A Flicking Obsession (Or, How I Learned to Love the Game of Subbuteo.)

Subbuteo table football is the reason for this blog. Every one of you who read this have your own story as to how you came to be involved with Subbuteo. My own story is different than most, and I hope you enjoy reading how I became a Subbuteo player.

First, I should point out the obvious: I am an American. I don't say this to brag or to say that Americans are "the greatest" or anything like that. In a real sense, being an American fan of soccer was not the coolest thing to admit. Soccer was rarely played on television in my youth, and while it might have been something I played on the schoolyard, when you talked about sports, you never mentioned soccer because no one would understand you.

As a young American boy growing up in Southern California, I played pick-up soccer on the playgrounds of my youth. I also read about the exploits of Pele as a member of the New York Cosmos in the old North American Soccer League (NASL,) and of my hometown team, the Los Angeles Aztecs. But since soccer was not on television much, my interests in the sport waned in favor of watching NFL football and NHL hockey.

It wasn't until the Nineties that my interest in soccer had a major re-awakening. I had watched the 1990 Italy World Cup and found that my passion for the sport was still there. But here in America, we did not have the ability to watch the best leagues in the world, so when the World Cup came to America in 1994, it became the perfect storm.

My local newspaper, the Los Angeles Times, published a 1994 World Cup Preview, a supplemental program for the World Cup in the U.S. This was very important to me as it gave detailed descriptions of every World Cup team. It mentioned the best players, the style in which they played, and it was a constant source of information for me as I watched the tournament.

Of course, being an American, I was caught up in the swirl of excitement here as the United States team began to assert itself for the first time in my life as a good soccer team. They defeated Colombia, 2-1, which was a serious shock to those "in the know" because no one expected the upstart Americans to beat the likes of Valderrama. (One goal in that match was an own goal by Colombia, which would lead to the assassination of the very player who scored that goal, Andrés Escobar.)

The US team earned their way out of the group to the Round of 16, which thrilled me, but the U.S. lost to Brazil in a match no one thought the US would win. I was proud of our guys, but very disappointed that Brazil ended our run in the World Cup.

At that point, I started supporting the Italy team to win it all in '94. I had read all about Roberto Baggio in my newspaper preview, and I liked him very much. So, when Italy met Brazil in the World Cup Final that year, I was very excited. Could I actually be watching a team I followed win the biggest sporting event in the world?

If you don't know what happened, the final match between Brazil and Italy went scoreless, and it fell on a shootout to determine the winner. Brazil scored three shootout goals, and Italy scored two when the final chance for Italy rested on the shoulders of Italy's Roberto Baggio. He lined up for the possible tying goal, took his run up to the ball, kicked it, and the ball chipped high in the air and over the crossbar. It was a shock miss, and Brazil won their 4th World Cup win. Baggio became the sacrificial lamb of the tournament, earning derision from some areas of the football world, but probably worst of all, for me, was that I lost a $5.00 bet with a Brazil fan.

While World Cup glory was elusive for me, my love of the game had been replanted, and I sought any outlet to satiate my hunger for the game.

On television, our choices for watching world football were, frankly, abysmal. Here in California, the major market for football is Spanish-speaking immigrants from Mexico, Guatemala, and other Latin-American countries. So, back in the mid-Nineties, most of our football choices were the Mexican league on Univision or Telemundo, the two major Spanish-speaking networks in the U.S. So, I would watch Mexican matches (broadcast in Spanish) where fans threw confetti and streamers onto the field, and the players would dribble the ball down one end and you could barely see the ball or the pitch from all of the crap on the field. It was a different style than I was used to, but I didn't care because this was FUTBOL! I was thrilled.

And then, there was The International Channel. Ah, the International Channel. 

Back in those days, The International Channel featured blocks of programming from all parts of the world. On weekends, however, they would actually broadcast entire matches from the Italian Serie A. I could finally watch matches with my favorite Italian footballer, Roberto Baggio, playing for the legendary Juventus. The telecasts were entirely in the Italian language, so I could not understand the play-by-play, but I could still follow the play on the field, and it was wonderful. I wound up watching all of the major Serie A teams, like AC Milan, Inter Milan, Fiorentina, my favorite, Juventus, and many others.

