Can, but choose not to
There is either no legal requirement (unless the VCRA gets applied with no listed paintball defence)
So for just an average random they can buy from a UKPSF member retailer for an extra £5, or go to a non UKPSF retailer
(Edit - some sites / events provide a UKPSF discount, which has usually been the price of membership - two participating events and you’re quids in - or some sites / events charge a higher non membership price)
If a ‘proper’ player, interested in being a member then it can be £15 for 5 years
(Optionally if you can find it then pay a paintballers business to turn your digital card into a pretty metal card - or do as I do now and pay a few hundred ££ for my own sublimation setup and make my own - in a few decades that will work out cheaper)
For a little subliminal advertising, the original UKPSF one man band provided player membership with public liability & injury insurance, with the membership fee going to the premiums. My original
membership came as ‘free’ with a magazine subscription, so I was a member and insured for free.
(The insurance wasn’t really worth anything for me as my employment sickness benefits were better, plus my other life/injury/sports insurance, so I would not qualify for anything but causing someone else’s injury)
At a later date they added a free uninsured membership - basically to push up member numbers , so for a couple of years I did that.
Numbers did go up, but didn’t really count to anything (such as Sport England recognition - on the list for decades, still not formal, but with the new-ish committee getting traction did get accepted for the Covid reopening - which then boosted numbers due to people seeing an outcome
The free membership was scrapped for the current £5 1 year / £15 5 year - and insurance dropped, with fees now going to the UKPSF (no longer a one man band as he retired and handed the reigns over to a committee , which has gained traction)
End of pointless advert of paintball membership to an audience of airsofters disguised as a history