Belles & Chimes is an international network of inclusive women’s pinball leagues run by women, for women. The organization was founded in 2013 in Oakland, California.
Our mission is to provide a fun, social environment for women to play pinball together.
“Belles & Chimes is a community; it’s women empowering women—supporting each other, teaching each other, and competing with each other as a means of both individual and collective growth.”
– Rachel Ristow
Ladies Flip Wisconsin
Mission
The mission of Belles & Chimes is to provide a fun, social environment for women to play pinball together.
If you’re interested in starting a Belles & Chimes chapter in your area, get in touch emailing bellesandchimespinball@gmail.com.
Belles & Chimes operates on the assumption that chapter leaders know best what works for their communities. Therefore, we do not require any specific format or frequency for affiliated leagues.
We are happy to provide suggested formats and technical advice whenever asked, but in general organizers are free to run their chapters as they please as, subject to the following rules:
1. Belles & Chimes events are women only.
2. Chapters should included a link to bellesandchimespinball.com as well as the following language on their website, “about” section of their Facebook page, and in any press release or media contacts about the league: “Belles & Chimes is an international network of women’s pinball leagues started in 2013.”
3. Sexualized imagery should not be used on any promotional materials (posters, flyers, FB event photos, etc.) for Belles & Chimes events.
odds & ends
in the media
- A League of Their Own, East Bay Express, November 20, 2013
- Oakland’s Belles and Chimes is the first women’s-only pinball league, Oakland North, December 2013
- Women’s pinball league gives positive tilt to Bay Area scene, KALW Crosscurrents, November 11, 2014
- Women take a place at the pinball table, Boing Boing, August 3, 2015
- An Evening with Echa Schneider, Coast 2 Coast Pinball, December 3, 2015
- Player 2, short documentary film about Belles & Chimes Oakland
- Regarding The Bay Area’s Most Totally Wizard Pinball Leagues, SFist September 3, 2016
- East Valley women challenge men for pinball wizardry, East Valley Tribune, January 25, 2017
- Interview with Echa Schneider, founder of Belles & Chimes, Pinball Profile, February 1, 2017
- Women’s Pinball League Takes on Challenge, Now This Daily, August 2019
Copyright © Belles & Chimes 2022