The IFPA has been monitoring the impact of opt-outs on competition results and on TD feedback about pressure from players. Given those impacts and the IFPA’s focus on competitive result integrity, the IFPA has decided to no longer allow opt-outs. Any IFPA sanctioned events with an end date of March 1st, 2026 or later will be subject to this policy change.
Players who wish to participate in IFPA sanctioned events expect fair tournaments with accurate reporting. Players opting-out had drastically altered the results of events without showing up in the event results themselves, harming the integrity of IFPA results and rankings. Additionally, players have used opt-outs in an attempt to play in events while not risking their competitive statistics. Removing opt-outs ensures accurate tournament results and streamlines the reporting process for our volunteer TDs and Staff.
Players who wish to participate in IFPA sanctioned tournaments but do not wish to be included in IFPA rankings may still choose to suppress their player profile. Suppression allows all players to participate without the same impacts on competition presented by opt-outs. Suppressed players will not be eligible to participate in that year’s SCS, NACS, WNACS, Country, SPC, Worlds, etc. IFPA championships. Suppression can be requested at any time by emailing the IFPA at ifpapinball@gmail.com. Suppression for any length of time will invalidate the suppressed player from qualifying for the events listed above for the current year. Players who are not suppressed at the start of a year are automatically eligible to qualify for those championships again in that year.