NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS OF TABLE SOCCER TO KICK OFF IN ST. LOUIS — $25,000 "Foosball" Tournament to Feature Doubles Competition —

Once a hub of some of the world's largest tournaments worldwide, an estimated 200 of the nation's most elite "foosball" players are again descending on St. Louis, Missouri to compete in the Tornado National Table Soccer Championships. To take place April 16 - 19, 2009 at the Hilton St. Louis Airport Hotel, the tournament will include a wide variety of events, including doubles, singles and mixed doubles with divisions for masters, pros, semi-pros and amateurs.

As the first of two National Table Soccer Championship events in the United States this year, this one will feature doubles category winners, awarding winners of Men's, Women's, Juniors and Seniors doubles a coveted berth on "Team USA." In so doing, they become eligible to compete in the International Table Soccer Federation (ITSF) World Championships in France in 2010. Adding to the intensity of the competition, several past National and World Champions are expected to defend or attempt to regain their titles – but they'll have to first defeat an increasing number of hot newcomers!

Opening events begin at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 16th, with most finals occurring on Sunday the 19th. There are entry fees for players who wish to compete in any events. Spectators and press are welcome and there is no admission fee to enter the tournament room. All competition will take place on Brunswick's Tornado Table Soccer tables, one of five official tables used for international pro tour play.

The event is also an ITSF Master Series class tournament, and is further sanctioned by the United States Table Soccer Federation (USTSF). Sponsors of the event include Hilton Hotels (reservations: 1-800-314-2117) and the Valley-Dynamo Division of Brunswick, while sponsors of the U.S. National Team include NetFoos.com, Foosball.com and TTR MasterWraps. Professional video production is provided by InsideFoos.com.

The annual ITSF World Table Soccer Tour includes several stops in the USA this year, with the next ones being the Tornado Masters Invitational in Atlanta, the Texas State Championships in Dallas, Tornado World Championship Series in Dallas, and the Tornado National Singles Championships in Minneapolis. Other 2009 ITSF tournaments are scheduled to take place in Austria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Japan, Poland, Russia, Taiwan, the UK and United Arab Emirates, among others. In fact, this year's 50-tournament, five-continent tour will be the largest table soccer pro tour ever!!

For additional details about this event and/or the sport of table soccer, please see the following websites:

www.ustsf.org - USTSF official web site/Pro Tour & U.S. National Team sponsorship opportunities
www.table-soccer.org - ITSF official website/international rankings/news/video
www.vifa.com - The USTSA Website/USA Rankings
www.foosball.com - General Information about the Sport of Table Soccer

For more information, photos, or for an electronic version of this release, please contact:
Larry Davis, President, USTSF, Tel: 1-563-580-9485; Email: larry.davis@ustsf.foosball.com or
Brian Elliott, Tournament Director, Tel: 1-800-544-1346; Email: info@vifa.com