Independent Foosball Promotions (IFP) announces 2008 Pro Tour Kickoff Tournament -- Kentucky Tournament Leads Huge Upswing in Foosball Popularity

Foosball players from all over the world are converging on Lexington, Kentucky in preparation for a truly unique sports event: the 14th Annual IFP Foosball Pro Tour Kickoff tournament. To be held January 23-27 at the Lexington Holiday Inn North, this event is expected to draw many of the best foosball (a.k.a. "table soccer") players in the nation and numerous top international players as well.

Lexington, KY (PRWEB) January 17, 2008 -- Foosball players from all over the world are converging on Lexington, Kentucky in preparation for a truly unique sports event: the 14th Annual IFP Foosball Pro Tour Kickoff tournament. To be held January 23-27 at the Lexington Holiday Inn North, this event is expected to draw many of the best foosball (a.k.a. "table soccer") players in the nation and numerous top international players as well.
    
This year avid foosball enthusiasts will be closely watching hometown favorite and current World Junior Foosball Champion Ryan Moore, 18, of Lexington. Ryan, also a member of the U.S. National Team, recently captured the World title at the International Table Soccer Federation's (ITSF) World Championships tournament in St. Vincent, Italy, and is expected to face a host of top contenders, including the United Kingdom's superstar Rob Atha, 23, and top American tour winners such as Terry Rue of Lafayette, Louisiana and Tracy McMillin of Houston, TX. They'll all be joined at this tournament by most of the U.S. National Team and as many as 400 male and female competitors, all vying for a total of $35,000 in cash and prizes.
    
The annual Tour Kickoff has also achieved international tour status, having been sanctioned by the ITSF as a Master Series event. Players from as far away as Hungary, Ireland and Costa Rica will compete against America's best in Singles, Doubles, Mixed Doubles, and several specialty events. With seven skill-level divisions and special 17 & under, and 12 & under events for younger players, all comers are welcome to participate -- there's something for everyone.

As an added feature, this year's tournament will also include a special book-signing by World Table Soccer Almanac co-author Kathy Brainard, scheduled for Friday through Sunday. And on Friday evening only, a rare guest appearance by Foosball Hall of Fame member Mr. Lawrence Patterson -- widely known as the "Father of American Foosball."

The tournament is organized by Kentucky's own Independent Foosball Promotions and is sanctioned by ITSF and the United States Table Soccer Federation. Sponsors of the event include TornadoFoosball.com, Budweiser, Rent Way, Little Caesars Pizza, and the Lexington Holiday Inn North, while sponsors of the U.S. National Team include Brunswick's Valley-Dynamo, Borden Milk Products of North Texas, Sebastian Custom Warm-ups and Foosball.com. All competition will be held on Tornado Table Soccer tables, a product of Brunswick Corp. Admission is free to spectators and press. Opening events begin at 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, January 23rd, with most finals played on Sunday the 27th.

With over 50 participating countries and over 40 other ITSF 2008 World Tour events already scheduled to take place across five continents in places as diverse as Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, Las Vegas, Tokyo, Paris, Dubai, Vienna, Prague, Budapest, Costa Rica, Denmark, Singapore, and the UK, this year's tour will be the largest worldwide table soccer pro tour ever.

For additional details about the event and the sport, please see the following websites:

www.ustsf.org - USTSF official web site/U.S. National Team sponsorship opportunities
www.table-soccer.org - ITSF web site; International Rankings, Rules and more
www.foosball.com - General information about the sport of table soccer
www.foosworld.com - Information about players and regional events across the U.S.A.
www.vifa.com - USTSA web site/U.S.A. rankings/International League info

For more information, photos, or for an electronic version of this release, please contact:
Mary Moore, Tournament Director, Tel: 1-859-268-8502;
Larry Davis, Executive Director, USTSF, Tel: 1-563-580-9485.

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