After the first Provincial Cup of 2017, SANPA announced its Men's and U19 national representative paintball teams for the year. Both teams went to a Paintball World Cup in Europe.
How the teams were chosen
Early in 2017 SANPA held provincial try-outs, where the provincial selection committees put together the best provincial teams from the players who attended. After the provincial cup in March, a national selection committee chose the national squads from the provincial players.
To be considered, players needed to:
- Actively compete in 5-man speedball in South Africa at SANPA-approved tournaments.
- Be a South African citizen or live in South Africa on a valid permit other than a holiday visa.
- Be selected for a provincial team.
- Show dedication and commitment to improving, helping the sport grow and working with others.
- Be an ambassador for the country and what it stands for in the sport.
The Men's team was made up of upcoming players who had shown they could help grow the sport, with players from Gauteng, the Western Cape and the Eastern Cape, a team manager and a coach. The U19 team had a coach and nine players when it was announced, from Gauteng and the Western Cape. SANPA thanked the provincial coordinators, managers and coaches who helped finalise the squads.
The cost of competing
At the time of the announcement, SANPA estimated the remaining cost of sending each team to its world cup at about R300,000 for the Men's team and about R165,000 for the U19 team. Blades and Triggers and GI Sportz Paintball came on board as official paintball sponsor of both teams for 2017. SANPA invited other businesses to get involved, so the teams could help bring the Paintball World Cup back to South Africa.
Men's team: London, 30 June to 2 July
The Men's Paintball World Cup was held at the South of England Event Centre near Gatwick, alongside the Millennium Series Campaign Cup. About 23 countries were expected. The strongest teams in previous years were the United States, Russia, France and Great Britain. The team travelled from Cape Town and Johannesburg on 28 June and returned on 4 July.
South Africa finished 18th in Men in 2017.
U19 team: Chantilly, 15 to 17 September
The U19 team went back to the U19 Paintball World Cup in Chantilly, near Paris, under coach Eugene Jansen van Rensburg, who had also led the 2016 team. Most of the squad left on 12 September and returned on 19 September.
South Africa finished 9th in Under 19 in 2017.
The U19 team's first world cup was the year before: see South Africa's first U19 team finishes 4th at the Paintball World Cup 2016. Results are listed on the results page.
