Dear table football community.
The following communication has been sent to all Member National Associations.
As you may be aware, the organisers of the Milan Major Grand Prix have indicated that the successful tournament held in December 2023 was, unfortunately, the last such event to be held in their city.
While next season is still 6 months away, this decision has prompted the FISTF Board to begin to consider the calendar for the 2024-25 season, including of course the Majors, which are showcases for our sport.
The FISTF Board is therefore calling for expressions interest from all MNAs interested in hosting a Major during the 2024-25 season.
Expressions of interest should be submitted by 30 April 2024.
Main selection criteria Per section 2.8.1 of the FISTF Handbook, applicants must comply with the following criteria:
A. Total number of individual participants in all categories the last time a FISTF event was organised in the city/club.
B. Total number of categories played (Open, Veterans, U20, etc.) the last time a FISTF event was organised in the city/club.
C. Total number of foreign players in all categories the last time a FISTF event was organised in the city/club.
D. Total number of top-10 ranked players in all categories the last time a FISTF event was organised in the city/club.
E. Total number of events (International Open, Golden Grand Prix/International Grand Prix and Major Grand Prix) organised/to be organised in the country of the candidate event during the current season.
F. An international airport in a short distance from the venue of the event
G. An overall evaluation judging the quality of venue, condition & number of tables, media coverage, organisers’ spirit of cooperation with FISTF, decided by FISTF Board.
Regarding the tournament system, it is mandatory to have both Individual and Teams events in a Major Grand Prix.
Additional requirements
Additionally, the following are mandatory obligations on the organisers of a FISTF Major Grand Prix:
A. Results file properly completed and submitted before the Friday after the event to https://fistf.com/contact/contact-fistf-for-operations-sport-calendar-rankings/
B. Live results delivered over the weekend for the Table Football Community.
C. Live streaming of at least ONE ”show table”. This must involve fixed cameras, scores on screen, and not roaming handheld. Commentary is optional.
D. It must be announced at least the day before the tournament where the live streaming will take place. It has to be a “public” space (no private Facebook group). Live streaming is mandatory only starting from Last 8. FISTF logo has to be present during all the live streaming in the bottom right corner of the screen.
E. A tournament report and podium photos are mandatory within 24 hours. FISTF will provide a template that Organisers can complete for tournament report.
F. Promotional posters/flyers to be displayed in the region of the event.
G. Ongoing promotion to local/national media/sports websites.
Further details regarding the requirements can be found in section 2.8.1 of the FISTF Handbook.
While the Handbook allows for a maximum of two Majors in any one MNA, and any application from an MNA currently hosting a Major will be considered, the Board would like to encourage MNAs which do not currently host a Major to consider applying, in the interests of spreading our game.
Application process
An application addressing the above criteria and additional requirements should be submitted via email to board@fistf.com together with a completed Form 04 (available at https://fistf.com/technical-pages/documents-library/). For Europe, an order of preference of three dates is requested on the Form 04.
The application must come from the MNA (rather than in individual club/organiser), but FISTF can contact the organisers if the Form 04 does not arrive on time.
Selection process
The Board will consider all expressions of interest and will announce its decision by no later than 31 May 2024.
Finally, regarding the existing remaining Majors (hosted in Belgium – Mons; France – Paris; Greece – Athens; and Italy – Bologna), in accordance with longstanding practice, the Board’s intention is to continue with these well-established events into the future.
However, in accordance with the FISTF Handbook, the Board reserves the right to reconsider in the future which five Grand Prix tournaments around the world are the best and should be allotted the status of Major Grand Prix. With kindest regards FISTF Board.
FISTF