Some news from around the world

We have a living Subbuteo planet with tournaments held all over the globe. Here are quick results of recent WASPA events held in several countries.

Our sincere apologies for the lack of details about recent tournaments. We still receive many results and are working hard to publish the final standings of the season quickly.

Special thanks to the organizers who take time to write a report and/or to send pictures of their events.

If you still have results on hold, don't forget to send them ASAP.

All ideas to improve the circuit in 2025-2026 are more than welcome!

Romania in action: Michele Sterlechini on top

Small WASPA tournament on Monday won by goal difference by Michele, not far behind was Massimo who is back in action after the vacation. There is still a big gap in terms of skill but I see it as a good thing, we have good players to train with, will determine us to become better! Also today we tested two new EW pitches, huge improvement for our game! Keep on flicking! (report from https://www.facebook.com/subbuteoromania)

1. Michele Sterlechini
2. Massimo DalPrà
3. Cezar Stoilescu
4. Bogdan Panait
5. Ciprian Necula

Finland: International meeting in Helsinki

Helsinki players had their traditional Helsinki-tournament with the FISTF rules on August 23 and were happy to get some WASPA points. the tournament was "international" once again with special guests from Greece and Australia.

To be noted the Finnish championship tournament with the Finnish rules will be on November 30.

1. George Papadopoulos (GRE)
2. Eliot Kennedy (AUS)
3. Robert Green (AUS)
4. Kari Hakkarainen (FIN)
5. Kai Grönfors (FIN)

Italy: Old rules in Terni and Roma

Our friends in Italy keep on playing WASPA tournaments in different cities. The clubs of Terni and Alba Roma had their old rules events in the last few days with wins for Marco Perotti and Luca Di Lullo.

1. Marco Perotti
2. Simone Perotti
3. Giuseppe Gatti
4. Emanuele Perotti

1. Luca Di Lullo (ASD Alba Subbuteo Roma)
2. Riccardo Galieti (SS Lazio TFC Roma)
3. Ernesto Poncetta (SS Lazio TFC Roma)
4. Andrea Alfonsi (ASD Alba Subbuteo Roma)

South Africa: latest Easterns tournament

1. Craig Smith
2. Gary Downs
3. Rui Dos Santos
4. Christopher Paolini

Australia: Western Sydney tournament

August WASPA tournament
Sunday, August 17, 2025, 2:30PM
FitDistrict Studio, Bella Vista

Adrian E turned up full of excuses. "I was in such a rush". "Oh, no, I left my polish at home, can I borrow yours?" "I left my traveling 'keeper at home". "Oh, no, I left my glasses at home". The others weren't having any of it and told him to just get on with it.

And so the five players began a league format tournament, playing each other once. The opening fixtures pitted Franck against Ray along with an Adrian Derby. Franck's 3-0 victory was aided considerably by Ray's traveling 'keeper travails, 2 of Franck's goals coming when Ray's errant 'keeper was stranded on the pitch. The Adrians battled out a typically tight tussle with neither player able to attain full dominance. A solitary goal to Adrian E halfway through the game, and some desperate defending late in the game as Adrian G piled on the pressure, gave Adrian E the victory.

Adrian G and Melvin then went head to head and Melvin caused a minor upset holding Adrian to a 1-1. Adrian had taken an early lead and looked to be in control, but Melvin, in his first WSS tournament in exactly a year, would not give up, clawing back an equaliser before full time. On the other pitch, regular sparring partners, Franck and Adrian E, went at each other again. Adrian took an early lead with a tidy shot on the run and then attempted to hold on. Franck wasn't having it and scored a ridiculous equaliser from an acute angle right under Adrian's 'keeper's nose. He apologised for his celebration, but added - "I'm sure you would have celebrated, too, if you pulled that off!" Both players desperately searched for a winner in the remaining time but it wasn't forthcoming. Until a Magee Swarm in the final seconds. Adrian hit a goalflick deep upfield towards Franck's defense, packed with both defenders and attackers. Somehow, it missed every figure, found its way into the shooting zone and Adrian flung a desperate attacker towards the ball, which connected sweetly and sent the ball clunking into Franck's goal with 3 seconds left on the clock. Adrian's celebration was even louder than Franck's.

