G A Z E T T E G R o U P N E W S P A P E R S

G a z e t t e g r o u p N e w s p a p e r s
aug 2009
AIRSOFT ’09
i n s i d e D u b l i n ’ s f a s t e s t - g ro w i n g s p o rt
Because
summer’s the
time to skirmish
What is it?
The complete
guide to
Ireland’s fastest
growing
outdoor sport:
Page 35
In the
field:
All abroad:
All the action
from an airsoft
weekend at
Rathbeggan:
How Ireland is
establishing itself
as a force in the
international
airsoft scene:
Page 36
Page 38
34 gazette 2 & 9 August 2009
2 & 9 August 2009 gazette 35
airsoft
i n s i d e D u b l i n ’ s f a s t e s t - g ro w i n g s p o rt
An introduction to the world’s
fastest growing outdoor sport
August 2006 saw a change
in Irish legislation that
became the starting point
for the growth and progression of one of the country’s
fastest-growing sports.
It created a player base of
thousands from all walks of
life, Irish and foreign, young
or old, with more gracing the
field of battle every week.
It has allowed the creation of dozens of individual
businesses, who employ large
numbers of staff, new indigenous businesses operating
efficiently in harsh times, and
provides an active and enjoyable hobby and sport for their
local community.
This phenomenon is Airsoft.
In this special supplement
we have some great articles
that explain exactly what air-
soft is, where it can be played
around the city and country,
bringing you inside a thriving
and united community that
has grown in size and stature
in its short history, and which
continues to show both an
international and local
responsibility and attitude
that is attracting ever more
participants to its ranks.
From its roots in 1970s
Kitted out for action: Players on the airsoft trail
Japan, its growth in popularity
in America in the 1990s and
its current rise across Europe
in the last decade, airsoft has
the highest rise in popularity
of any other outdoor sport in
the world.
Its close work with approval by government and garda,
ensures it is more than just
running about with toy guns
- this is a sport that reaches
out into the community, as we
explain in our feature about
its charitable activities.
We hope that this little taster of this exciting sport will
lead you to try out its unique
mix of individual mental and
physical fitness, teamwork
and field skills, and there are
is a list of resources and contacts to help you to take your
interest further.
Go on, get skirmishing!
all about airsoft: fun and firefights in the field
It’s skirmish time
SK an airsoft
veteran what the
sport is all about,
and you might
get a variety of answers,
many of them unexpected.
Cameraderie, community,
pride, intensity, friendship,
exercise, the list goes on and
on.
But, for the majority of players, fun is the key.
Most readers of this supplement will have one simple
question - what is airsoft?
Basically, airsoft is a sport
where players split into teams
and play battle simulation-style
games.
Airsoft has some similarities
to paintball, but has its own
unique traits, and many differences.
These games are played on
skirmish sites, which are designated Airsoft battle zones.
Airsoft players don the uniform and equipment typically
seen on modern battlefields
by countries such as England,
Germany and America.
The Automatic Electric Gun,
otherwise known as AEG, is
the pivotal tool used by airsoft
players. These devices are toys
that fire six-millimetre plastic
BB’s at a maximum power of
one joule, a measure of electrical energy.
AEGs are designed to be
fired at people in the safe environment of an Airsoft site.
AEGs look and feel very like
their real-life counterparts, and
that is one thing that separates
it from paintball.
The object of airsoft is realism, to allow people from all
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walks of life, from office worker to electrician, to experience
some thrills and spills, to get
involved in a sociable, friendly
and active sport, that has very
little cost, a critical factor in the
current economic climate.
Airsoft equipment can be
acquired by visiting your local
Irish Airsoft Association (IAA)
approved retailer.
IAA-affiliated store owners
must adhere and agree to a
strict set of operational guidelines that dictate the safe and
responsible retail of airsoft
equipment.
These policies include ensuring all airsoft equipment is subone joule, no sales are made
to minors without parental
consent, and stores conduct
themselves in a professional
manner.
Retail staff will take the time
to show a new player everything from top to bottom, and
-------------------------------
Airsoft allows you
to kit yourself
out and interact
with some of the
friendliest and
most sociable
people in any sport
-------------------------------
inform the individual about
safe and responsible use, and
also inform parents who may
have concerns.
Airsoft is a sport for all ages.
Most airsoft sites’ minimum
age requirement is 14-years-of-
The airsoft
experience
The fully-immersive experience of airsoft
age. Between the age of 14 and
18, a player must have parental
consent to attend and play.
Airsoft is an active, social
sport where players of all
nationalities and age groups
play and converse. For many, it
takes video games to the next
level, and adds that physical
aspect that you don’t get on
your couch. Airsoft allows
young people to participate
in sport in a social, safe, active
environment.
