Celebrating five years of EA SPORTS Madden Challenge presented by Best Buy, Electronic Arts announced today the locations and dates for the 2006 EA SPORTS Madden Challenge, the only official EA tournament, to crown the best player of Madden NFL 07, the latest installment of the top-selling football video game franchise in North America. Winners will come from 31 regional competitions.
This year, for the first time, the 2006 EA SPORTS Madden Challenge will expand internationally, adding challenges in each of the following countries: Mexico, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany and Hong Kong.
The winners from the 26 U.S. cities and five NFL international tournaments will advance to the Finals, held during Pro Bowl week (week of Feb. 8, 2007) in Honolulu, Hawaii. The winner of the 2006 EA SPORTS Madden Challenge will receive a grand prize package, including a check for $100,000 and the winners of each regional competition will receive $1,000. Last year, 73,000 people attended and 16,000 competed nationwide, but Jarvis Thomas from Upper Marlboro, MD proved he was the best player and took the $100,000 grand prize at the Honolulu finals.
The 2006 EA SPORTS Madden Challenge, presented by Best Buy and sponsored by Microsoft and Sprint, will test the skills of thousands of gamers on Madden NFL 07, on both the Xbox and Xbox 360 consoles. The professional division (consisting of up to 512 competitors at each regional stop) will feature competition on the Xbox® videogame system from Microsoft and a new Xbox 360 Division (64 competitors at each stop) will feature next-gen play on the Xbox 360 console. The regional winner from each professional division will advance to the finals in Hawaii.
The 2006 EA SPORTS Madden Challenge schedule, including five international cities:
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DATE
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CITY
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VENUE
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9/1/2006
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Denver
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Invesco Field
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9/3/2006
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Minneapolis
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MetroDome
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9/9/2006
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Indianapolis
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RCA Dome
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9/10/2006
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Chicago
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Solider Field
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9/16/2006
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Green Bay
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Lambeau Atrium
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9/17/2006
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Detroit
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Ford Field
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9/23/2006
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Atlanta
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Lenox Mall
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9/24/2006
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New Orleans
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Superdome
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9/25/2006
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New Orleans - MNF
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Superdome
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9/30/2006
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Cincinnati
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Newport on the Levee
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10/1/2006
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Pittsburgh
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Heinz Field
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10/7/2006
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Boston
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Gillette Stadium
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10/8/2006
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Philadelphia
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King of Prussia Mall
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10/14/2006
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New Jersey
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Jersey Garden Mall
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10/15/2006
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New York
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Grand Central Station
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10/21/2006
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Baltimore
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M & T Bank Stadium
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10/22/2006
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WashingtonDC
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Fed Ex Field
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10/28/2006
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Charlotte
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Concord Mills
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10/29/2006
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Tampa
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Raymond James Stadium
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11/4/2006
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Houston
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Reliant StadiumPark
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11/5/2006
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Dallas
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Texas Stadium
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11/11/2006
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Phoenix
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Cardinal Stadium
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11/12/2006
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San Diego
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Qualcomm Stadium
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11/18/2006
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Los Angeles
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Hollywood & Highland
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11/19/2006
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Oakland
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McAfee Coliseum
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11/24/2006
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Seattle
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Qwest Field
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11/26/2006
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San Francisco
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Metreon
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1/13/2007
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Toronto, Canada
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TBD
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1/20/2007
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Hong Kong, China
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EA Experience
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1/27/2007
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Mexico City, Mexico
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TBD
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2/4/2007
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London, England
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Superbash
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2/4/2007
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Frankfurt, Germany
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Commerce Stadium
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2/8/2007
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Honolulu (Finals)
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Pro Bowl
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For 2006 EA SPORTS Madden Challenge Tournament information, including Tournament Official Rules and online registration, players can go to the official EA SPORTS Madden Challenge website at
www.maddenchallenge.com. Registration is $15 per person. Void where prohibited. Eligibility restrictions apply. Competitors will be registered on a first-come, first-served basis. Walk-in, on-site tournament registration will be accepted on the day of each city’s competition as space permits.
Coming into its 17th year and with more than 51 million copies sold, Madden NFL Football continues to stand out as the most popular sports videogame franchise of all time with a combination of inventive new features and the most authentic football gameplay. Available in stores everywhere on August 22, Madden NFL 07, offers unique player control in the running game like never before. For the first time ever, players can step up as the lead blocker to create a hole and then take control of the tailback and smash through, overpower, or slash away from would-be tacklers as they fight for every yard. Innovative rushing controls give a game-breaking ground attack featuring all-new jukes, cutbacks and the distinct running styles of the league’s favorite backs. Other key features include lead blocker control, NFL Superstar: Hall of Fame mode, Run Like the Players Run with the All-New Highlight stick, Additions to Franchise mode, Team-Specific Defensive Playbooks and Online Play.