The 3rd, crucial, round saw every player make positive moves, but none was able to fully cancel out their opponent. Which meant that Franck & Adrian G, Ray and Melvin, all finished their games in 1-1 stalemates. Every player desperately pushed for a winner in their respective games. After his earlier problems, Ray put away his traveling 'keeper and was much more in control as a result. But, in spite of a few half chances each way in the final few minutes, neither he nor Melvin could press home an advantage. Likewise with Franck and Adrian, the second goal that either player would have been delighted with was not forthcoming, every tied up at full time.

Which meant that a victory by Adrian E in the 4th round would give him a tournament victory with a game to spare. Ray, however, had other ideas, almost scoring in the opening 5 seconds to force a corner and, after almost a decade of trying, earned his first ever competitive victory over Adrian. The 1-0 result probably flattered Adrian as Ray also had a couple of shooting opportunities where Adrian wasn't anywhere near his 'keeper, but sent the shots wide. And, so, Franck's concurrent 2-0 victory over Melvin on the other pitch, slipped him to the top of the table. Franck's performance was commanding with Melvin keeping the score down with some excellent goalkeeping.

Franck had points on the board, but also had the final round bye and was left to cheer for others to hold his position. Any of Franck, Adrian E or Ray could win the title depending on final round results. Franck needed a Melvin victory to have any chance and so spent much of the game hovering over their pitch encouraging Melvin. Their relatively dour draw moved Adrian ahead of Franck due to their earlier head-to-head result. However, this opened the door for Ray who, due to his head-to-head victory over Adrian, could tie with both on points but take the title with a good goal difference. He pushed hard against Adrian G, scoring again but, in the end, a 1-1 result squashed his chances of glory.

And so, Adrian E stumbled over the line, just making his way to the top of the table, his earlier excuses now being seen as a tactical manipulation. In truth, every player had their moments in the tournament, the number '1' in the 'Losses' column for every single player demonstrating just how tight the entire afternoon had actually been.

1. Adrian Elmer
2. Francis Cozzarin
3. Ray Micallef
4. Adrian Grunbach
5. Melvin Singh

Australia: Melbourne TFC tournament

With exactly two months before the Asian Cup of Table Football, Melbourne TFC hosted their August WASPA at East Ivanhoe Bowling Club. Full 30 minute games were played in a Swiss-system format which saw some interesting results and competitve, high-scoring matches across the day. 

George Theocharis returned to the tables, but had a tough afternoon drawn up against some Subbuteo mainstays including Benji Batten, Nathan Kaz and Beth Robin which will prove to be good development for a hopeful entry into the Asian Cup in October. 

Kevin Grant and Nathan Heard played out an intense game in good spirits in round 3, with Kevin coming out a 1-0 winner despite some calls for VAR introduction into the sport from Nathan. 

Matches featuring Adrian Connolly never disappoint, being involved in games that finished 3-0, 3-0, 4-3 and 2-1, to finish fourth overall. 

Beth had a mixed bag of results including a win, draw and a loss against George, Nathan Heard and Kevin, respectively, to finish in an impressive third place. 

Benji and Nathan, both of MTFC, rounded out first and second at the end of the day, both finishing on 10 points each, but with Benji edging it on goal difference; +14 to Nathan's +8, with an absolute clinic put on by Benji in the last round of games, winning 9-0. 

Excellent numbers again for a WASPA as preparation is well under way for all players looking to compete in what is anticipated to be one of the most competitive tournaments held in Australia this decade. 