The player decides how
much they want to put into it
physically, and the rewards are
there for all too see.
So, is Airsoft for you?
Airsoft promotes team work
and enhances fitness and indi-
Cameraderie and intensity are part of the intrinsic ethos of airsoft
viduals skill. You will learn
how to adapt in different environments and operate as part
of a small or large-scale team,
to complete objectives and
partake in games.
You will kit yourself out
to look like a real soldier and
interact with some of the
friendliest and most sociable
people in any sport. You will
meet and chat with people
from all nationalities — players
from Europe, America, as well
as Asia.
You will take participation
to the next level in the great
outdoors, and every day you
come back from a game, you’ll
have enough stories to tell your
family and friends for a week,
until you go out and do it all
over again.
If it sounds anyway appealing, get yourself out to your
local airsoft skirmish site and
see how the game plays, or
drop into your local retailer to
get some information.
The Take AIM Cup is being
held on August 15 and 16, and
will feature the best players in
the country in action, along
with some great international
teams.
So, why not pop on down,
have a go at the firing range
and witness what is going to
be the biggest airsoft event the
country has ever seen?
So, what can you expect when you bite the BB, dig out some
sturdy boots and running-about-outdoors clothes and go looking for trouble?
Pick a weekend day, get some mates on board, and head
down to your nearest airsoft site. Typically, there are two sessions a day, so you can sign up for a full day or a half day, and
if you haven’t hooked yourself up with a gun and mask of your
own, you can usually rent those – but check beforehand – and
procure some ammo, €10 worth should last the day.
In the safe zone, you can hob-nob with the other players,
veterans and newbies alike, the most welcoming and genuinely
enthusiastic group I’ve encountered in any hobby.
The marshals will split the assembled players into two teams,
usually differentiated by colour arm-bands, and explain the
safety rules and game scenario, such as how many lives you
have, what your objectives are, and so on. Then it’s eye protection on, lock and load, and out to the battlefield.
Whether you have a flag to capture, a hill to assault, a pilot
to rescue or one of dozens of other potential game objectives,
you’ll be into the thick of the action in short order.
You’ll get hit, of course. At range, it feels just like a tap; closer
up like a sharp flick from a finger. If you are hit, throw your
hand above your head and call out “HIT!”, and make your way
to your respawn point. Ricochets don’t count but friendly fire
does, and if you’re in any doubt, take the hit - it’s just a game,
and people have a lot of respect for those who take their hits.
If you’re in good shape, you’ll have plenty of opportunity to
charge back and forth and wear yourself out, but, if you’re not,
there’s still plenty for you to do – stealthy advances, supporting
fire, base defence, sharp-shooting – airsoft is suitable for all
fitness levels and nobody’ll be bored, although you might find
yourself inadvertantly getting some exercise without noticing.
In the aftermath, you can expect to find yourself in dire need
of a bath and a sit-down, ravenously hungry, somewhat stiff the
next day – and dying to get out there again.
Airsoft and online
Airsoft’s online presence
has been critical in its development.
Since the sport got its own
forum on boards.ie, many
internet forums, informational sites and chatrooms
have made the community
closer.
These online forums are an
invaluable resource for the
new player, and for finding
out the right gear to get, and
places you can play.
Internet forums:
http://airsoft.boards.ie/
http://www.airsoftireland.
com/
http://www.irishairsoftforums.com/
http://www.talkingairsoft.
com/forum/
Informational sites:
http://www.irishairsoft.ie/
http://www.irishairsoft.
info/
36 gazette 2 & 9 August 2009
2 & 9 August 2009 gazette 37
airsoft
i n s i d e D u b l i n ’ s f a s t e s t - g ro w i n g s p o rt
frag
United
nations of
Airsoft in
Ireland
One of the most dedicated
communities within Irish airsoft is the impressively large
and enthusiastic Filipino community.
Airsoft, as a sport, is enjoyed
in the Philippines by an very
large number of players, and
the playing of airsoft there is
often coupled with environmental and charitable causes.
One thing that strikes you
about the dedication of the
Filipino players in Ireland is
that even their families are
involved, and you can often
see an entire family out at an
Airsoft venue, or at one of their
own tournaments they hold
there.
One of the largest groups
active in ireland is FRAG Force Recon Airsoft Group.
You can often see a large
contingent of the FRAG group
at Airsoft venues all over Ireland, and their players are
noted for their skill and honour, as well as being some of
the most enthusiastic and funloving players in the sport.
You can read more about
FRAG at http://www.fraginternational.com/
Mapping out the lie of the land for players
From out of the foliage: Skirmishing in the fields of Rathbeggan
The kids’ playzone was a huge success
Players used the specially installed cover
Fun and games
’Beggan
for mercy
S
aturday, July 18
at the Rathbeggan
Airsoft centre in Co
Meath saw the stage set
for a great day’s skirmishing.
