IFPAburgh – Coming 2022!

The IFPA is excited to announce that plans are underway for a new matchplay tournament to help fill the void that Pinburgh has left behind. Through the help of IFPA volunteers across the country, plans for IFPAburgh include the ability to accommodate up to 1500 players, with a prize package of over $400,000.

The IFPA is creating 5 separate Regional Qualifiers across the country. Registration for these 5 qualifiers will open on the same day, with no player able to participate in more than one qualifying event. Players can however participate in any one of the regionals. The maximum number of participants in each Regional Qualifier will be 300 players.

WEST Regional –> Museum of Pinball, 700 S Hathaway St, Banning, CA 92220
MIDWEST Regional –> District 82 Pinball Arcade, 800 O Keefe Rd suite f, De Pere, WI 54115
SOUTHWEST Regional –> Starfighters Arcade, 4840 E Jasmine St #102, Mesa, AZ 85205
SOUTHEAST Regional –> Pinball Asylum, 13831 Jetport Commerce Pkwy, Fort Myers, FL 33913
NORTHEAST Regional –> The Sanctum, 290 Pratt St, Meriden, CT 06450

Some details for each Regional Qualifier:

  • Entry fee will be $250 per player. No prize money will be awarded at the Regional Qualifier, however prize money will be paid out to ALL finalists.
  • Stern Pinball is sponsoring the Regional Qualifiers by contributing a NIB Pro pinball machine for the top qualifier of each Region.
  • The top 10% of the finalists from each of these Regional Qualifiers will advance to the IFPAburgh Championship (maximum of 150 finalists in total).
  • Each Regional Qualifier will use the same qualifying format as Pinburgh – 2 day event – 5 sessions per day, 4 games per session.
  • Proof of COVID-19 vaccination is required to participate in any of the IFPAburgh Regional Qualifiers.
  • Masks will be mandatory at all IFPAburgh Regional Qualifiers.

Working with our partners over at PAPA, the finals will be held at the Pittsburgh Pinball Dojo, 2 N Balph Ave, Bellevue, PA 15202.

More details to come later this year!
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April 2nd update . . .

This was an April’s Fools joke! We want to get through this pandemic and begin sanctioning events again before we embark on any new IFPA campaigns. However, the idea of working with organizers around the globe to organize satellite events to feed an ultimate championship, all featuring the Pinburgh Match-Play format we love is definitely something we plan on exploring. This would be far more likely to include events all over the World (not just the US). We will keep everyone posted as things develop.

20 responses to “IFPAburgh – Coming 2022!”

  1. Virginia says:

    I would be all for this. 🙂 😉

  2. peter says:

    Posting on April fool WTF repost in a week

  3. Chris says:

    It is april fools not april cruels!

  4. Brian says:

    Obviously you guys don’t know the history of Josh’s April 1st Posts 🙂

  5. Joe+Blasi says:

    Proof of COVID-19 vaccination is maybe to much as no vaccine approved yet for children under age 16.
    And the time line for others to get them is weeks away.

    Also for $250 / player (ALL games need to be free play or maybe say $25-$50 of that is an location fee)

  6. Eric Geddes says:

    I don’t think the Sharpes would pull an April Fools like this. In light of all that has gone on, it would be classless and not go over well in the pinball world, and the brothers Sharpe are generally better than that.

  7. Keith Richter says:

    Cruel if this is an April Fool joke as I had tickets to last year’s cancelled Pinburgh and that still stings. If it isn’t a joke, I’d advocate for adding a sixth Mid-South region using either Game Galaxy in Smyrna, TN or Game Terminal in Nashville, TN. Both locations have enough machines to handle a 300 player regional qualifier, and we have TD’s willing to run it.

  8. Bob Matthews says:

    Definitely an April Fool, taste questionable.

  9. Joe+Blasi says:

    Proof of COVID-19 vaccination may also be an HIPAA issue.

    Masks will be mandatory in 2022?? Will that happen? And that can be an ADA issue with people who can’t use them.
    With an prize package of over $400,000. They can find an attorney that will take that case.

  10. Joe+Blasi says:

    The taste is ok other them maybe some of the covid stuff

    Now really bad taste will be

    with no player able to be in more than one qualifying event ticket list or wait list with all tickets going on sale at the same time.

  11. Doug says:

    Definitely an April Fool, taste not questionable. Pretty lame and unfunny.

  12. Trollololol says:

    Can’t tell what is more of a joke, the post or the comments.

    o_0

  13. Wisconsin player says:

    Well, saw a facebook confirmation from one of the Regional locations that they have NOT been contacted by IFPA and know nothing about this. I suppose a good April Fools joke is one that has a small bit of credibility, eh? Somebody was curious enough to ask the regional sites at least.

  14. Joseph+Nebus says:

    It’s a plausible-enough plan. But looking at aerial photos for District 82 (Wisconsin) and The Sanctum (Connecticut) I realize I can’t see where 300 people would *park*.

    The Pinside Pinball map tells me that The Sanctum and Starfighters Arcade (Arizona) have only 50 machines each. That’s a maximum capacity of 200 players with no reserve banks.

    Both of these issues could be overcome, such as by having these venues manage a regional competition and go about renting the county expo center and getting enough machines. I feel there’s a tip given by these issues not being addressed.

  15. Lee Moscaritolo says:

    Stern giving away a nib at each qualifier. Not in this century unless theres more nib wwfs.

  16. Joe says:

    Proof of vaccination?? Yeah, you better be kidding. Gtfo…

  17. Ovid Dillard says:

    I don’t understand how an idea that is “definitely something we plan on exploringl” was used as an April Fool’s joke. From the last line in the update, was the joke that it was just in the US? Really tone-deaf posting.

  18. C-Ball says:

    I really wish the IFPA could make up their minds as to whether they want to be a serious sporting league or some lulz-based organization that only about 100 or so of their closest friends can enjoy.

  19. Doug says:

    April fools joke. What a knee-slapper. Wow. Lame level 11.

  20. Janis J Moscaritolo says:

    Can’t wait. I will fly out from Massachusetts to try to compete!

    Are the women invited?

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