19 minute read
AA LEGION UK: NAF 2022
NAF 2022 - BACK WITH A BANG!
EACH AND EVERY YEAR THE AA CREW HEAD ON DOWN TO THE NEW FOREST TO CHECK IN AT THE NATIONAL AIRSOFT FESTIVAL (NAF) TO FIND OUT WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING WITH FRIENDS OLD AND NEW AT A THOROUGHLY CONVIVIAL EVENT THAT’S ALWAYS ALL ABOUT THE AIRSOFT, AND WITH NUMBERS MAXED OUT FOR NAF 2022 WE’RE DELIGHTED TO REPORT ON AN AIRSOFT EVENT THAT IS TRULY UNIQUE, AND CONTINUES TO THRILL IN MANY, MANY WAYS!
With player numbers traditionally in the thousands, The National Airsoft Festival (NAF) is the UK’s largest airsoft event and this year’s gathering was even more highly anticipated as it was the first full-speed iteration after a slightly quieter post-pandemic event last year, that we all enjoyed fully as we could finally get out in the New Forest woods again!
Airsoft Action has been present at all but one NAF and I have seen (what was then called) The National Airsoft Event become a joyous meeting place for airsofters Europe-wide, with players travelling from across the continent to enjoy not only the wide-ranging gameplay, but also the incredible social atmosphere created when thousands of airsofters get together! This year’s event was fully maxed out, and fully back up to previous years, and for those 3000-PLUS PLAYERS who did make it this year, we were treated to a madlyfabulous weekend of all-things-airsoft both on and off the field of play!
Over the years I have reported from the NAF we have seen it grow into more than “just another game of airsoft” …into something really special. As I say every time I report back, yes, the gameplay is great fun and, given the sheer size and scale of the Ground Zero Airsoft site (where the event is held), as challenging as you choose to make it, but there is just something “special” about it that raises the Festival to a whole new level. From the moment players start arriving on Friday
morning to check in and get their player number and wristband, the atmosphere starts to build as groups of players form and merge and, following loads of “high-fives” and “man-hugs”, the inevitable “airsoft banter” begins!
Right alongside the event, the campsite rapidly fills with motorhomes and tents of all shapes and sizes and just like in previous years, it became home to multiple team “swimming pools” and “bars”, although there is also a “quiet area” for those who actually prefer to sleep! This year, the Airsoft Action crew approached the event in a slightly different way; we make a lot about the fact that we are airsofters ourselves, but we have always before had a gazebo in the main vendors area where we’ve met with players and friends, but this year Jimmy, new Red Cell member Ben and I decided to (literally!) pitch in with everyone else in the on-site camping area and get stuck into the event properly!
Whilst I was still around to meet with our industry partners and fellow media-folk, Jimmy and Ben were in the thick of it, and there’ll be more from both of them later! Suffice to say that we were looking forwards to another hugely entertaining event …and that is exactly what we got!
Once upon a time I would have been amongst the many airsoft players that said “yeah, the National Airsoft Festival, what about that?” but after a series of totally entertaining and illuminating events over the past few years I was really, really looking forward to heading on down to Ground Zero to attend an event that I’ve done a total about face on; it’s one weekend each year that I get to hang out with old friends from both the UK and further afield so that in itself makes the trip 100% worthwhile, and this year was still extra-special given the restrictions that we all faced during 2020 that meant there was “no NAF” for that year, and last year of course Covid restrictions were still very firmly in place, precluding extended travel for many and keeping numbers down.
NAF, SO WHAT?
For those that are still oblivious to the event the UK National Airsoft Festival takes place every August Bank Holiday down at the Ground Zero site in the depths of the New Forest. The NAF/NAE has been running since 2007, when Ground
Zero/Zero One made history by hosting what was at that time the largest airsoft event ever held in in the UK (and probably still is!), bringing in players from all over the UK and Europe.
At a time when many of us in the UK we are still
a little bewildered as to what will happen in regards to our relationship with the rest of the world, and travelling around it, I will say that many friends gather at the NAF every year, and it’s a time when I can actually get together with old mates from all walks of airsoft face to face,
which I love. Things will continue to change in the months and years to come (who knows how right now?) but one thing I do know is that these guys will always be my friends, and it’s always a pleasure to see them!
Bottom line is that the NAF is just one HUGE celebration of airsoft, not just for UK players, but usually for players from around the world that make the pilgrimage to Ground Zero, and this year the player numbers were WAY UP THERE! The thought of a massive airsoft game involving quite literally thousands of players is my personal worst scenario though; we all know that sadly you get the odd “cheater” at even the very best game, and the chance of that happening with so many players in one place at one time means that this is magnified…
Many players, even good ones that are always willing to give the benefit of the doubt decide not to attend the NAF for this reason, and having now been a number of times before I think they are genuinely, truly missing out on a great “airsoft experience”, even if they don’t play for a minute! Even though certain friends were still missing this time my old friend Stef and the crew from the Netherlands were back, and the event maintained the warm, friendly “Festival Feel”, and I for one love a bit of that action!