1. Benji Batten (Melbourne TFC)
2. Nathan Urbaniak (Melbourne TFC)
3. Beth Eveleigh (Northern Phoenix TFC)
4. Adrian Connolly (Northern Phoenix TFC)
5. Kevin Grant (Central Victoria TFC)
6. Nathan Heard (Northern Phoenix TFC)
7. George Theocharis (Northern Phoenix TFC)

New Zealand: latest gathering in Auckland

Nice turnout for a little Saturday WASPA at Chez Shearer’s Subbuteo Playground. Good practice for the NZ Squad travelling to the Asian Cup of Table Football in October

1. Andy Shearer
2. Andy Miller
3. Conrad Mudge
4. Richard Edeson
5. Ian Samsom
6. Phil Samsom
7. Nick McNeil

Wales: last stage of the national circuit

In the last stage of the WSTFA circuit in Treforest, David Lauder took the best on Matthew Rowley in the final, also confirming David as Cymru champion for 2025.

Semi-finals: Matthew Rowley - Darren Barnes 4-2
David Lauder - David Samuel 2-1
Final: Matthew Rowley - David Lauder 1-2

Belgium: SC Flanders players preparing for the new season

This season the SC Flanders players will compete in the prestigious Europa League and the club has ambitions. Players, including some new recruits, met for a WASPA tournament in Antwer earlier in August with some great games and David Wouters was the undisputed winner with 4 wins and a draw after the 5 sessions of Swiss system.

1. David Wouters
2. Salvatore Visconti
3. Yves Peremans
4. Geert Leys
5. Johan Lourdon
6. Frank Lannoy
7. Corentin Boltz
8. Jos Ceulemans
9. Vincent Wouters

Action in Johannesburg

Players at the recent Nevado Cup

Our friends in South Africa are still playing on a regular bases and we are happy to see players of the three different clubs in the Johannesburg area meeting for regional tournaments. Here is a brief summary of results of the last three events held in Johannesburg. All three events were played in league format.

Easterns tournament - July 20

1. Ian Clarke (Easterns)
2. Gary Downs (Easterns)
3. Rui Dos Santos (Easterns)
4. Craig Smith (Easterns)

ETS tournament - August 3 (Nevado Cup)

1. Gary Downs (Easterns)
2. Jason Kennedy (ETS)
3. Fernando Rodrigues (ETS)
4. Liam Chapman (ETS)
5. Johan Niewenhuis (Johannesburg TFC)
6. Shaun Majendie (ETS)

Easterns tournament - August 9

1. Ian Clarke (Easterns)
2. Gary Downs (Easterns)
3. Rui Dos Santos (Easterns)
4. Craig Smith (Easterns)
5. Fernando Rodrigues (ETS)
6. Johan Niewenhuis (Johannesburg TFC)
7. Jarryd Westerdale (ETS)

WASPA rankings of July 2025

Dear friends,

the WASPA rankings of July 2025 are ready!

Excel file with rankings

PDF file with results

It was another great month of Subbuteo table football with 23 regional tournaments, 4 events played with the old rules and even a test-match added in the records. Events took place in England, Australia, Belgium, Malta, Romania, Wales, New Zealand, Ireland and Italy while the test-match was played in Cyprus.

There are not many changes in the rankings but we are happy to have a new club (South Devon SC) in the Conference League.

The sad news this month also come from England as we have been informed that Chris Kaberry recently passed away. Chris put a lot of energy in the last few years to run the North Shileds club and will be missed by all.

Among the great events run in July, we will certainly point out the excellente grand Prix of England run by the ESA in Haverhill. "Subbuteofest" was a huge success and 2 WASPA events were held during the week-end, proving once again FISTF and WASPA can work together.

August is the last month of the WASPA season so don't hesitate to run a last tournament in the last few days to improve your season rankings!

