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eFlicker.net
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THE YEAR AHEAD
From the creation of new clubs in Putney and Yorkshire and the establishment of the Irish Premier League to outstanding performances by English players at the World Cup in Bologna, 2004 saw the continued revival of Table Football in the UK and Ireland.
After the lows at the turn of the century, the game has enjoyed rapid growth after the emergence of internet forums as a source of information for new and existing players, in late 2002. Entries at opens, at both domestic and international level, continue to increase, whilst existing clubs are seeing a constant flow of new members.
It is hoped that the expansion will continue for 2005, but what else does the forthcoming year hold for Table Football? eFlicker takes a forward look at the 12 months ahead...
Possibly one of the most significant Table Football events in recent years is scheduled to take place in February. It won’t occur on a pitch, and many players will care little for the occasion, but it is something that could determine the game’s long-term future.
For next month, Hasbro will be making their long awaited re-launch of Subbuteo.
The trade name has been used to sell anything from cufflinks to mobile phone covers in recent years, after production of the game by Hasbro ceased in 2000. The rights to make Table Football equipment under the name Subbuteo had been passed to the Parodi company of Italy, and they produced teams and other equipment suitable for serious play, and all at a reasonable price.
But now the American toy and game giants Hasbro will re-enter the market with their new version of the table top football game.
Whilst it retains the basic principles of “flick to kick”, the early overall signs are not encouraging to the FISTF rule fraternity. Teams – based on European Champions League sides, rather than the English Premiership – will return to the “flats” style of the 60s, to allow photos of famous players to be imposed onto the faces of the footballer figures.
It would appear therefore that the emphasis will be placed on collecting teams from an aesthetic viewpoint – in the same way that young fans collect stickers of their favourite footballers – rather than actually playing with them.
Quite how much detail will be recognisable on such a small photo is questionable, and small flat figures will look shabby in comparison with modern, more sophisticated, toys and games.
However it is rumoured that Hasbro are going as far as creating different size bases for different footballer positions, so they are at least showing some thought towards the playing side, perhaps drawing on a concept that manufacturers of modern playing equipment could follow
Most importantly though, the presence of Subbuteo in its true form – a past attempt had been made at launching it as a game where the ball was propelled directly by the fingernail – should make promotion and awareness of the FISTF option easier, off the back of Hasbro’s big marketing budget.
And for those players introduced to the more competitive side of Table Football as a result of Hasbro’s involvement, a wider choice of professional equipment will be available to them for this year.
A cheaper range of the already modestly priced PTF bases is promised, as too is a new metal Toccer goalkeeper. Production of the highly regarded Profibases is set to increase, whilst at the cheaper end of the market, Flickmaster from Argentina now offer bases, keepers, goals and pitches to rival those of other manufactures, but at far lower prices.
For those seeking more traditional teams, the Santiago range by Worthing’s Chris Stapleton joins Stefan Corda’s Image bases in providing for the “retro” market.
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On the playing side itself, this year will see the inaugural version of an UK event which could one day rival the best continental Europe can offer, in terms of the venue, equipment and playing standard, when Milton Keynes hosts its first major event for some years.
Having previously been the centre of the game in England, the South Midlands new town will hold an International Open at the end of February, and with competition manager Bob Varney's organisational experience and worldwide contacts, plus the favourable geographical location, a high quality turnout can be expected.
The date for this year’s event is unfortunate though, clashing as it does with the Danish Grand Prix, and falling just a week before the prestigious Mons tournament and four weeks after England’s other international event, in London.
The attraction of Milton Keynes – the spiritual home of the ETF game – as a venue may encourage a few more Table Soccer players to take the step over into a FISTF rules tournament. Following the lead of the likes of Jeremy Bradley and Phil Holmes, a growing number are now seeing Table Football as a viable option, even if just on a one off basis.
Across the board, more players from the past are returning to the game, be it former National Champions or people who previously played no more than dinner table friendlies, but are now looking to get more heavily involved by competing in national tournaments.
The internet has helped a lot, with on-line forums and enthusiasts’ websites acting as a source of information rarely widely available in the past. With the Subbuteo Players’ Forum now firmly established and an ever-expanding number of Table Football related websites appearing, the information available makes further growth possible.
And for the newer players, suitable competitions are in place for them to enter, as Peterborough joins Yorkshire in hosting an international satellite event this summer. For the top players, the second UK and Irish Championships will take place in Kildare at the start of July. England plan to field a strong team, rather than their strongest, so as to make the event more competitive than the inaugural version in Preston.
Assuming that internal problems can be avoided, Merseyside TSC should quickly re-establish themselves as a force on the international team circuit. With Messrs Parsons, Daley, Lewis and Liversedge already available for selection, and suggestions of top additions from overseas, the Liverpool team have a squad that can challenge for honours both at home and abroad.
