Madden NFL 2004 Challenge announced

EA Sports has today announced that its second annual Madden Challenge tournament will kick off in Chicago this weekend. A grand prize of $50,000 dollars will be awarded to the eventual champion after players in no less than 32 cities have competed for places in the Las Vegas final.

Anyone interested in competing in this year's Madden Challenge should register their interest at the official tournament Web site. Only around 500 players will be allowed to play in each city, and the places will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Online registration will open two weeks prior to each city's competition and close the Tuesday before the competition. The dates and locations for the 2003 Madden Challenge regional tournaments are as follows:

Saturday, August 23 - Chicago, IL - Navy Pier
Sunday, August 24 - Indianapolis, IN - Pan American Plaza
Saturday, August 30 - Minneapolis, MN - Mall of America
Sunday, August 31 - Green Bay, WI - The Resch Center
Saturday, September 6 - Detroit, MI - Great Lakes Crossing
Sunday, September 7 - Cleveland, OH - The Powerhouse at Nautica Falls
Saturday, September 13 - Cincinnati, OH - Paul Brown Stadium
Sunday, September 14 - Pittsburgh, PA - Heinz Field
Saturday, September 20 - Buffalo, NY - Walden Galleria Mall
Sunday, September 21 - Boston, MA - Faneiul Hall
Saturday, October 4 - New York, NY - South Street Seaport
Sunday, October 5 - Philadelphia, PA - Gallery at Market East
Saturday, October 1 - Washington DC - Union Station
Sunday, October 12 - Charlotte, NC - Concord Mills
Saturday, October 18 - Miami, FL - Bayside Marketplace
Sunday, October 19 - Tampa, FL - Raymond James Stadium
Saturday, October 25 - Jacksonville, FL - Jacksonville, FL
Sunday, October 26 - Atlanta, GA - Underground Atlanta
Saturday, November 1 - Nashville, TN - Opry Mills
Sunday, November 2 - St. Louis, MO - St. Louis Union Station
Saturday, November 8 - New Orleans, LA - Riverwalk Marketplace
Sunday, November 9 - Houston, TX - The Galleria
Friday-Saturday, November 14-15 - San Antonio, TX - The River Walk
Sunday, November 16 - Dallas, TX - Texas Stadium
Friday-Saturday, November 21-22 - Kansas City, MO - The Pavilion at Arrowhead
Sunday, November 23 - Denver, CO - Denver Pavilions
Saturday, November 29 - Phoenix, AZ - Arizona Center
Sunday, November 30 - Las Vegas, NV - Fashion Show
Saturday, December 6 - San Diego, CA - Mission Valley Mall
Sunday, December 7 - Los Angeles, CA - 3rd Street Promenade
Friday-Saturday, December 12-13 - Seattle, WA - Seahawks Stadium
Sunday, December 14 - San Francisco, CA - Pacific Bell Park

Entrants will be charged a $10 entry fee, $1 of which EA Sports will donate to NFL Youth Education Town. All the matches will be played using the recently released PS2 version of Madden NFL 2004, and entrants will be allowed to play as any current-season team they choose. Further rules and tournament information can be found on the official tournament Web site.