Have a great week-end,

Vincent

Action in Attard, Malta

Players in Brisbane, Australia

Action in Auckland, New Zealand

Players in Trieste, Italy

Matthias Averlant winner in Malta

Before we finalize the monthly tables of July 2025, we are happy to see the club of H’Attard running WASPA events again. Last month Robert Farrugia Randon was the winner of the July event but this time, Belgium's Matthias Averlant took the honors. Here is the club report.

See club Facebook link here: https://www.facebook.com/hattardsubbuteoclub

WASPA - Ħ’Attard Subbuteo Club - August 2025 🏆

"Another fantastic WASPA event held by our club, with tight matches, great sportsmanship, and a brilliant atmosphere throughout the day! 💪⚽️

Congratulations to Matthias Averlant of Hennuyer Subbuteo Club (Belgium), who took top spot with an unbeaten run and 16 points. Matthias was a great addition to our tournament! 🇧🇪🔥

Our own Robert Farrugia Randon finished a close second with 15 points, while Stanley Farrugia Randon and Mark Baldacchino followed with solid performances.

Well done to all participants from Ħ’Attard Subbuteo Club who competed with passion and determination! It’s not just about results — it’s about playing, learning, and growing together as a club. The journey continues! 👊⚽️

Stay tuned and keep flicking! 😉"

#WASPA #Subbuteo #TableFootball #wearehattardsc #SportMalta #visitmalta

Amazing success for the Grand Prix of England

A fantastic venue

WASPA and FISTF continue their succesfull work together in England.

Mick Hammonds (right)

During the recent "Subbuteofest week-end", 2 WASPA events have been held for individuals who were knocked out after the first round.

Plate won by Mick Hammonds (Wolverhampton) over Ian Sharp (Yorkshire) and Shield won by Paul Sutton (Godiva) over Damian Mayes (Godiva).

Ian Sharp (right)

Paul Sutton

Great results for Kent's Hadley Chapman again beating two adults getting to the shield semi-final as well as winning the GP double in U12 & U16.

Hadley Chapman

To be noticed also the the individual Open Grand Prix was won by former WASPA number 1 Geoffrey Marain, proving once again that the WASPA circuit is an excellent way to reach to top of the world's most beautiful game.

Main WASPA results (Plate & Shield):

July 2025: latest news from Oceania

Subbuteo is an amazing game with clubs in many different countries and we are happy to see clubs running WASPA tournaments in Australia and New Zealand. Here is a brief report of recent events held in Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney and Auckland. Special thanks to the writers of the different stories!

Northern Phoenix WASPA – Sunday 27th July 2025

(Report from the club Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/groups/780610992079187)

A cold and wintery Sunday afternoon was the perfect setting for the Northern Phoenix Winter Waspa, held at the East Ivanhoe Bowling Club.

The event was attended by seven regulars and a special guest appearance by a former Matilda – Louisa Bisby (who we of course hope becomes part of the regular crew).

The event was conducted in a league format with everyone playing each other once in a FAST-15 contest. Twenty One matches were held in total with the event going down to the wire.

Ultimately it was a Big Win for Benji Batten, just edging out teammate Luke Radziminski on goal difference. Adrian Connolly finished in third place with Nathan Urbaniak making it a clean sweep for MTFC, taking out all top four spots.

It’s interesting to note that ten out of the twenty one matches ended in 0-0 draws, with Urbaniak taking part in four (dislodging the Northern Phoenix President as the King of the Scoreless Draws). The Polish Predator was impressive defensively not conceding any goals along the journey whilst Benji was clinical in offense scoring on ten occasions.

This particular Waspa marks the start of a very busy period of Table Football in Victoria which will see two International FISTF Satellite events held in the space of a matter of weeks. It will off course all culminate in the Asian Cup on the weekend of 17-19 October.

Another enjoyable evening and needless to say.......

Subbuteo was the Real Winner!

