The other week I was having a chat with UKAL founder Alex about an event they’re having in June 2025. As is common with UKAL events, they like pitching girls against boys. The group is designed to give women a space away from the guys at Airsoft, which is fair enough because most UK teams will have their own little chatter space. Across the wider Airsoft community though, we do as players have a tendency to separate ourselves a bit and I do wonder if it makes it difficult for new players to find their way into the hobby.

Years ago, in the world of sniping, we had one big Facebook group for everyone. There was almost no animosity in there, and everyone was in it, including those who would go on to cause division and drama at every opportunity. We just all saw ourselves as the same; we were snipers together and would share tips and ideas freely. The sniper community developed itself as one big team and times were good. It was a much better place to be before a few individuals decided to pull in their own directions for personal gain and the peace was shattered. Since then, new ideas have been sparse and the divisions meant that often players wouldn’t invest in anything from rival factions or brands, no matter how good it was.

The more modern example is the girls vs boys trend. Girl groups in Airsoft are springing up everywhere now, and while I do applaud the support that they give, a lot of the “Girl only” events and teams perhaps don’t help integrate new female players into the wider, male-dominated community. My daughter handed me a UKAL patch back a couple of weeks ago because she doesn’t like the idea of being singled out or treated any differently – she’s an army cadet and is more used to an environment where everyone is treated the same regardless. I understand what she means. I’ve seen a lot of girls at skirmish down the years and they just turn up and get stuck in, and I have as much respect for them as I do any guys who are new and turn up and get stuck in. It doesn’t really matter who you are, as long as you’re giving it a go and respecting the rules/staff/other players.

Segregation is increasing in the UK scene, there are a lot more divisions and it’s not just teams having their own spaces. It’s whole sections of the community that are detaching from the rest and trying to do their own thing, and in many conversations I’ve had with many players now there is a feeling that Airsoft in the UK is starting to decline. Are attendances declining because of the insistence on, for example, only girls at events? Only inviting people like yourself and losing that all important diversity and inclusion? Everyone in Airsoft brings something to the table, be it good or bad, and it will have a knock on effect for the future players that we need to keep going. A lot of the big community groups now are eerily quiet, and for a new player coming it can’t feel particularly active or welcoming. They’d have to find their way into one of these exclusive little clubs and it’s a far cry from when I first got into the community which thankfully welcomed me with open arms as it likely did with many of you reading this. It’s vital to welcome new people (even if they’re experienced players you just haven’t met before) and new ideas, regardless of who they are, what language they speak, their gender, their gear tastes or their brand affiliations.

We all know that social media is littered with trolls and arguments which makes it quite a hostile environment too and that’s likely a factor for players seperating into their own little circles. There’s a lot of gear hate now (too cheap/too expensive/not what I use/hate KM etc). I’d love to see a lot more constructive conversation around gear, a lot more reviewing but not the plastic “My local store gave me this to review so I put it on in my kitchen for five minutes and I thought it was great” sort of review. Ten years ago the community was full of useful reviews and ideas but has now become addicted to gameplay and trying to show themselves as “the best” but often without any skills to back it up.

An open community is a happy community. Everyone treated equally, supporting each other, answering questions and losing this “us and them” attitude is perhaps a bit much to ask for given the attitudes of the loud minority, but we can try. At the very least, look to engage with people outside your usual groups. Welcome them into your teams, listen to their views and ideas, treat them as equals. Even in the environment of the England vs Scotland games, I’ve always been complimentary to opponents and tried to talk to them when the opportunity allows, and that weekend is competitive as hell.

It might be me being extremely old school, but I enjoy meeting and talking to all sorts of people and the whole idea of people putting barriers up looks a bit like the current US political situation. Cooperation is the way forward, open minds and new ideas rather than little picket fenced communities with enormous ban lists.

Airsoft for all. Wouldn’t that be a thing…