The Capital District of New York (Albany, Troy, Saratoga Springs, Schenectady, and adjoining communities) is an anomaly — a pinball desert of sorts, with few public places to play pinball and none of any size, for a region of its size and demographics.
Pinball 518 was formed in part to try to encourage all things pinball in the area, including facilitating the opening of venues committed to operating well-maintained pinball machines.
We are organizing a cooperatively-run club as a non-profit organization to provide a common space for local pinball enthusiasts to share machines and play, assist with repairs and rehabilitation projects, organize family and public events, and provide a welcoming space for all things pinball.
The club will work with members lending machines for common play. Eventually we hope to have club-owned machines, and have acquired a number of project or working-but-needing-TLC pinball tables already to help us get started.
The Club is intended to provide both a family-friendly and tournament-quality environment. Rather than compete with any commercial establishment, the Coop seeks to facilitate the opening and operation of as many places to play as possible in the Capital Region. League nights and other events will be scheduled to avoid conflicts with establishments having existing league nights. We want to grow pinball, not cannibalize it!
As of late 2019, the Club is still in the process of incorporating and looking for appropriate space to lease.
If you are interested in updates, or can help, please contact Matt Wall at a Pinball 518 event or send email to info@pinball518.org and let us know.
Pinball 518 