1. Benji Batten (Melbourne TFC)
2. Luke Radziminski (Melbourne TFC)
3. Adrian Connolly (Northern Phoenix)
4. Nathan Urbaniak (Melbourne TFC)
5. Christos Garagounis (Northern Phoenix)
6. Nathan Heard (Northern Phoenix)
7. Beth Eveleigh (Northern Phoenix)

Brisbane, July 27

Great day with Brisbane Subbuteo Club. The local group had the visit of Northern ireland's Craid Stewart while Japan's Tomoki Miyke was also taking part. Congratulations also to Gus Gillespie for winning the tournament!

1. Gus Gillespie (Brisbane SC)
2. Gordon Orr (Brisbane SC)
3. Derek Hovell (Brisbane SC)
4. Gareth Whalley (Brisbane SC)
5. Tomoki Miyke (JPN/Saitama)
6. Craig Stewart (NIR/Derry City)
7. Wayne Miller (Brisbane SC)
8. Ben Harbeck (Brisbane SC)

Hipfingerz tournament, July 15

The Hipfingerz (https://www.facebook.com/groups/1063342333730453) held a WASPA event at a venue called "The Station".

For some reason, Eour "secret writer" can't seem to share Geoff's excellent report, the first part of which is based on a famous Australian poem "The Man From Snowy River" (later turned into a film), which starts with the line "There was movement at the station'...

There was movement at The Station
For the word had passed around
That man on wheels from FISTF would be there.

And would bring his trusty scooter
And his plastered, screwed-up leg
So all the flickers hit the Pymont lair

There was Elbow, Frank and Jezza
Johnny 'No Rules' Ball and Geoff
Not just one but two called Adrian joined the fray

But the man they called Steve Dettre
Ran the show and made his mark
'Til the pain kicked in and he called it a day.

Enough doggerel. More puns

Yes, Steve rolled up for more flicking fun at the station and won his way to the semis till the pain and jokes finally told and he he had to admit defeet.

He duly passed the baton to the more spritely Adrian Grunbach. But we're getting ahead of ourselves.

What started out as two groups of death - with seeded top two in each - proved true to form but for Steve's fine form.

Eliot won all three games, not entirely having it all way with narrow victories over Geoff and Franck. Adrian Elmer topped his group with one win over Steve but two draws - with Johnny Ball and Adrian G (the latter who played three draws - 'whose why'?) . Meanwhile Johnny, Geoff, Franck and Jeremy had two draws each - Jez impressing with a 0-0 v Franck. As was, Franck's one goal in a loss to Eliot put him ahead of Geoff on goal difference and he went on to the semi finals. From there it went with the results the rankings might have predicted. Adrian E beating Frank and Eliot pipping Adrian G. The final was keenly fought, a breathless, tight and dour affair full of drama and cliches. In the end it was a last gasp winner from the local favourite Eliot that won the day.

A communal meal was enjoyed by all with a bonus big screen viewing of Sydney FC's exciting 2-1 win over Wrexham, courtesy of some wheely nice tech work from Steve.

A great night all round, where - as always, subbuteo was the winner ... and pizza was the dinner. See you all next month when we cracks will gather again... Mon 18 Aug. 6pm.

Semi-finals: Adrian Elmer (Western Sydney) - Francis Cozzarin (Western Sydney) 3-1 ; Eliot Kennedy (Northern Falcons) - Adrian Grunbach (Northern Falcons) 1-0

Final: Eliot Kennedy - Adrian Elmer 1-0

Auckland, July 7

Great fun night had by all at the Onehunga Bowls Club. A solid turn out of seven people and some fantastic games were had. Nick McNeil making a special appearance and Ian Sansom making a long trip up from New Plymouth and getting a big win over previously unbeaten Mark Rossi. Full results coming soon

Link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/4898270816916585/

1. Andy Shearer
2. Ian Samsom
3. Mark Rossi
4. Nick McNeil
5. Conrad Mudge
6. Richard Edeson
7. Andy Miller

A great week of Subbuteo in Italy

Some nations are very active in the WASPA circuit but we are always happy to receive good news from Italy. Even if the country is probably the undisputed leader in the Subbuteo scene and that the national organisation is very strong with many different clubs and types of tournaments, we are extremely happy that some organizers continue to run events under WASPA banner.