As clubs like Merseyside and Cardiff re-emerge, the need for a EPL team may lessen, or at the very least they will be reduced to a group of players akin to a league – and that should remove once and for all debate over the suitability of their existence.
And the presence of Yorkshire, the East Midlands Alliance and Putney at international tournaments around the country should inject renewed vigour into UK team events.
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The 2004 World Cup in Bologna was regarded as one of the biggest and best ever. The 2005 version in Belgium – a country used to holding well-organised large-scale tournaments – promises to be even bigger and better. Likewise for the England team.
Darren Clark and Chris Short will be looking to build on their impressive performances in Bologna, whilst – with the venue closer to home – competition just for places in the squad, at all levels, will intensify. The other Home Nations are also likely to field more noticeable squads this time around.
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International double headers of two individual competitions over the same weekend appear to be the vogue. The established, and continuously growing, South Queensferry version will as ever be in late April, but before that the Netherlands gets into the act at the start of the month.
With the double-header idea a novel concept on the continent, and as Dutch players are regular visitors to events in other countries, the Netherlands competitions could rival some of the top Belgian tournaments for attendance, both in quality and quantity. A large number of players from the UK and Ireland – some no doubt encouraged by other attractions that Amsterdam has to offer – are already expressing an interest in entering.
The US double header in Maryland at April 30/May 1 should also see a large UK presence, as tournaments continue to grow stateside. Dutchman Eric Verhagen will be returning for this year, and with other top players likely to follow, Shorab's double title defence will be a tricky affair.
Two weeks later, Irish hosts a more unique double header. Instead of one Open and one Grand Prix in the same town, two Grand Prix events will be held over the same weekend – one at the prestigious Odyssey Arena venue in Belfast, the other south of the border in Dublin the following day.
The travelling involved between the two venues could put some players off, as could the counter attraction of top events in Austria and Malta that same weekend, but equally the world ranking points on offer in Ireland, at two different venues, will encourage a big entry.
There is no doubting that it is an ambitious venture of logistics for the Irish organisers, but in order to help the future development of the game, such a bold way of thinking is required.
For the Table Football community as a whole to accept Hasbro back as part of the modern game would be a far bolder way of thinking, but one that could ultimately be the most rewarding of all.
They could do better in 2005...
- the ESTFA
Whilst players from around the country do their bit to promote the game, continued growth in the long run can only be obtained if strategies are combined on a nationwide scale. And in this regard, the English association, the ESTFA, needs to start responding to players' requirements and suggestions to build on the renewed interest in the game.
In particular, while this season will see the return of the coveted English National Championship, the competition has been scheduled for an awkward and busy time on the calendar, at a venue well away from where the majority of players are situated.
There are people willing to contribute towards the ESTFA, but various individuals seem eager to retain control, whilst at the same time doing little with it to take the game forward.
Change, either in thinking or personnel, is required.
- the STF table
Acting as the ESTFA’s ranking system, the STF table manages to be both complex and inaccurate as an ordering system. In fact the term ranking is somewhat as a misnomer.
The table originates from the early 2000s, and seems to have been designed specifically around the players at that time, based on what type of events they were expected to play in. Even so, little logic has been applied in designating certain points for certain achievements, with figures seemingly plucked from thin air, rather than having any real significance in the whole scheme of things.
The bad aspects of the system far exceed any good aspects – should anyone be found who has anything positive to say about it – and now that the game has seen a large influx of players, entering different types of events, the picture presented is totally distorted.
At worst, a ranking system should be based around a set of tournaments, without affecting the competitions themselves. Ideally, it should encourage more players to play, at more events.
Competitions this season have been affected to suit the STF system – the Kildare international had to be moved, and ended up clashing with the Yorkshire Open, whilst the poor scheduling of the English National Championships has a lot to do with fitting in with the STF calendar.
With this in mind, there can be no question that a new, logical, ranking system is required. The TFN table – designed by Brian Barnes – appears to work well in terms of the end result, but it does have its flaws that, until resolved, makes it difficult to adapt at an official level.
On the other hand, the eFlicker rankings, to be launched towards the end of January, will offer a straightforward logical, and totally transparent, system – something that has been missing from the game for a number of years.
- www.FISTF.com
Generally communications from FISTF are good. Informative e-mail newsletters are sent out regularly, world rankings are issued promptly and entry forms are readily available on request by e-mail.
However the main hub for information from the world association - the website at www.fistf.com - has been lacking somewhat lately. Only recently has the first news appeared since October, and before then updates for this season have been rather sparse.
It took more than a week for the World Cup results to be made public on the FISTF website, but in the meantime, it was possible to set up a tacky "Miss World Cup" vote.
Whilst it is understandable that family and work commitments can affect people’s day-to-day involvement in an amateur game like Table Football, a substitute person should be readily available to perform tasks like updating the website – the main window to the outside world.
If not, then FISTF is made to look poorly managed, when it is not.
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