For newcomers
UK pinball, explained
New to competitive pinball, or just to how the UK scene works? Here are the terms you'll see around the site, in plain English.
- IFPAInt'l Flipper Pinball Association
The body that sanctions competitive pinball worldwide and keeps the global rankings. If a UK tournament “counts”, it's because it's registered with the IFPA.
- Sanctioned event
A tournament registered with the IFPA, so its results feed the world rankings. Plenty of casual and league nights aren't sanctioned — that's fine, they're just not counted toward WPPR.
- Pinball Map
A community-run map of where machines actually live. Every venue and machine on Silverball comes from it.
- WPPRWorld Pinball Player Rankings
The IFPA's global ranking. You earn WPPR points by placing well at sanctioned events; they reward a mix of how well and how often you play, over roughly a three-year window. Higher WPPR = higher world rank.
- Rating
A separate measure of pure strength (a Glicko rating, like chess Elo) — how likely you are to beat a given opponent, independent of how much you play. A player can have a modest WPPR rank but a strong rating, or the reverse.
- Rating classes
Silverball groups players into tiers by rating — a ladder from Wizard at the top down to E. It's a quick read on where someone sits.WizardMasterExpertABCDE
- UKCSUK Championship Series
The season-long series of qualifying events whose standings decide who plays for the UK championship. Following your position in it is the closest thing UK pinball has to a title race.
- UK Pinball League
Regional league play across eight UK regions — South West, Midlands, London & South East, Northern, Scottish, Irish, East Anglia and South Wales. Its results feed the IFPA too.
- Casual league
A self-logged league for your mates, your local or your own collection — track scores and keep a table. No IFPA ranking needed, and it never touches the official record.
- Casual ladder
The Wizard→E class you can earn inside a casual league, from head-to-head results against the other members. It's that league's own thing — never your IFPA rating.
- Pinball Passport
Your casual record on Silverball — stamps (milestones like First Ball, Extra Ball and Local Legend), the machines you've collected and your best casual class. Earned for showing up and improving, not just winning, and never mixed with the official IFPA record. Make it public to share at your own /u/ link.