Then. in 1996, I began to learn of the English Premier League, a league I had never heard of before. In my local bookstore, I began to buy a magazine that focuses on English football, called "SHOOT." It was primarily for kids, but it was the only source for English football I had, and I devoured every page like a starving baby. I learned the names of Robbie Fowler, Ryan Giggs, Alan Shearer, Eric Cantona, Gazza, and many more. 

It was then that I saw an advertisement for a tabletop soccer game called "Subbuteo." It showed tiny plastic figures mounted on bases with curved bottoms. Now, I like to think I am a pretty smart guy, but for the life of me, I could not figure out exactly how this game was supposed to be played. I had not grown up with Subbuteo, as any boy in the UK did, and I would not know of the phrase "Flick to Kick" until much later. But the fact that I did not understand what this game was and how it was played, irked me tremendously. 

If there is one thing that friends and family can say about me, if I don't understand something, I go to great lengths to learn. But at the time, the internet was still a fledgling concept, and I didn't know anybody who had ever played this game. My understanding would have to wait.

In the years that followed, my interest would not wane, but my understanding of Subbuteo was still elusive. It wasn't until 2004 that I remembered my lack of knowledge of the game, and I started doing research. The Internet was now a vast repository of information, and I was able to find many websites dedicated to the playing of this game, and I learned that there was a world governing body (FISTF),) an American governing body (ASA,) and I learned that Wayne Smith, who lived in my general area, played the game, and he graciously offered to show me how to play.

From then on, I spent countless hours on eBay bidding on teams. I even purchased a full Subbuteo set, not realizing that professional players did not use any of the equipment in the old Subbuteo sets. But I didn't care. I was learning, and buying, and it was all so new to me that it was nearly overwhelming.

And that's how I went from a Subbuteo novice to whatever I am today. Soccer is much more popular in the United States now than it was back during the 1994 World Cup. After all, we have Major League Soccer, our very own soccer league. We have Fox Soccer Channel, Fox Soccer Plus, and GOL-TV, three channels where they show nearly wall-to-wall coverage of the world's best football leagues. And now, I play Subbuteo, a game where I can gather with football fans and talk about the last week's matches, and I can play this fantastic game and have fun doing it.

I am so glad I finally learned about this great game, and I thank you for reading. I invite you to leave a comment on how you were introduced to the game of Subbuteo, and what the game of football means to you.

The Cult of Wayne Rooney

Okay. I get it that England is in love with their Wayne Rooney. I get that he's the figurehead for everything that is English football. I get that, despite the fact that he's as thick as a brick, football fans want to know what he's doing. But I personally draw the line with his revealing his own hair transplant pics on his Twitter feed.

If you haven't seen it, here's one of the pics posted:

It's actually a bit sad, really. The left side (his right) of his scalp is still scabbed with blood, and his hairline looks like it's been stitched by Doctor Frankenstein.

Do we really need to see this? Is Rooney really worth our time to the extent that we will stare at his unhealed hair transplants?

I suggest you stop the cult of personality, Rooney, or I'll have to call back Italian ex referee, Collina, to stop you next time.

Another Look At FISTF's Banning (and Unbanning) of WASPA

For those who haven't gotten enough of the FISTF / WASPA fiasco, you can read another detailed account here at subbuteo.tk

Kevin
So Cal Subbuteo Club

Vincent Coppenolle Speaks Out About His Life In FISTF

Vincent Coppenolle of WASPA wrote a very interesting and detailed blog about why he started WASPA, his history with FISTF, and his feelings about FISTF's current direction.

For anybody fascinated by (or disgusted by) the antics of certain members of the table-football community, this is a must-read.


Check it out here at waspa-circuit.blogspot.com/

FISTF can just FLICK OFF!

(NOTE: This blog was written under the notion that those who participated in the WASPA Tournament a few weeks ago are now banned by FISTF. A recent comment by FISTF President Piero Capponi suggested that we may not be banned. However, until we sort this out, I wanted to post this full blog response to the recent FISTF ban decree. - Your Blogster, Kevin)

"Being banned by FISTF is like being banned by a Third World Dictator Whose Power is Slipping Away." - Kevin Nieman

FISTF can just FLICK OFF!

