MFA is acronym for Moscow Fighting Arena - an annual series of fighting tournaments that takes place in the end of each summer since 2004 and gather best fighters from all over the Europe (well, it’s eastern part at least xD).
MFA 2009 will take place on August 28th-30th. There is no complete schedule available yet, but as a forecast you may use this info:
GAMES and SCHEDULE
rough draft of a schedule:
August 28th - SF4 and SC4 day. TBD
August 29th - GGXXAC day. AT LEAST 1v1 groups 6=>2 + play-off full double elimination all games bo3 + 3v3 (full double elimination bo1)
August 30th - T5DR day. AT LEAST 1v1 groups 6=>2 + play-off full double elimination all games bo3 + 3v3 (full double elimination bo1)
There will be freeplay available 24 hours starting Friday morning and ending Sunday night (and possibly Monday morning).
There will be additional side-events.
Russian fighting scene and expected turnout
Turnout: Last year at MFA2008 we had like 110 participants in T5DR tourney, about 80 participants in GGXXAC and about 50 participants in SC4. This year we expect to see about 80-90 participants at T5DR and GGXXAC, and about 40-60 at SC4 and SF4 each.
Scene: judging by the (small) amount of European events our players attended (France 2005, Poland 2006, Finland 2006, Sweden 2009), our GG, Tekken and SC scenes are on par with best European scenes. Prepare to be rocked =) Our SF players haven’t tried themselves in international tourneys yet, but they are eager to try =)
Location\Venue
This year we decided to change event format a little (partially influenced by Sweden Showdown =)). This time it will took place in a cottage located in Moscow suburb/satellite city, Vidnoe. The venue is 70m^2 hall with about 12 TV’s.
Venue features:
- open 3 days, 24 hours per day (starting with Friday morning).
- only fighters, no passers-by\random ppl
- possibility to sleep at venue (limited places, make sure to check it with organizers beforehand)
- 2 minutes away from forest and a pond (swimming possible =)
Venue limitations:
- quite far from Moscow center (about 1.5 hours). we’ll arrange some shuttles to help you, though.
- location capacity is limited to like 80-90 persons simultaneously, so you only can participate via pre-registration. However, for all foreign players it is default that there will be no problems with participation.
Getting to Russia:
Getting to Russia can seem pretty complicated for those who aren’t used to traveling outside EU. You need a Russian visa to get here, and airfare costs could be pricy if you wait will last minute. However, with 2.5 months to go, if you start planning and checking everything soon, you’ll easily make it =) Please, don’t hesitate to contact us about it, and I’m sure we will be able to help you with some kind of advice.
Getting to venue:
Getting to is pretty complicated, but just don’t worry about it. We will arrange a person to get you (possibly - drive you) there. Also, depending on the airport and time you will fly in, we will try to arrange somebody to pick you up from airport. However, for those who want to get there themselves, we will be posting a detailed guide soon.
Fees and Prizes, a subject to change:
Venue entry fee: 300rur (~7 euros) per person.
Tournament fee: 200rur (~5 euros) per person per tourney.
Prizes: 100% of tournament fee goes to prize pot + cups and diplomas to top3-4 + there may be some additional prizes on some of tourneys (to be announced).
HOSTING
0. Staying on venue
There is a limited number of persons who can stay on venue (bring-your-sleeping-bag style). If you want to, please contact tournament officials beforehand. You foreign players have priority on this.
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Staying in one’s apartments.
Generally it will be very easy for you to find a Russian fighter to host you. Russian players are very hospitable (you may check Finnish feddback on MFA2008 here) -
There are some cheap hotels nearby (in Vidnoe). There is
2a. Motel\Hostel "Na Belokamennom"
Vidnoe, Belokamennoe, 7?.
400 rur (9 euros) per person/night - a sleeping place
1800 rur (40 euros) per 2 persons - econom room (crappy, but cheap)
2900 rur (70 euros) per 2 persons - semi-luxe (still crappy I presume=))
3200 rur per 2 persons (76 euros) - with possibility to have additional sleeping places added to the room, up to 4 total.
This place is quite far from location (more then 40 minutes of walking), but we will use our shuttle to get you there and back if needed.
2b. Hotel "Alliance"
Vidnoe, Leninskogo Komsomola, 46?
Rooms range from 1790 rur (43 euro) per single to 2400 rur (58 euro) per triple.
This one is located closer to venue (about 20 minutes of walking), with multiple options to speed the way up (like buses). Again, we will get you there and back by shuttle if needed.
- Staying at the center of Moscow. Props - better sightseeing (err, there is no sightseeing at Vidnoe at all), wide selection of better hotels. Downsides - everything is much more expensive; spend more then 1.5 hours getting to venue.
Looking forward seeing you at MFA2009! Please ask your questions here, at our forums or e-mail me at biologin [at] fighting.ru