WhatsApp 07774 636254Clubs, Societies & Sports Teams
Pre-season, end of season, or any time a group with new faces needs to actually mix.
Escarmouche runs group days for clubs, societies and sports teams at Shane's Castle, Randalstown, twenty minutes from Belfast. Teams are shuffled between games so players end up alongside people they would not normally pass to, and the events sit outside the group's own sport so the existing pecking order stops applying.
Pre-season is about mixing, not fitness
Squads get fitness at training, from someone who knows what they are doing, on a schedule. What a squad cannot get at training is a reason for fourteen people who have never played together to actually talk to each other.
Every club in August is last season's squad plus a handful of new signings and a couple of players stepping up. Left alone, those groups do not mix - the established players sit together, the new ones cluster at the edge, and six weeks later the passing still reflects it.
What we actually do with a squad
Take a squad out of their own sport and the hierarchy stops applying. The best player on the pitch is not automatically the best at Code Breaker, and the squad finds that extremely funny.
| What | Why it matters for a club |
|---|---|
| Teams shuffled between games | Players end up alongside people they do not know |
| Events outside their own sport | Removes the existing pecking order entirely |
| Real scoring | Competitive groups disengage instantly from decorative points |
| Marshal-run | The manager and coaches get to play too |
Student societies and community groups
The same structure works for societies, youth organisations and community groups. The variety is what makes it land: six events rewarding strength, patience, problem-solving, timing, nerve and persistence separately means a group of very mixed inclination all find something they are good at.
- Group rates - tell us your numbers when you enquire
- Sheltered basecamp seating 100, yours for the booking
- Bring your own food at no extra charge
- Free photos and videos for your own channels
- Open 08:00 to 20:00, seven days a week
If players are carrying knocks
A real consideration in pre-season, and worth saying before you book. Nobody wants to explain to a physio why a player has a dead leg from a team-building day in August.
Outdoor laser tag has no impact at all and runs on the same site on the same day, so a squad with two or three carrying something can still do the whole day together.
Club and society questions
Do you run days for sports clubs?
Regularly. Tell us the squad size, whether anyone is carrying a knock and whether coaches are playing, and we will shape the day around it.
Is this a fitness session?
No, and it should not be - squads get fitness at training. This is about mixing a group that has new faces in it, which is the thing training does not do.
Can you mix the teams for us?
Yes, and for a squad it is the main point. We shuffle teams between games so players end up alongside people they would not normally pass to.
Should we book paintball or laser tag?
Paintball if the squad wants the full version and does not mind a bruise. Laser tag if players are carrying knocks or your first fixture is close - there is no impact at all.
Can the coaches take part?
Yes, and it is worth doing. Marshals run everything, so the manager and coaching staff can play rather than supervise.
Are there group rates?
Group size is the biggest factor in any quote and generally works in your favour. Send your numbers and a date for a real figure.
How far is it from Ballymena or Antrim?
About twenty minutes from Ballymena and ten from Antrim, twenty from Belfast. Use the Randalstown entrance to Shane's Castle.
Ready when you are
All sessions are booked in advance. Tell us who is coming and what you fancy, and we will come straight back to lock in your date.