i can see where you're coming from, my argument for calling it a sport comes from the fact there are competitions out there and you can win prize money, plenty of folks getting sponsorship deals etc.
if you look at it that way our skirmish days are the equivalent of a 5 aside game of football at the local amateur club, and whilst a lot of folk (myself included) just play for the fun of it and generally are as happy losing a hard-fought battle as they are winning it, there is a competitive element (teams do win or lose games) and some folk do set some store in trying to win as many games as they can.
grassroots does have its benefits, especially for growing the hobby, but if we're thinking long term it'd be nice to have an official organisation.
There are sports and sports.
From the general definition of sport airsoft can be an activity, but is a long way from being a 'recognised sport' under the criteria of Sport England etc.
The government classification as an 'activity' is valid.
Even if an activity is recognised as a sport, then that doesn't mean all playing of it is sport. Football is a sport, Sunday league pub football is sport, but a kick about in the park isn't.
Elements of airsoft and paintball could meet the starting criteria of Sport England, these would be tournament speedsoft and tournament paintball. Other competitive forms could also meet the starting criteria such as the woods ball league, and arguably our Battle Royale 'tournaments'.
Prizes & prize money - perhaps, but it depends on the type of competition.
Sponsorship would also depend - in itself it doesn't imply a sport, and there are some very loose definitions of 'sponsorship'.
Paintball has a long tradition of 'sponsorship' which is a glorified discount. Very few have a real sponsorship which is a two way relationship.
For the purposes of the current thread, airsoft and paintball are activities and will have to wait a bit longer.
For resilience with an organisation and representation paintball is in a fairly good position with recognition of the UKPSF as a representative body to government, but a disappointing low number of player membership.
The wider world of paintball isn't all rosy though - an attempt to form the WPBO (World Paintball Organisation) and to create one international tournament rulebook failed from the start.
(Millennium rules were fairly well established as a common rulebook in Europe and the UK, and many assorted league rules in the US.)
From the offset the 'one' rule book had certain rules for the US and certain rules for the UK, and any company or league in the US that weren't part of the WPBO collaborative or didn't; like personalities ran their own leagues to their own rules.
Airsoft did well with the ABA, UKARA & UKASGB working with the government the VCR bill prior to the VCRA enactment and establishing the skirmisher defence, but from what I have seen the UKARA would be a special interest group rather than a representative body.
** Update correction
- Association of British Airsoft
- The United Kingdom Airsoft Retailers Association
- The United Kingdom Airsoft Sites Governing Body