After getting equipment in order, registering, and getting chronographed, the players
were ready to go.
The games lasted from
mid-morning until 1pm
or so, and then con-
tinued into the early
evening, taking in the
entire site at Rathbeggan, with its dense foliage, hills and ridges.
Almost as much fun as
the games themselves
are the war stories at the
end of the day, where
the skilful hits and less
skilful spills and tumbles
get recounted in great
detail. Don’t shoot the
guy with the camera!
And counted them all back again...
38 gazette 2 & 9 August 2009
2 & 9 August 2009 gazette 39
airsoft
i n s i d e D u b l i n ’ s f a s t e s t g ro w i n g s p o rt
venues: capital skirmish Airsoft in europe: growing across the continent
The best places to play
airsoft across Dublin
The number of Airsoft venues
has skyrocketed in the last year,
with seemingly every niche
filled for the player who wants
to play indoors, outdoors, in
woodland or village settings
all around the country.
In Dublin, there are many
places to play, in several different settings.
One of the first sites, and still
an iconic site in many eyes, is
HRTA in Ballyboughal (www.
hrta.ia). The site has been continually developing, from a
bare field to what it is today, a
large purpose-built village, with
portacabins, an even a decommissioned Dublin Bus!
Alternatively, you can also
take a trip out the N3 to Rathbeggan Airsoft, situated five
minutes from the M50 in a
large family fun park (www.
rathbegganairsoft.com).
One of the newer sites on
the scene, Rathbeggan hosted
the first Take AIM Teams Cup,
and has gone from strength to
strength with the growing out
of the foliage on the site, and
the team of dedicated marshals
who keep the site in order and
the games flowing.
If outdoors is not your
thing, or it’s raining and you’re
not made of the sterner stuff
required to shake off the usual
Irish weather, why not take a
trip along to The Warehouse,
Ireland’s premier indoor airsoft
venue?
The folks at Airsoft Reloaded (www.airsoftreloaded.ie)
have built up a fast-paced and
exciting indoor close quarters
arena, and run tight, fast and
adrenalin-fuelled games with
no nonsense and maximum
excitement and fun gameplay.
Ireland
takes its
place in
Europe
Airsoft as a sport is enjoyed
all across Europe and the
world, with large contingents
of players often visiting events
in other countries, sampling all
of the venues and play styles
available and popular in the
sport’s international venues.
Airsoft venues are distin-
guished by their location, the
facilities available to them, and
how they are run.
Often, this is worth travelling
quite a distance to see and play
on. For example, there are venues in Britain such as a disused
shopping centre, and an unoccupied apartment block, which
would be extremely difficult to
replicate here in Ireland.
The Ministry of Defence
training village at Sennybridge
in Wales is a short ferry journey over the Irish sea, and has
been a popular destination
since it was opened up to the
less-organised and trained
mass of airsofters, compared
to their regular clientele.
There have been Irish contingents in Wales every few
months for as long as the sport
has been legal in Ireland, and
the games there are often a
game-changing experience
for players who are used to
Airsoft in Ireland, which is still
a fledgeling sport. A 24-hour
Preparing for battle in the annual Berget event
game in Sennybridge is a
weekend event that is not to
be missed, if you get the opportunity.
Across Europe, the sport is
growing continually, even in
countries where it has been
legal for some time. The enthusiasm for people to build airsoft
as a sport is overwhelming,
and larger and more organised
events are run across Europe.
As it grows in stature and
organisation, the sport is
being brought into the light,
and shown as a fantastic and
exciting sport that has many
benefits.
The IAA in Ireland has contacts with Airsoft associations
all across Europe, and this is
building the sport up immeasurably in the eyes of both the
authorities and the media.
One of the largest events in
the world is held in northern
Sweden annually, an event
called Berget.
Berget usually attracts more
than 1,000 players from all over
the world. At this time of year,
it does not get dark at all, and
the game continues for three
days non-stop.
Players take on the role of a
side such as NATO or a mercenary side. They have to use
tactics and think about things
on a grander scale, such as
sleeping schedules, guard duty,
checkpoints and supply routes.
This year saw a group of more
than 30 local players travel to
Sweden to represent Ireland.
By all accounts, the Irish
team did themselves proud,
and were lauded as featuring
some of the most enthusiastic
and honourable players on the
weekend.
As the sport grows in Ireland, the IAA is confident that
more and more players will be
travelling to Berget and other
large events, and their national
and international reputation
will also grow and flourish as a
result of their presence.
Permanent daylight: Part of the Irish contingent in Sweden for the international airsoft event
40 gazette 2 & 9 August 2009