Top > Sport > 2006 > March > 2006-03-06

Foosball Raising Money For Cancer

When it comes to helping out the less fortunate you don`t necessarily have to be the richest player in sports to raise some money. In fact, all it takes is the love of foosball, or table soccer, and the heart to raise money for charity. Popular locally as a family restaurant and bar, Fat Daddy`s in Raleigh will also be host to this year`s "Jimmy V" North Carolina Foosball Open. To be held March 17-19 and with categories open to men and women and beginner through Master, the tournament is expected to draw local table soccer enthusiasts and even internationally ranked players from throughout the region, with proceeds benefiting the V Foundation for Cancer Research.

The "Jimmy V" tournament annually raises funds for the V Foundation, named for the late North Carolina State basketball coach and ABC/ESPN sports commentator Jimmy Valvano. The V Foundation is a charitable organization dedicated to saving lives by helping to find a cure for cancer by generating broad-based support for cancer research and by creating an urgent public awareness of the importance of the war against cancer.

In its first few years, the tournament raised a total of over $10,000 for the V Foundation, thanks to local area business sponsorships, and a total of more than $100,000 has been raised for this and other charities in a nationwide combined effort by local event organizers and Bonzini? USA, a Division of Cribbs, Inc. Each year, the tournament takes place on "French-style" foosball 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.