But the NAF is undoubtedly BACK and the numbers continue to grow again now we’re out of “The Plague Years”, both in the number of active players, but also in the volume of folk who turn up to camp for the weekend, see mates, bask in the sun with an ice cream or a cold beverage, and shoot the breeze about their favourite 6mm pastime! Many will say “don’t bother” when it comes to the NAF, but pay the “naysayers” no heed! This year the numbers were solid again, and 3000-plus airsofters in one place is a truly a sight to behold, especially given some of the “fancy dress” options… “Boris”, I’m talking about you, well played good sir!
FESTIVAL FUN!
Upon arrival at the Ground Zero site you’ll be immediately impressed with the sheer size of the field and the diversity of terrain, and that is just as you drive in! Ground Zero is situated about a mile from the nearest road on the private grounds of Somerley Estate in Ringwood, Hampshire, and boasts some 175 acres of playable terrain, with a massive 50 acres of Safe/Camping Zone! Now you may find that latter number “overkill”, but I’m going to tell you that with thousands of bodies and all the varied entertainment/ logistics staff on site 50 acres soon becomes very, very small and intimate.
The main Safe Zone is split away from the camping area and is almost a self-contained “festival village” in its own right. There were numerous gear-sellers
around the village, with Jo and family from Flecktarn UK and the Enola Gaye team, along with Ian and Dave (Ratty and Rocky to their friends!) with the VIPER stand who made a one player VERY happy with
their “player number locked crate” gear giveaway, quite apart from the “tabletop gear dispersal system” that was put in place on Saturday evening! Neil from Attack Sense Targets, and my good friend Taig from Kydex Customs (who is REALLY pushing along with his range and launched the new “BARE BONES” holsters fully at the event!) were in their usual spots, and you could even have your photographic portrait done by Josh from Krios Photography! It was a pleasure to meet James from Airtac UK, and to finally get a chance to chat properly with Finchy from Finch Embroidery (and patches!) at last! Apologies to others exhibiting and selling that I just didn’t get time to speak to…
Then there’s a whole plethora of stands that make up the “food court”. If you wanted an ice cream or a bacon roll, then it was there for the having, and if you didn’t want to cook over the weekend then you had a choice of very well-priced Greek food (absolutely legendary kebabs!), burger and chips, good old fish n’ chips, wood-fired pizza and even fresh coffee and donuts! The licensed bar marquee this year was rocking as usual, but being fully open on one side made the most of the breeze, and the usual outdoor table area was packed out! Again as usual, the Ground Zero team did an excellent job of making sure that they did the very best possible for player’s enjoyment.
“Viper Lockbox” winner, Regan Smith with Ratty from Viper and Rich from Zero One.
GAME ON!
As per past years I was able to watch all the proceedings as players arrived and booked in, and this was again done very efficiently with an absolute lack of fuss, although the line at times was LONG… with so many players booking in and needing to chrono this was inevitable, but things at least appeared to move on swiftly enough; each player came away chrono’d and with a “goodie bag” and their player armbands, Green for “Delta”, Orange for “Bravo”, and “Blue” for the “Others”. The “range” stayed open late into the evening, and was in use the whole time, as was the MET CQB area. Across from this you could also try out the AttackSense target system that we’ve been using for our Red Cell Test Days, and this was busy the entire time too, and proved especially popular (to say the least!) with the very competitive fellows that tried their hand at it! After a relatively swift and to the point safety brief (Team Briefs had happened well
before this) it was time for “Game On” and players headed out to their respective start points. After a rousing brief from the team I/ Cs the game started properly, and it was time to
Rich from Zero One delivering his usual succinct and to the point safety brief!
get the fight on. Although the site is HUGE it’s also broken down into smaller “game zones” that are eminently playable in their own right, and that on a regular “skirmish day” would delight anyone. There’s a small village, a “prison”, outposts, guard towers, trench systems and numerous other structures to play through. Of course for the weekend EVERYTHING is in play at the same time, and wherever you went there was the sound of a firefight taking place. All three teams had objectives to achieve and points to be earned from them and from what I saw every objective was hard-earned by the eventual victors. Play continued throughout the day, with some hardy souls lasting the duration, whilst others returned to the camping grounds and “The Village” for much needed R&R as this year it was yet again hot, darn hot, REAL HOT and the ice cream vans did outrageous business!
As Day One wound down, the evening “action” started with the raffle, and the now usual “banter” from Marshal Rich; this has become something of a legend, but if you’re of a gentle disposition it’s best to stay away as just like the game, the action gets somewhat “down and dirty”, but in a very funny way! The main “action” for Saturday night appeared to be once again centred on the camping grounds where many groups had their party heads on, although sensibly this year due to the ultra-dry condition in and around the forest, BBQs were kept well under control… this didn’t appear to put a lid on high spirits in any way though, and our very own “tacticool Jedi” Ben impressed many, including me, with a rather awesome impromptu lightsaber display!
