Paintball field

I have recently gotten into paintball, son got me hooked. First off, let me say I am a extreme rookie, having played about 4 times. But I am HOOKED to say the least. So hooked on this, that I am researching buying some land and opening my own paintball shop and field/fields in Virginia Beach, VA. Had a few questions though about what more seasoned player would be looking for. What I am thinking is buying about 10 to 15 acres of land. What would players be looking for? I was thinking of dividing the land into 1/2 acre lots, and building different types of scernios on the lots. One would be a speedball field, one a wood/forest type, maybe something with buildings like you were taking over a city, some open fields with cars, bunkers, etc.. Any other suggestions from anyone here? For an office/store, would have guns, paintballs, accessories, maybe a shooting range to test out guns. Would include equipment to fill different types of tanks.
 As far as pricing, what would be preferred? A flat monthly rate (like a membership to a club) or a per visit type of fee? I was thinking 30-40 a month, with a free tank fill up per day that you come to play. Any other suggestions that might help bring players in? There are no other fields here in Virginia Beach that I can find, most everyone just plays in woods that they can sneak into.
 Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. The more suggestions and ideas, the better.

So, am I thinking right? different scenrios would work? What would player be looking for? also, what about fees to charge, what would work for players? And yes, once I get this going, if you show up, you play for free when you are there.

umm dood are you dead cereal? lol ok i play at my local field and they have like 4-5 fields and it is awsome.  if you have a lot of fields it will add alot of veriety and people will come back again and again to play all your diff fields.  BUT!!! if you have a large area with fields all over, make sure you have some sort of bus or shuttle system to get players the the back fields.  they didnt have them at this one field i was at and it was like a 15-20 min walk to the back fields.  No one wanted to walk all they was back so we didnt play back there

yea if you set up a store there are a lot of sites you can go to and order wholesale field packages, you mihgt want to look into them, ill try to find a few that i have seen

Yo that would be sick. Having a course like that. I would travel for nj to go there, but only 4 one day..lol. great idea...R u rich cuz thats gonna cost some $$$

I hear ya, not everyone would have to buy a membership to play, you could do it on a day by day difference. Think of a tanning bed place. My wife goes to one, and it costs her 21.95 a month. Now, for a single session it costs someone 8 bucks. So, if you go thru times a month, you lose money vice paying for the membership. So, it would be a choice, play and pay by the day, or commit to a membership and can play as often as you like.
     No, not rich. I have at the most maybe 40 grand that I could come up with on my own. Of course I would be maxed out as far as money if I did that. But, there are two other guys that are interested in it, and if we pool our resources and get a good presentation to the bank, might be able to pull it off. Good friend of mine is in the banking industry so that helps.
     Other ideas I had was to form a league. Like a bowling alley, people can bowl for the hell of it, and also there are leagues there. Prizes and stuff like that for the best team. What I was thinking, 10 acres, one acre goes towards the store, food court, locker room space, etc., one acre for the parking lot. That leaves 8 acres left over. Two acres would be woods, for different types of games. Maybe even two one acre fields. That leaves 6 acres left over, split into 1/2 acre fields that would be 12 fields for speedball or whatever else we come up with. Would need space for bleachers, walkways, stuff like that. so lets say their is 5 acres left over for fields. 10 fields, 2 wood fields, a parking lot and a store, locker room, food court.
    That is what I have in mind so far. Feel free to give me ideas, criticism, etc. I will let you know how thing go from this side and keep everyone up to date. Thanks for the help
     Also, what would be good price fees for a one day pass, and a monthly membership? What would players be willing to pay?

Should I have put this post in a different thread, or is this thread ok?

I was thinking about contacting the different makers of paintball guns and seeing if they offered some sort of training to repair and maintain their guns. Do that on site in the store or at the different fields, something along those lines.

I am in the process of designing a website now, first phase of it will be the idea, some drawings of what I would like the layout of the place to look like, etc.. Once i get that done I will post the link here for you all to check out. Need to think of a catchy name as well.

I strongly suggest going to different paintball fields.  You say there's nothing in Virginia beach, but a couple of hours down the road in Richmond, I'll bet you'll find a few fields.  There are also companies that travel the country to put on scenario games.  These are BIG crowd pleasers.  You should talk to them.

http://www.mxsportz.com

First off , Welcome to the forum and the Sport !! Kudo's for your enthusiasm !! I've played off and on since the '80s (recreationally ) been a member of this site only a short time .

Somebody mentioned about the snivelling 12 Year olds and their abused markers not working,, (I am working towards the same goal as are you , but taking a slower approach ) get an open bolt marker , (like tippmann's , and Kingmans) , and get to know its operation inside and out , these are simple reliable markers , and account for roughly 75 percent of the markers out there , then get a closed bolt marker , and get friendly with it (these are on the average , more complex, and more expensive markers , like Bob Long intimidators ie:, Timmy's ,or WGP autocockers , or Dyematrix markers ) .

Its gonna take some time to get Really knowledgable with all the products , suppliers , and variations in equipment in this game . but if you are serious , and I have no doubt you are ,its time well spent !!

along with equipment for your field , like markers , compressors , tanks , there is also the issue of operating a business , liabilities (insurance) , inventory and Variety , getting ,or becoming an airsmith (some manufacturers have their inhouse certification training , some dont ,its not like becoming an authorized repair center for automobiles ) , firstaid , and High pressure Gas handling procedures (again , some suppliers offer their certifications ,others dont ) .

I think the NPPL is one of the National Paintball organizations that offer help and support in setting up a field and dealing with these issues and others .

I LOVE the Idea of you setting up a variety of different fields , keep some reserved for Big Scenario games , I understand they are played on a Large , LARGE area .

Most PB games are Variants on Capture the flag , but there are some interesting variations I have heard about/played , There's X-ball league (a Whole Nother ball game !! , Like Arena football ) , Civil War variations ; single shots  load from the muzzle , Hunter/Mutant games (you get Two outs in this game , most start out as hunters , and as the outnumbered Mutants tag them , they begin the game again, as mutants , 15 second count to get to cover )

The biggest thing , I would suggest is spend some time , and get to know the game a bit , what makes a good Pro-shop in your opinion , what makes a good Ref , the Strengths and weaknesses of the different markers , and make it a place YOU would want to go play at above any others !!

As far as pricing , Ya, it would be nice to have everybody come play free , but it costs money to open Yer doors , having a couple different options is a great thing ,maybe kick down a discount on supplies for those with memberships , but walk ons will prolly be 80% of traffic .

 I pay $59.00 a case for field paint where I play currently , (nonmembership price ) , but for that money , I get a well staffed , clean , AIR CONDITIONED field , with the support of a full proshop on site , full warranty on the equipment that I buy there (Prices are Very reasonable , even on High end markers , just put some money down on a Pair of 2K4 mech Autocockers , Prostockers ?), as you guessed I play indoors , but in Arizona , thats a great thing when its 90-110+ degrees outside . I find the service and support is what makes Value for me , along with a good reffing staff .

Hope this helps you !!