# History of the Pinball News Hall of Fame **Source:** Pinball News Website **Type:** article **Published:** 2023-05-30 **Beat:** Pinball **URL:** https://www.pinballnews.com/site/2023/05/30/hall-of-fame-history --- ## Analysis The Pinball News Hall of Fame originated in 2008 as a UK-based awards program celebrating individuals advancing pinball in the United Kingdom. Founded through collaboration between UK Pinball Show organizer Nick Bennett, UK Pinball Group owner Martin Ayub, and historian Gary Flower, the award evolved through multiple show formats (UK Pinball Show 2008-2009, UK Pinball Party 2010-2015) before a two-year hiatus. Restarted in 2022 under Pinball News stewardship with a formalized Nominations and Inductions Committee, the Hall of Fame now operates with transparent community-based selection processes. ### Key Claims - [HIGH] The UK Pinball Group Hall of Fame was first created in 2008 through collaboration between UK Pinball Show and UK Pinball Group — _Original conception explicitly documented with named organizers (Nick Bennett, Martin Ayub, Gary Flower) and first induction ceremony at UK Pinball Show 2008_ - [HIGH] The Hall of Fame was renamed from 'UK Pinball Group Hall of Fame' to 'Pinball News Hall of Fame' in 2022 when restarted — _Directly stated: 'Called the UK Pinball Group Hall of Fame until 2022' and renamed following discontinuation of original Yahoo! forum_ - [HIGH] Notable pinball designers and personalities including Steve Ritchie, Dennis Nordman, George Gomez, and Barry Oursler were inducted as guest speakers at various shows — _Explicitly listed as Hall of Fame inductees: 'John Trudeau, Steve Ritchie, Dennis Nordman, Jack Guarnieri, Mark Ritchie, George Gomez and Barry Oursler'_ - [HIGH] The show moved from UK Pinball Show (2008-2009 in Northampton) to UK Pinball Party (2010-2015 in Daventry) when Andrew Heighway took over organization — _Timeline clearly documented with venue changes and organizer transitions named_ - [HIGH] There was a two-year hiatus in the UK national pinball show after the final UK Pinball Party in 2015, with UK Pinfest starting in 2018 — _Directly stated: 'after which there was a hiatus for two years where there was no national show in the UK. Then in 2018, Phillip Murphy offered to host the first UK Pinfest show'_ ### Notable Quotes > "Called the UK Pinball Group Hall of Fame until 2022, the first inductions took place at the Saturday evening awards dinner held as part of the UK Pinball Show in 2008" > — **Article/Pinball News** > _Establishes official founding date and original naming convention of the award_ > "In 2022, following representations from the pinball community, the UK Pinball Group Hall of Fame was restarted." > — **Article/Pinball News** > _Documents community-driven revival of dormant awards program after multi-year hiatus_ > "A new Nominations and Inductions Committee (NIC) was formed with the intention of taking nominations from across the UK pinball community and then announcing the latest inductions at each year's UK Pinfest show, providing a more representative and transparent selection process." > — **Article/Pinball News** > _Describes modernized governance structure emphasizing transparency and broader community participation_ ### Entities | Name | Type | Context | |------|------|---------| | Pinball News Hall of Fame | organization | Awards program honoring contributions to UK pinball community, established 2008, rebranded and restarted 2022 | | UK Pinball Show | event | Original host event for Hall of Fame (2008-2009), held in Northampton; organizer Nick Bennett | | UK Pinball Party | event | Continuation of Hall of Fame awards (2010-2015), held in Daventry at Barcello Daventry Hotel; organizer Andrew Heighway | | UK Pinfest | event | Modern pinball show format starting 2018 (organizer Phillip Murphy) where Hall of Fame inductions are announced annually | | UK Pinball Group | organization | Original online community hub (Yahoo! forum, now Facebook); owner Martin Ayub | | Nick Bennett | person | UK Pinball Show organizer and co-founder of Hall of Fame; stepped down after 2009 | | Martin Ayub | person | UK Pinball Group owner; co-organizer of Hall of Fame with Nick Bennett; continued as voting member through UK Pinball Party era | | Gary Flower | person | Pinball historian; co-founder of Hall of Fame with Bennett and Ayub; involved in nominations and selections | | Andrew Heighway | person | Founder of Heighway Pinball; took over UK Pinball Party organization from Nick Bennett in 2010 | | Phillip Murphy | person | Organizer of UK Pinfest starting 2018, the modern venue for Hall of Fame inductions | | Steve Ritchie | person | Legendary pinball designer; inducted into Hall of Fame as special guest speaker at UK Pinball Show/Party | | Dennis Nordman | person | Legendary pinball designer; inducted into Hall of Fame as special guest speaker | | George Gomez | person | Legendary pinball designer; inducted into Hall of Fame as special guest speaker | | Barry Oursler | person | Legendary pinball designer; inducted into Hall of Fame as special guest speaker | | John