It is about as geekish as you can get, but there is a monthly enthusiasts show on you tube titled Table Football Monthly, which I have discovered during lockdown. Some of it is even too geekish for me, but there are some interesting features. I particularly found the evolution of subbuteo balls fascinating.
I loved subbuteo as a kid, my nan and grandad got me an AstroTurf pitch for Christmas one year and whilst it was a million times better than the tablecloth one it needed a permanent MDF or OSB home, had to play it a lot on my Todd as there wasn't many of my pals who had the patience to set it up or to play it properly. But then again I grew up in Chatham which is home of the thicko
One of my cousins always gave me a game and the pop a ball would make when you pulled off a driven cross and the other player got on the end of it was sublime
One of my cousins always gave me a game and the pop a ball would make when you pulled off a driven cross and the other player got on the end of it was sublime
There is a variation of the rules for solo Subbuteo I discovered on the Table Football Monthly show on You Tube. You can buy solo football keepers or make them using card and a coin (They show you how to make these too).
There is also a training pitch you can buy from Subbuteo World, although you can make your own with an old pitch. There are drills for sliding, spinning, chipping etc...
A Subbuteo fact - The game was taken so seriously that Subbuteo worked on making the balls run as true as possible. The glue on the join was an issue on the older balls until they found a way to sonic weld the balls together. The adidas tango balls are an example of this and are many people's favourite.
I collected some Subbuteo bits. My footballing childhood was largely in my head - where some kids would spend hours perfecting a shot into the top corner of the makeshift goal in the back garden, I would end up picking the ball up and carrying it to the goal, framed in my vision like a camera shot with one eye shut, while making sound effects. Makes sense that I now film other people playing football I suppose!
Subbuteo fitted in well for me - the fantasy of building a stadium (like AFKA, I didn't manage to achieve it), re-enacting stuff like Mark Reid's penalty against QPR. In fact, I really liked any team that had detail on their shirts - stripes or whatever. A 90s Norwich Asics kit looked amazing to me, because it was so accurate (our team was simply red shirts and white shorts).
I envied the pictures of completed stadiums, with floodlights and upper tiers. Stands full of punters. But I wasn't much interested in playing games of it, even back then I'd sooner fire up the C64 in the vain hope that Gary Lineker's Hot Shot Soccer might actually load for a change.
I loved subbuteo as a child and had the Italia 90 starter set plus bought a number of teams. You are right on the variation in the teams. I had the Spurs 1987 Hummel which was a brilliant replica but I remember to my delight spotting the addicks in toys r us but it was a Charlton/ Middlesbrough team and as you say basically red shirts white shorts combo. I still have it all plus some retro juve and Roma sets some Italian friends gave to me! My son has subbuteo too but in today’s gaming world it rarely comes out!!
I loved subbuteo as a kid. Fast forward a few decades to a couple of years ago,I was in an antique/junk shop in Otford in Kent and they had a small selection of subbuteo stuff. Filled with happy memories I opened the nearest green box that teams came in....Yellow Palace "Brazil" kit.
Subbuteo was one of those games that looked impressive, especially once you started adding the stands and floodlights................but in reality, it was a crap game.
Subbuteo was one of those games that looked impressive, especially once you started adding the stands and floodlights................but in reality, it was a crap game.
not if you play it properly, was a great game and still is
I loved it. But it had to have the pitch on a bit of ply or similar or a very flat surface and a good iron.
in the summer holidays me and my mates would have a league with proper home and away games at each other’s houses and a crowd watching. It all came to a terrible end when there was crowd trouble one game and weebles were used to invade the pitch.
Cor that brings back memories. I’d love to have a proper game now.
set it all up as a kid, time i was finished I didn’t wanna play anymore.
Don’t worry mate, when I finally get round to sorting a Subbuteo night, I’ll drop you an invite.
Still got the pitch my old man glued to a board when I was a kid, along with grandstands, terraces, 4 floodlights, around 40 teams plus loads of accessories. As you say, takes ages to set up.
Cor that brings back memories. I’d love to have a proper game now.
set it all up as a kid, time i was finished I didn’t wanna play anymore.
Don’t worry mate, when I finally get round to sorting a Subbuteo night, I’ll drop you an invite.
Still got the pitch my old man glued to a board when I was a kid, along with grandstands, terraces, 4 floodlights, around 40 teams plus loads of accessories. As you say, takes ages to set up.
Cor that brings back memories. I’d love to have a proper game now.
set it all up as a kid, time i was finished I didn’t wanna play anymore.
Don’t worry mate, when I finally get round to sorting a Subbuteo night, I’ll drop you an invite.
Still got the pitch my old man glued to a board when I was a kid, along with grandstands, terraces, 4 floodlights, around 40 teams plus loads of accessories. As you say, takes ages to set up.
Comments
One of my cousins always gave me a game and the pop a ball would make when you pulled off a driven cross and the other player got on the end of it was sublime
There is also a training pitch you can buy from Subbuteo World, although you can make your own with an old pitch. There are drills for sliding, spinning, chipping etc...
A Subbuteo fact - The game was taken so seriously that Subbuteo worked on making the balls run as true as possible. The glue on the join was an issue on the older balls until they found a way to sonic weld the balls together. The adidas tango balls are an example of this and are many people's favourite.
Subbuteo fitted in well for me - the fantasy of building a stadium (like AFKA, I didn't manage to achieve it), re-enacting stuff like Mark Reid's penalty against QPR. In fact, I really liked any team that had detail on their shirts - stripes or whatever. A 90s Norwich Asics kit looked amazing to me, because it was so accurate (our team was simply red shirts and white shorts).
I envied the pictures of completed stadiums, with floodlights and upper tiers. Stands full of punters. But I wasn't much interested in playing games of it, even back then I'd sooner fire up the C64 in the vain hope that Gary Lineker's Hot Shot Soccer might actually load for a change.
Is that the legendary Sam Bartram still in goal in the fog? ....... Nobody had told him the game had been abandoned 15 minutes before!
in the summer holidays me and my mates would have a league with proper home and away games at each other’s houses and a crowd watching. It all came to a terrible end when there was crowd trouble one game and weebles were used to invade the pitch.
Cast Bronze subbuteo Foden, which I picked up over the summer from artist Dion Kitson.
set it all up as a kid, time i was finished I didn’t wanna play anymore.
Actually, not that funny at all when I think about it 😅
Still got the pitch my old man glued to a board when I was a kid, along with grandstands, terraces, 4 floodlights, around 40 teams plus loads of accessories. As you say, takes ages to set up.
That's like a precursor for Tomy Super Cup Football. (Which was amazing, but sounded like a broken hoover)