This was when the real “festival spirit” took over, and in “The Village” the bar rocked thanks to some live music that featured a real old mixture of classic tunes, but it seemed that the heat of the day had sapped everyone. A number of “adult beverages” went down in a sociable and thoroughly chilled out atmosphere, with groups from all the teams exchanging their “war stories” from the day and having a genuinely good laugh. As the evening progressed though many players moved on outside, and shenanigans continued… what happens at NAF stays at NAF though!
You can never have too many guns!
HOTTER THAN A SNAKE’S…
You need to make sure you have sufficient sun cream to last you the weekend at the festival, and this year you really needed it as players needed to contend with heat and the sun blazing down on them without mercy. The teams obviously felt there was still more to play for though, and on Sunday morning they headed back to the game, and they just kept on playing, gaining objectives and points whilst having a thoroughly good time. Reports are that there were actually very few heat-induced incidents, although by early afternoon a few players were heading back in as tempers wore thin; again I believe that this was in the minority though, as most players were having a great time of it!
I’ll hand over now to Jimmy and Ben for their thoughts on the game itself…
Jimmy: My first visit to the NAF, while it wasn’t
massively action packed it was lovely to get away from civilisation and spend time with some of the team and finally experience the Festival I’d heard so much about. I would have liked to play a bit more but due to a fuzzy head from Friday night (who knew taclite/ laser sky-duelling at 02:30 was a thing?) we focused on getting some photography work done for the magazine and met with some industry mates, freeing up Sunday for us to do as we pleased game-wise.
Finally out on the field, putting the new Daniel Defense ICS Mk18 was a joy and it is a cracking platform as usual from ICS. I must say a massive thank you to ICS Rita for getting it sent over in such quick timing ready for the weekend and from many players it received some very positive views and opinions; everyone who saw it… loved it!
While playing it was really very busy with so many players all trying to achieve the same results and due to this I saw some very tight bunching in certain areas. It’s strange, I have never had to queue to shoot at the opposition, so that was very new to me lol….
But upon reflection I had a thoroughly good time, hooking up with friends old and new and I would recommend anyone who is into airsoft get themselves down to the National Airsoft Festival at least once; it really is a great experience!
Ben: As this was my first time at The National Airsoft Festival have to say I very much enjoyed it, which comes from different factors... the energy and vibe of everyone that was there, walking around and seeing people in their loadouts as if it was the normal to do so, the love we all have for all things airsoft... then most important of all this was being with your friends/family as at the end of it all we share our experiences and the reasons why we love what we do.
Now it’s not for everyone as some may feel that the word “festival” gives off an impression of an all-out party with many different things to see and experience and this wasn’t that, which isn’t to say you wouldn’t have a good time, as it is focused around airsoft and not fire-eating performances and the like… It’s left to YOU and others to find your own form of choice of self-entertainment, so it takes YOU to go and find this out if it’s something for you!
As for the Airsoft game itself... wow! The site is massive; it would take a few times going to the Festival to get around the game site to see it all. The Marshalling was excellent considering the amount of people to have to keep an eye on, and they were always giving good morale boosts and guidance for those who seem to be stuck or confused. Hats off to all those who played on both days especially the Saturday... it was hot! For those in full loadouts or in the weird and wonderful costumes that entertained us all so much, playing all day you were true troopers, so much respect, whatever team you were on!
I will be happy to go again and not just for the gaming, but to meet more of the lovely people and make new friends! So overall is it worth going? Obviously YES!
As for everything else… you don’t know man! You wouldn’t understand if you weren’t there!
Thanks to Ben and Jimmy for their input, and my final thoughts on the National Airsoft Festival 2022? As I’ve said before, the site is superb and the organisation impeccable, even with numbers being WAY back up there! The facilities on site were first rate (although the portaloos as ever… ‘nuff said…) and the scheduling spot-on. Once again I’ll echo my thoughts of past years as the play that I saw was hard, fast, and in the main fair, with hits taken and compliments given where they were due, and both Jimmy and Ben would appear to agree with that. The “after game” was as much fun and as lively as I’ve seen, and the bottom line is that everyone seemed to have a thoroughly bang-on time whether they played for the duration, for a few hours, or not at all!
Well done to the players of DELTA who took the win this year, and I’m certain that BRAVO and THE OTHERS will be back with vengeance on their minds next year! Again as I now say every year, whatever your style of play may be the National Airsoft festival has something to offer you. The Festival is first and foremost just that, a joyful festival event that celebrates airsoft in all its diverse and wonderful forms, and a festival that just happens to be set on an awesome site that has an enormous game going on at the same time… and long may it continue!
For further information for the 2023 National Airsoft Festival please keep an eye on www. groundzeroairsoft.com/nae, and I look forward to seeing you there; you don’t need to be a “Boris” to have fun, but hey, it’s AIRSOFT, so just go for it! AA
AA Red Cell members, Jimmy and Ben.
