Murdoch:<\/strong> The league that I run is called the FPLSA (First Pok\u00e9mon League in South Africa), but there are 3 other leagues in Gauteng and 9 other leagues in South Africa. Pretoria Pok\u00e9mon League, Port Elizabeth League, Cape Town South Africa League, East London, Pokeworx, Pok\u00e9mon TradeStation Challenge, Pok\u00e9mon Durban, Riverside Pok\u00e9mon League and Master Quest League.<\/p>\n More will follow soon as there are lots of people around the country that are interested. There were other leagues when Pok\u00e9mon first came out and Cape Town has been running since then unofficially by importing their stock, but the league I started was the first of the new launch of Pok\u00e9mon in South Africa.”<\/p>\n Brian Murdoch<\/p><\/div>\n MyGaming:<\/span> What are the goals for the league?<\/p>\n Murdoch:<\/strong> The league’s goal is to have fun. Play Pok\u00e9mon on the DS, bring your own cards to play, trade and even earn cool prizes. Do this with others that share your interest.<\/p>\n All the leagues are free to attend and the league owners will only charge if they need to pay for the venue or get more equipment for the league\u2019s benefit, such as getting more tables and chairs to cater for growth.<\/p>\n MyGaming:<\/span> How was your first event received?<\/p>\n Murdoch:<\/strong> It was hard to start because there were only 6 of us in the first meet-up. It was okay because we were still learning how these things worked. That was in the beginning of the year. The league now has over 30 players that meet every 2nd week. In Pretoria they have seen great growth. They started February with 5 people and are now 25 players meeting every week with the players requesting to meet twice a week.<\/p>\n MyGaming:<\/span> What sort of support do you get from Core?<\/p>\n Murdoch:<\/strong> Core help a lot. They give most of the prize support that we receive and also facilitate the league materials coming into the country. They pick up the bill for shipping it in and couriering out to the league owners. This prize-support is given for free to the players as they achieve the number of games required. Free special promo cards and eventually a Pok\u00e9mon Season badge, just like in the anim\u00e9.<\/p>\n MyGaming:<\/span> What do people need to do to become involved?<\/p>\n Murdoch:<\/strong> Buying one of the starter theme decks is a good idea. There is also ‘Trainer Starter’ that can teach two people how to play at the same time, and then you can combine the two 30-card ‘Trainer Starter’ decks into one playable 60 card deck.<\/p>\n Both of these packs have the basic rules in them. After this step or before, register on Pok\u00e9mon.com and go to the Pok\u00e9mon website<\/a> to find a tournament or league in your area. The search only needs your Country and Postal code. Take a look at the league closest to you.<\/p>\n MyGaming:<\/span> Do you have a web presence where interested Pok\u00e9mon gamers can find more info?<\/p>\n Murdoch:<\/strong> Pok\u00e9mon.com is the official site and caters for almost all the needs of a Pok\u00e9mon player. Here are some of the links for convenience but all of them can be navigated through the site:<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/mygaming.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/First-pokemon-league-south-africa-2.jpg\" "\\"First")
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