Foosin’ Fever Promotions Announces the $12,000 UPPER MIDWEST CHAMPIONSHIPS “FOOSBALL” TOURNAMENT

Burnsville, MN – Minnesota has long had a reputation for “pool sharks” — as made most famous by the 1961 Paul Newman movie “The Hustler.” But what’s not widely known is that the state is also noted for its long history as home to no less than a dozen of the World’s most elite “foosball” players. Indeed, many of these top players will be among an expected 75 competing May 4-6th for cash and titles in the $12,000 Upper Midwest Championships at Shooter’s Billiards, 1934 E. Highway 13 in Burnsville, MN.

Now recognized as an International Table Soccer Federation (ITSF) Pro Tour Series event, the tournament has even been elevated to international tour status. This means that players at the Master levels will play not only for prizes at the event, but also for qualifying points to compete at the ITSF World Championship Finals in St. Vincent, Italy this coming October. As a result, “foosers” from as far away as Colorado and Ohio, and even numerous Canadian players are also expected to compete in the Minnesota tournament.

Competition could easily draw match ups between top American players such as USA #1-ranked Billy Pappas against fellow U.S. Team member and local favorite Dave Gummeson, of Coon Rapids, MN, among others. Women’s competition is likely to include some of the best in the world as well, including past World Champions Stayce Fowler of Cedar Rapids, IA and Moya Tielens of Vancouver, British Columbia. And, with many top Masters playing exceptionally strong after a fiercely competitive 2006 World Pro Tour, matches are anticipated to be extremely intense!

The tournament is organized by Foosin’ Fever Promotions and is sanctioned by both the United States Table Soccer Federation and the ITSF. Competition will include numerous categories for men and women from beginner to Master, and specialty events such as “Draw Your Partner Doubles,” “Goalie War” and “Forward Shootout.” The tournament is open to press and spectators, and there is no admission fee to enter the tournament area. Opening events begin at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, May 4th with most finals occurring on Sunday the 6th. Players of every skill level can register for events on site, and all competition will be on Brunswick’s Tornado Table Soccer™ tables.

Sponsors of the event include Foosin’ Fever Promotions and Shooters Billiards, while sponsors of the U.S. National Foosball Team include Nike™, Brunswick’s Tornado Table Soccer™, Bonzini™ USA, Tornello Enterprises, Foosball.com, Rod-lock.com and TTR MasterWraps. The host hotel for the tournament will be the Select Inn and Suites, at 250 N. River Ridge Circle in Burnsville (reservations: 1-952-890-9550).

Other USTSF/ITSF 2007 World Tour events in the United States are scheduled to take place in Kentucky, North Carolina, Colorado, Louisiana, Texas, Virginia and Las Vegas, Nevada, while table soccer players from over 40 countries are gearing up for further ITSF competition in Austria, Canada, Costa Rica, France, Germany, India, Japan, Mexico, Poland, Romania, South Africa and the UK, among others. In fact, this year’s 56-tournament, five-continent tour will be the largest worldwide table soccer pro tour ever!

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

www.vifa.com - Tournament/league information site
www.table-soccer.org - ITSF official web site/international rankings/news
www.foosball.com - General information about the sport of table soccer
www.ustsf.org - USTSF official web site/U.S. National Team sponsorship opportunities

For more information, photos, or for an electronic version of this release, please contact:
Loyd Mandel, Tournament Director, Tel: 1-605-352-5827; Email: lmandell@hur.midco.net
Larry Davis, Executive Director, USTSF, Tel: 1-563-580-9485; Email: larry.davis@ustsf.foosball.com

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