33RD ANNUAL BONZINI NORTH CAROLINA STATE FOOSBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS TO KICK OFF OCTOBER 5TH - Top Table Soccer Players Compete in Benefit for Boys and Girls Clubs

October 05, 2007 (PRLEAP.COM) Sports News
WILMINGTON, NC – Now in its 33rd year, the Bonzini North Carolina State Foosball Championships is set to begin on Friday, October 5th, 2007. To be held at Breaktime Billiards Sports Bar & Grill, 127 South College Road in Wilmington, the 3-day tournament will feature categories for all ages and skill levels and is expected to draw up to 100 local, national and even international players – some from as far away as Canada and even the Czech Republic. Proceeds from the event will benefit Wilmington’s Brigade Boys and Girls Club.

Each year, this particular tournament takes place on “French-style” foosball (a.k.a. “table soccer”) tables provided by Bonzini™ USA. The Bonzini™ table is one of five different styles of table soccer tables currently endorsed by the International Table Soccer Federation (ITSF) for use in international competition. With the tournament now recognized as an ITSF “Master Series” event, the Bonzini™ North Carolina State Foosball Championships has even been elevated to international status. As a result, competition in the Open categories is expected to be fierce. Particularly exciting will be the Open Doubles and Open Singles events beginning at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, which will feature returning doubles champions Mack Smith and Jim Parris as well as defending singles champion Rick Owens and several members of the U.S. and Canadian National Teams.

This year, in addition to the regular tournament, there will also be a special event at the Brigade Boy's and Girls Club in conjunction with “The Right Decision, Right Now” youth anti-smoking campaign sponsored by the R.J.R. Tobacco Company. Through events such as this the Bonzini™ USA Foosball Tour continues to gain public support and interest from their professional approach to tournament events while supporting local charitable organizations. In fact, in a combined effort by local area business sponsorships and event organizers, Bonzini™ USA’s foosball competitions have already raised well over $120,000 for varied local and national charities.

The tournament area is open to all press and spectators and there is no admission fee to view the matches. Registration begins at 4:00 p.m. on Friday, with most finals held on Sunday the 7th. Sponsors of the event include Breaktime Billiards Sports Bar & Grill, WRQR-FM 104.5 Rock, Southland Amusements & Vending, Inc. and more. Host hotel for the event is the Comfort Inn at 124 South College Road, Wilmington (reservations: 1-910-791-4841).

This is the last event on the five-continent 60-tournament 2007 ITSF World Pro Tour in which players can earn ranking points to compete in the October 25-28 ITSF World Championship Finals in St. Vincent, Italy. At the same time, table soccer players across the USA and all around the world are already preparing for ITSF’s 2008 World Tour competitions in Austria, Costa Rica, France, Germany, Japan, Italy, Mexico, Poland, Switzerland, the UK and more!

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

www.bonziniusa.com - Tournament/charity information site
www.table-soccer.org - ITSF official web site/international rankings/news
www.ustsf.org - USTSF official website/Pro Tour & U.S. National Team sponsorship opportunities
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:
Alan Cribbs, Tournament Director, Tel: 1-336-325-3183; Email: acribbs@triad.rr.com
Larry Davis, Executive Director, USTSF, Tel: 1-563-580-9485; Email: larry.davis@ustsf.foosball.com

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