To say the least, the Midwest has always had a strong paintball culture. From the earliest days with hardened teams like Chicago Aftershock, to current pro teams like Columbus LVL, it has been built around the hard-working and dedicated players who truly love the game. It takes a special type of player to brave through the freezing cold winters, long flights to events, and hours long drives to practice each weekend.  As a long-time Midwest player myself, I have always wanted to help contribute to the community in this area; to help continue building this historically great culture of Midwest paintball.


That's where the lightbulb went off; a five year land search, and a bunch of permits later, there is now a new field currently under construction in the St. Louis, MO metro area called Good Game "GG" Sports Park. The field is taking an innovative approach by blending e-sports with tournament (X-ball and mechanical alike) and rental paintball.


Located on 40 acres with easy access from major highway routes, paintball will be on full display, and GG Sports Park wishes to share their story from creation to operation with the Iconic Paintball followers. Developed by Brimstone Smoke's Dustin Loeffler, a university professor and recovering attorney by trade, there will be a collaboration between Iconic and GG Sports Park. I am hoping to provide regular content chronicling what it means to develop and operate your own paintball park in an effort to inspire others to build their own fields and retail store operations. Every new field, means more opportunities for new players to discover the game; with additional fields, we can truly grow the sport!

Introducing the newest section of Iconic Paintball, The Field Owner Chronicles! This will be done in partnership with GG Sports Park, a new paintball facility being built from the ground up in St Louis. Working directly with Dustin Loeffler, the owner of the field, we will help give an inside look at the highs and lows of building a World Class facility and all the work that goes into it. I will preface this new section with a piece from an article I wrote nearly a decade ago:

"The Local Operator, Paintball's Champion; When put as cut and dry as possible, the life-blood of this industry is the local field operator. No matter what way you try to look at it or word it, it is these champions of paintball that make it all possible. The industry lives and dies through the efforts of the local field owner."

Dustin will be writing the majority of the content in this section as he works through all the trials and tribulations of building an elite paintball facility and gives an exclusive look behind the process. From building permits and storm-water management, all the way to the final staked air bunker, he will tell it all. So without further delay, welcome to the Field Owner Chronicles.