Airsoft is a young sport, first appearing in the UK towards the end of the 1980s, only really taking off in a bigger way in the mid/late 2000s. Unlike most other sports, Airsoft in the UK has no governing body: there is no Football Association or Rugby Football Union speaking for our interests at the national level.
We're a young sport, so it isn't a surprise that there's not much by way of national organisation: Rugby was invented in the early 1800s and it wasn't until 1871 that 21 Rugby clubs met and created the Rugby Football Union; Football has existed for over a thousand years in some form or another, and it wasn't until 1842 that the rules creating modern Association Football were first written down, and in 1863 came the Football Association.
Airsoft is still finding its feet as a legitimate sport in the UK, with estimates of 60,000 players and growing coming to enjoy this great game.
This is where the UK Airsoft Players Union comes in. This is a player-run group, almost like a cross between a trade union and a governing body, bits of both but fully neither, set up to stand up for the rights of Airsoft in the UK. UKAPU works tirelessly to engage with the government, police forces, the border force, and the media, to help Airsoft thrive in this country.
Membership is free, with optional paid memberships for those with money to spare, and draws representatives from across the UK, with every region having an elected speaker.
If you love the sport, if you want to see it represented at the national level, by a body with enough clout to speak directly to government, to the police, and to the media, consider joining UKAPU. Even opting for the free membership, adding your voice to the voices of everyone else in the union still goes a long way towards ensuring the government will listen and will give fair consideration to the rights of Airsoft players in the UK to enjoy the sport they love.
Comments