Trudeau | person | Pinball professional; inducted into Hall of Fame as special guest speaker | | Jack Guarnieri | person | Pinball professional; inducted into Hall of Fame as special guest speaker | | Mark Ritchie | person | Pinball professional (likely related to Steve Ritchie); inducted into Hall of Fame as special guest speaker | ### Topics - **Primary:** Hall of Fame history and evolution, UK pinball community organization and governance - **Secondary:** Pinball show formats and venues in UK, Legendary pinball designers and industry figures, Community recognition and awards programs ### Sentiment **Positive** (0.85) — Article celebrates historical progression and community achievement; documents successful revival of awards program; appreciative tone toward organizers and inductees ### Signals - **[community_signal]** Community-driven revival of dormant Hall of Fame in 2022 following grassroots representations (confidence: high) — In 2022, following representations from the pinball community, the UK Pinball Group Hall of Fame was restarted - **[event_signal]** Formalized Nominations and Inductions Committee structure implementing transparent selection process at annual UK Pinfest venue (confidence: high) — A new Nominations and Inductions Committee (NIC) was formed with the intention of taking nominations from across the UK pinball community and then announcing the latest inductions at each year's UK Pinfest show, providing a more representative and transparent selection process - **[sentiment_shift]** Long-term commitment to celebrating UK pinball contributors spanning 14+ years across multiple show formats (confidence: high) — Continuous tradition of inductions from 2008 through hiatus period and restart in 2022, with community driving revival --- ## Transcript The Pinball News Hall of Fame was originally conceived as a collaboration between the newly-created UK Pinball Show and the hub of online pinball activity in the UK, the UK Pinball Group, as a way to celebrate the great work being done to promote and grow pinball across the United Kingdom. UK Pinball Show organiser, Nick Bennett, asked UK Pinball Group owner, Martin Ayub, to create the brand and organise the awards presentation. The duo asked pinball historian, Gary Flower, to join them to draw up a list of nominations and select the first inductees into the Hall of Fame. Called the UK Pinball Group Hall of Fame until 2022, the first inductions took place at the Saturday evening awards dinner held as part of the UK Pinball Show in 2008. ![The UK Pinball Show awards dinner in 2008](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/hall-of-fame/hof-awards-dinner1.jpg) The UK Pinball Show awards dinner in 2008 The initial ceremony inducted the show’s special guest speaker – a tradition which continued through the UK Pinball Show and UK Pinball Party years with John Trudeau, Steve Ritchie, Dennis Nordman, Jack Guarnieri, Mark Ritchie, George Gomez and Barry Oursler all joining the Hall of Fame as guests of the show. When Nick Bennet stood down from organising the main UK show following the joint UK Pinball Show and European Pinball Championships held in Northampton in 2009, Andrew Heighway stepped up in 2010 with his UK Pinball Party. This followed a similar format, but the show moved to the town of Daventry and took up residence at the Barcello Daventry Hotel. Martin, Gary and Andrew continued the tradition of inducting new UK Pinball Group Hall of Fame members as part of the Saturday evening awards dinner which was hosted by the hotel. ![The first UK Pinball Party awards dinner in 2010](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/hall-of-fame/hof-awards-dinner2.jpg) The first UK Pinball Party awards dinner in 2010 This continued until the final UK Pinball Party in 2015, after which there was a hiatus for two years where there was no national show in the UK. Then in 2018, Phillip Murphy offered to host the first UK Pinfest show. It was a simpler format with the concentration on having the most machines for visitors to play alongside a series of competitive events. There was no Saturday evening dinner as part of the show and thus no special guest speaker. In 2022, following representations from the pinball community, the UK Pinball Group Hall of Fame was restarted. The original UK Pinball Group discussion forum on Yahoo! had been discontinued (although its spirit lives on with the UK Pinball Group on Facebook), so the Hall of Fame was renamed to the Pinball News Hall of Fame to give it a permanent home. A new Nominations and Inductions Committee (NIC) was formed with the intention of taking nominations from across the UK pinball community and then announcing the latest inductions at each year’s UK Pinfest show, providing a more representative and transparent selection process. In addition, this website was created to honour all the Hall of Fame members inducted over the years. Back to the Pinball News Hall of Fame _(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v1)_ --- *Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 505fd1f5-a47d-4f73-b236-9b6553ece36a*