As of this moment, there are four people who have participated in a WASPA tournament. I am one of them. All four of us are based in America, all four of us love Subbuteo table football, all four of us play according to FISTF rules, and all four of us have no personal beef with anyone in the recent FISTF political situation.

However, despite the fact that these we four players are such eager participants in the enjoyment and promotion of Subbuteo table football, we four players are now being accused by the FISTF President, Piero Capponi, and the FISTF Board of Directors, as trying to undermine the FISTF vision of table football.

We four are accused of attempting to fracture the very foundation of Subbuteo table football, and subvert it for some, as yet, unspecified reason. For our part in this heinous crime, we have been BANNED from participating in any FISTF-sanctioned tournaments for three years.

Here is the FISTF decree, as it was posted on the SubbuteoNews forum:

The BoD decided to expressly declare that the players that will participate to the activities (i.e. tournaments, active membership, etc.) of other Federations that:

-     have the same goals of FISTF,  are in conflict with FISTF or try to divide the Table Soccer movement.

will be disqualified for three years  to all FISTF international competitions.


The FISTF President

Piero Capponi

We are the only four people in the Subbuteo table football world that are now BANNED by FISTF. And why, you may be asking yourself, did we "WASPA Four" get BANNED from all FISTF tournaments? What violation, what crime did we four Subbuteo table footballers commit to earn this harsh sentence from FISTF's own President and Board of Directors?

The answer? We all played in a non-FISTF-sanctioned, WASPA tournament.

Now, what is WASPA? WASPA stands for the "World Amateur Subbuteo Players Association." It was founded by Vincent Coppenolle, a former FISTF President who was voted out of his Presidency due to a political power-struggle. (I admit that I do not know the background behind this move, but I do know it was quite contentious.)

Afterward, in an effort to create what Vincent felt was a gathering of Subbuteo players who chose playing over bickering, flicking over angry finger-pointing, and fun over bitterness, he created WASPA. Vincent's vision is to see people play, not fight. Vincent has said on many occasions that WASPA is not a rival organization, but one that can peacefully co-exist with FISTF. After all, it is Vincent's goal to promote this awesome game to the world as a family-friendly way to have fun and to compete with people in a sporting way.

Sadly, the FISTF Board of Directors do not share Vincent's vision. They seem to see anything that Vincent does as a slap in the face to the mighty FISTF EMPIRE. It would appear that FISTF's wish is this: Anything that even HINTS at encouraging non-FISTF activities in the world of Subbuteo-style table football, should be SMASHED.

That brings me back to "The WASPA Four."

The WASPA Four (of which I am one,) love this game. That is why we were eager to be the first to play a WASPA Tournament. The lads and I had one of the most entertaining series of matches ever held at our club. If you read our website, www.scsc.tk, you can read about the fun that we had playing that day. That is Vincent's vision being played out for all of us to see.

And now, FISTF has decided that "The WASPA Four" should be crucified for the crime of having fun, and for sharing Vincent's vision of an organization that is free from politics and nonsense.

WASPA exists because some Subbuteo table football players do not like the direction that FISTF is heading. They do not like the infighting or the dictatorial edicts attempting to intimidate players into avoiding WASPA or any other organization that chooses to form that just might attract more players to this wonderful game.

Based on it's actions, it's clear that FISTF seeks to own the monopoly on Subbuteo table football promotion. 

Make no mistake. There are two things at play here: The first is an outright vendetta against Vincent Coppenolle and anything he seeks to do. The second is power. What limited amount of power FISTF has turns some people into veritable Svengalis. But since our hobby is dwindling ever so slowly around the world, we can ill-afford this kind of bitterness and acrimony. We need to grow the hobby, and FISTF's goal seems to be merely to maintain their power over the game. WASPA is a threat to that power, but only in the minds of the Board of Directors, and so they create artificial constructs to frighten players into playing only for FISTF.

Many of us have had enough. Some are too scared of being banned to take Vincent up on participating in a WASPA event. But if fun is your goal, then WASPA is your solution. If family fun is important to you, WASPA is your answer. And if playing is your passion, WASPA agrees.

While FISTF is choking on their self-importance, (made evident by their latest edict,) WASPA will rise above and reclaim the game's passion.

