English
A lot has happened in the DPL in the past few weeks and months. The players were asked to take several important votes that would decide the future of the league and the league game format. As part of these votes, we spoke to DPL Managing Director Sven Reimann and wanted to know from him first-hand how the votes turned out and what influence this would have on the future design of the DPL.
As a result of the Corona situation and the resulting termination of the 2020 season, those responsible at the DPL decided at the time to hold the league in the so-called split-season format in the future. In other words, a season starts in summer, has a winter break and ends next summer. The first half of the season is in one year and the second half is in the other year. Practically like you know it from football or other sports. However, since the split season was not particularly popular with the players and the tournament sport, which had been struggling for years anyway, now lost even more players and teams, action was forced. So the DPL decided to involve the broad base of the sport, namely the players and teams, more in the organization of the season and carried out a binding, groundbreaking vote for the first time in its history. Every active, registered DPL player of the current season was entitled to vote and could vote on how he would like his favorite sport to be in the future. The core topic of the first round of voting was the split season and whether it should remain. The result was more than clear, because 94.3% of the players voted to return to the usual game rhythm from before the Corona period. So a very clear no to the split season. The DPL kept its word and announced that from now on the "old" rhythm would be played again. For the players, this means that from now on all game days of a season will be played within one year or within one summer. However, since the 2021/2022 season was still being held as a split season, it will now inevitably end in the middle of 2022. This initially led to a problem and ultimately to another vote.
In order to prevent the teams from taking too long a break if there is no league play in the following months, the DPL took action. "Unfortunately, there have been too many long breaks and the associated adrenaline deprivation in the past two years," says DPL Managing Director Sven Reimann. "Lockdowns and the break times have taken their toll and it is therefore essential to follow up on the last few days of the 2021/2022 season." He adds to us. Incidentally, we as the editorial team and former or still active players see things in a similar way. – What would half a year be without DPL tournament paintball ? At best boring, but in the worst case a really serious cut for the entire paintball tournament sport in Germany. In order to offer the players an exciting and special experience, the first thought was to bring about the transition to the usual rhythm through a "super season". In the super season, instead of the regular four game days, six regular game days would be played. In the current time, which probably poses special challenges for everyone, it has become more difficult than ever to commit to your team for such a long period of time. After all, the super season would extend over a total of six game days over a period of one and a half years. Furthermore, some teams feared that this would also result in a significantly higher financial burden.
In order to counteract these fears and the long commitments, a new vote was called to enable a quick return to the usual rhythm of play. This time the question was whether to play in a super season or in a shortened season with only two match days, which will be held this year (2022). This makes it possible to return to the usual rhythm as early as the 2023 season. So the DPL's specific question to the players was:
The following graphics illustrate this:
The result of the survey was clear and a total of 78.7% voted in favor of continuing the game without the super season .
This means the following for the future of DPL tournament sport: There will be a shortened season with only two match days in 2022. This starts in August and ends in October at the latest. The climbers will be chosen after these two matchdays. The 2023 season will then take place again in the “usual” league rhythm with four match days a year, i.e. in the 2023 calendar year. The season culminates in early September 2023 in the newly introduced DPL SuperCup.
Already towards the end of August starts now as
o the new season as a shortened SPRINT-SEASON. But not only that is new, the DPL has also tinkered with the entire league structure. Starting in summer 2022, there will be five divisions, on two matchdays each with one goal, the championship or promotion to the next higher division. The Verbandsliga and the 3rd Bundesliga will be completely canceled. In addition, the 1st and 2nd Bundesliga will be merged to form “the” Bundesliga in the future. The new SuperCup has been added as an additional event at the end of the season. You can see the exact structure of the new league structure in the official graphic.
The game mode is also new. From now on there is no longer a 3-man format. The district league already starts as a 5-man format. This means that in the future, from the lowest to the highest league, the teams will be played with the same strength. This simplifies the promotion from the district league to the state league, where teams have repeatedly failed in the past due to a lack of players or the switch from 3-man to 5-man format. In order to make the whole thing easier to calculate in terms of costs, the DPL has also decided to replace the previous "MERCY" game format, in which you win when you reach a certain point advantage, with a "RACE TO" format. The players now know before each match exactly how many points are enough for a win. If you play "RACE TO 2", for example, the team that has 2 points on its account first leaves the field as the winner. So the paint buyer in the team knows that after 3 points it's definitely over. With these changes and the elimination of some divisions, the DPL would like to bring the remaining tournament teams closer together again. This should ensure full leagues, more fun and shorter distances to the higher divisions. New additions are the beginner's game days and the beginner's tournaments as part of the DPL. Interested newcomers are given the opportunity to get to know tournament sport at DPL level without having to register for a whole season. Both the beginner's game days and the beginner's tournaments can be played individually, everything can, nothing has to. In addition, there are special beginner courses and rule courses where you can get information and further training on the subject of DPL tournament sport. With this orientation, the focus of the DPL is again much more on recruiting young people and creating a new basis.
In all divisions, the old “Mercy” format will be replaced by the new “Race to” format. This makes the playing times and the paint consumption easier to calculate for the teams, but also for the field operators and league coordinators. Beginner days and tournaments, district and state leagues are advertised at all locations in order to be able to offer entry and the first league experience as regionally as possible.
All venues, conditions and detailed information will follow on the DPL website in the "League Info" section.
After the pandemic, the DPL is looking forward to finally creating unique and professional tournament paintball for the future together again! From now on the new approach is called together. A German paintball league that is shaped by the players and whose main goal is the player himself. Because in the end, the players out on the fields are exactly what the DPL is all about.
We welcome this new approach and the significantly more open approach of the DPL. Of course, it was high time to critically question some old structures or simply throw them overboard, but sometimes that's just easier said than done. Let's hope that this positive development will not only bear fruit, but will also continue in the coming years. If the DPL is willing to listen to their players a bit more here and there and the DPL players might forgive one or the other misstep of the past, then paintball tournament sport could finally go uphill again in view of this new concept . We are looking forward to it and wish you a lot of fun for the new season. And now, of course, the DEUTSCHE MEISTER 2022 follows.
