintballs, and if not met, paint will shatter and clog up the internals of the equipment rendering it useless.

9. DOES IT HURT?
Ah! The big question. Getting hit by a paint pellet, especially at close range, can sting a bit. This however is part of the game, and - for the vast majority of players - is a big factor as to what makes the Sport so exciting! For most, the fun, action and adrenaline rush you get from playing paintball, far outweighs the pain involved! If you are worried however, don't forget that we do provide full-face protective masks, full length coveralls (under which you can adopt as many layers of clothing as you like!), armoured gloves and now our NEW Chest Protectors / Body Armour! You will never feel more confident in battle with the comprehensive, quality kit we provide.

10. DO I NEED TO BOOK?
Yes. At present, we operate to demand, and will prepare for your day some time in advance. We need to ensure we have availability for your group, and then of course organise the correct staffing, paint and equipment levels to run your session. Please see our Full Terms and Conditions for full details on how to book, flexible payment options and more. Alternatively, you can enquire via our Secure Contact Form.

 

11. HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
At the end of the day, this largely depends on how much paint you shoot. On average, most Customers shoot 400 paintballs in any half day session, 600+ in a full day. Our game zones are designed for maximum enjoyment and playability, and not just to make you shoot more paint! However individuals may find that they shoot more or less than the average advised, depending on how trigger happy they are - or not! At A1 Paintball we like to think that we offer all our Customers the 'best value for money' possible, which means high standards of fun, safety and service at consistently low rates.

 

12. WHAT PAYMENT METHODS DO YOU ACCEPT?

A1 Paintball tries to offer flexibility to its customers. We can accept cash (do not send cash through post), cheque, or any of the listed credit / debit cards (via telephone or online via PayPal). We can also accept cash or card payment (over £15) on Site, for those purchasing paint on the day. 2% Fee for Credit Cards & 3% for Corporate Purchase Cards or Amex (fee wavered for Organisers paying at the time of booking).

 

13. STRICT NO ALCOHOL / DRUGS POLICY

Please ensure that all members of the group are not under the influence of drugs / alcohol when they arrive on Site. Playing paintball whilst intoxicated comprimises your own safety and the safety of those around you. A1 Paintball reserve the right to exclude any persons from games / the site, who may be under the influence of drugs / alcohol, or who may by way of ignoring instruction, be a risk to themselves or others.