If you support WASPA's right to exist, and you support the freedom to participate in non-FISTF-sanctioned tournaments because you love Subbuteo table football, then please tell FISTF's President to stop their threats.

Demand that FISTF remove the ban on players who choose to participate in non-FISTF tournaments. WASPA is not in opposition to FISTF. It is merely another way to enjoy this wonderful game. Subbuteo is not the sole property of FISTF, and their scare-tactics show how weak their whole organization is at the moment.

Also, FISTF is making this issue into a "Vincent Against FISTF" policy. Vincent is not the real enemy here. He loves the game and wants to create an environment where playing is the goal, not politics. If you agree with more playing and less politics, tell FISTF how you feel. Organize your own WASPA event. Get active. Show those FISTF Board members who fear freedom that WASPA is not a threat to anyone.

And for God's sake, do more flicking and less chattering! 

I'm out.

~Kevin

Subbuteo Across America is COMING!

If you haven't followed the Southern California Subbuteo Club's website site here, then I suggest you go there because we are organizing an event of MASSIVE PROPORTIONS for this sport in America.

It's called "Subbuteo Across America," and it's a simple concept: On May 22nd, 2010, there will be a day of Subbuteo like no other that this country has ever seen. Clubs and individuals all across America (and beyond) will take part in a charitable day of flicking fun. The purpose is to increase awareness of Subbuteo in this country, but it's also to raise money for charity.

You can find out more about it at the So Cal Subbuteo Club website in the link above.

Now, why "Subbuteo Across America?" It sounds a bit odd, really, but it's not. It is a take-off on a little thing in the U.S. in 1986 called "Hands Across America." Now for those of you who weren't born before 1986, or were too stoned at the time to remember such things, imagine a world where there was widespread famine in Africa. You can't imagine it, can you? After all,  we've eradicated all poverty and famine from Africa, and . . . . . . What? . . . . . You mean Africa's still . . . . . . . . You mean we didn't eradicate . . . . . Oh . . . . .

Anyway, back in 1985, African famine was all the rage. (Kinda like the iPod, but in this case, people were dying, not rocking out to illegal downloads.) British pop stars, recording under the name "Band-Aid," performed the song, "Do They Know It's Christmas?," a depressing little pop tune about Ethiopians, and the AFRICAN AID-ERA BEGAN!

And so, in response, a bunch of American musicians recorded an answer song. Michael Jackson co-wrote an American song for famine relief called, "We Are the World," and the AFRICAN AID-ERA soared to new heights. Back in '85, it was cool to wear "USA for Africa" t-shirts because it meant that you gave a damn about curing poverty and famine . . . . Or at least you dropped a few $10 bills down for a t-shirt to fool people into thinking you cared. Either way, it was THE phenomenon in the Western world at the time.

After all these songs came out, Sir Bob Geldof, better known as the drugged up, burnt-out rock star named "Pink" in the movie, "Pink Floyd: The Wall," (and even lesser-known for fronting the British pop band, "Boomtown Rats,") had a brill idea:

Why not PUT ON A SHOW?

And so, he did. Sir Bob, (who was only know as Bob then,) got all his rich buddies together, and he organized not ONE, but TWO concerts. One concert was in London's Wembley Stadium (that's England for you lacking geographical awareness,) and the other was at JFK Stadium in Philadelphia. The concerts were known as "Live-Aid," and aside from making a a ton of money for famine-relief in Africa, it featured Eighties acts like Duran Duran, Madonna, Sting, Phil Collins, classic rock acts like The Who, a reunited Black Sabbath, the three surviving members of Led Zeppelin, Elton John, Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan, Mick Jagger, and Tina Turner.

Live-Aid also featured two rock bands that stood out as giving the audience some of the best rock concert performances . . . (Yes, I'm going to say it . . .) OF ALL TIME.

First, U2's Wembley Stadium performance launched that band from an arena-rock, power foursome, and  into a household name, and they only played two songs. (Of course, one song lasted for 14 minutes, but we won't get into that.) At one point in the show, Bono jumped off the stage to help a girl escape the crush of the crowd at the front of the stage. After helping her out, Bono held the girl in a kind of slow-dance as the other band members played on, and then Bono kissed the girl on the forehead, let her go, and he continued the song. It was an unbelievable moment of tenderness for a rock show.

But the best and most jaw-dropping moment in live rock concerts was when British rock band, Queen, along with lead singer Freddie Mercury in full swagger, rocked out Wembley Stadium to a crowd so eager to see them that the band put on the show of their careers. Ask anyone who watched the show, either on TV or at Wembley, and everyone will tell you it was one of the most amazing rock performances ever.

Don't believe me? Well, if you know Queen's music but have never seen them, this is Queen at their best. The way Freddie literally owns the 70,000 people at Wembley Stadium, the way he has everyone from the front of the stage to the back of the stadium singing and chanting and joining in the fun, has given people shivers for 25 years.

Check out these You Tube links:

Live Aid 1 of 3: Queen: Bohemian Rhapsody / Radio Ga Ga
Live Aid 2 of 3 - Queen: Hammer To Fall / Crazy Little Thing Called Love
Live Aid 3 of 3: Queen: We Will Rock You / We Are the Champions


Anyway, everyone was so high on famine relief in 1985 that it created "AID-itis." People of all walks of life decided to make massive charitable efforts for every known problem: "Farm-Aid" was mainly country music concerts to benefit U.S. farmers. There was "Hear N' Aid," a bunch of heavy metal bands who made an album for African famine relief, "Northern Lights" was a Canadian group of musicians who recorded a song for the African cause. At the time, I remember imagining a list of other "AID" concerts or albums:

Pork-AID: To benefit ailing pig farmers.
Lemon-AID: To benefit ailing used car dealerships
Aid-AID: To benefit ailing famine relief workers who spend all of their time volunteering.

So, in 1986, someone had the idea to organize an event called "Hands Across America." The idea was simple: Make a human chain from New York to Long Beach. Sounds cool, right? It was meant to tackle poverty and homelessness in America. All you had to do to participate was to pay $10 and reserve your spot in the human chain. The only problem was that most people just showed up and didn't donate. The goal was to raise $70 million, but only $20 million was raised, which was the charitable equivalent of a giant "thud," and that put the cork on the popularity of mass movements for charity.

But that's why "Subbuteo Across America" is so brilliant. It's not intended to reach millions of people. It's not intended to attract big stars, make a huge splash, or to earn bazillions of dollars. It's only purpose is to show the world that Subbuteo lives and thrives in America, and it's a way of linking what we do to a good cause.

We are proud that many people from non-American countries are offering to participate. We hope that one day, if enough people participate, we can maybe organize a "Subbuteo Across the WORLD" day, and have people in every time zone on the planet flick figures on the same 24 hour day. Wouldn't that be magical?

But that's for another day. For the year 2010, if you want to participate in "Subbuteo Across America," go here and read all about it. You don't have to be in a club. All you have to do is play some Subbuteo on May 22nd, 2010, donate a bit of coin (that means money,) and YOU can be a part of something larger than yourself.

Join us. It'll be a blast!

WSO Pics and a Brief Commentary

I wanted to explain the photo above because few people will realize that Simon is the only one standing. The fact is, he's the only smart one because the rest of us are sitting on rocks made from ButtHurtistan around that waterfall. And believe me . . . Simon was the only one whose butt didn't hurt afterwards. Whatever we do next, I'm following Simon's lead.

Anyway, we had one of those tournaments or something that someone called the Western States Open (WSO.) Since no one outside of California bothered to show up, California had it's typical run of the trophy.

Wayne Smith won again (will someone break his flicking finger already?) and won the umpteenth Western States Open. Wayne doesn't tell anyone what he does with the trophy, but we hear it's seeking custody of their love-child.

By the way, in the course of winning the Mary Jane Tournament, (otherwise known as "The Tourney Someone Made Up in Order To Award the Losers Something, Too,") instead of buying a separate trophy, or writing my name on a slip of paper entitled, "Winner of the Loser's Cup,"  I was given the WSO Trophy and told to turn it around so the placard did not face the camera. I tell ya: The SCSC spares no expense for its players.

Anyway, I need to go and polish the backside of my trophy now.

Check out all the scores here at the Southern California Subbuteo Club's website.