In Terni, the "Coppa Cecalocco 2025" was played last Saturday with 16 players from different clubs taking part. The tournament was played with traditional rules and every player had many games. The first four rounds were played in Swiss system before players were later divided in 2 categories.

In a thrilling final, Francesco Zolfanelli (Black Rose Roma) defeated Simone Perotti (Terni 2014) on shots in the final to claim the title. Marco Perotti (Terni 2014) was third while Cristian Cecconi (Firenze) was fourth.

In the "cadetti" tournament, Giovanni Genna (Alba Roma) took the honors after a huge victory against clubmate Valerio Lombaro (4-0) in the final. Ernesto Poncetta (Alba Roma) was third and Luca Di Lullo (Alba Roma) was fourth.

Huge thanks to Marco Perotti for making things happen and for making everyone happy during a long day of Subbuteo.

A long day of play in Brescia

On Sunday, July 20th, Brescia hosted the IX edition of the Endurance Colpani Cup under WASPA banner. The "Endurance" name is not a surprise as this tournament system requires good physical conditions and skills to play a tournament with old Subbuteo rules. 11 players, 10 matches of 30’ each, no referees and the usual super fair play among the attendees.

the group of players

Pietro Megna winner of final draw for the finishers.

All players did until the end. It was almost 8 pm when tournament set the finale standings:

1. Vittorio de Pascale (SC Ligures)
2. Claudio Colpani (ACS Perugia)
3. Federico Milan (Verona Subbuteo)
4. Giancarlo Riva (Torino 2009)
5. Simone Pasquali (Verona Subbuteo)
6. Francesco Molinari (F.lli Bari)
7. Pietro Torri (F.lli Bari)
8. Simone Corleto (Subbuteo Fidenza)
9. Mauro Villa (S. C. Pavia)
10. Giuseppe Lorusso (S. C. Pavia)
11. Pietro Megna (S. C. Pavia)

A round of applause to Pietro Megna, new entry in the circuit who comes to the end and wins the draw of the finishers of the Endurance Cup.

Again, a great thanks to the municipality of Brescia for lending the beautiful hall, to Claudio Colpani for lending the playground and for the organisation of the tournament.

A happy summer to everybody and see you for the X Edition next autumn.

(Thanks to Vittorio de Pascale for the results and story).

Trieste is back

Finally, after a long hyatus, we have been extremely glad to receive news from Trieste were the local club held a tournament with 5 players competing in league format. In the end, Stefano Dardi took the honors with 10 pts. while 

Corrado Toffoletti was runner-up, Alessandro Spiller 3rd, Oscar Caselli 4th and Dario Bilucaglia 5th.

We hope to see more Subbuteo action under WASPA banner in trieste soon.

You can follow the news of Italian WASPA events on teh dedicated blog at https://waspasubbuteoitalia.blogspot.com/

WASPA rankings of June 2025

Dear friends,

tha WASPA rankings of June 2025 are now available!

Results file

Rankings

We have had an amazing month with 41 tournaments (35 regional and 5 old rules) added in the records! Events were played in 14 different countries and we are happy to see Denmark becoming the 38th nations in the current records thanks to Rasmus Lund's victory in Hamburg!

We have very regular players but also some new faces and more and more contacts from all over the world!

Rasmus Lund, winner of the recent Sankt Pauli tournament along with Marcus Tilgner (left) and Edin Mulasmajic (right)

We recently managed to connect 2 players in the United Arab Emirates (Dubai and Abu Dhabi) and have good hope to see the first club in the Middle East being part of the circuit soon!

We are also happy to see action in Austria and in Czech republic for the first time this season as local players in Prague had the visit of guests from Ireland and every player was happy to play some WASPA games :-)

No need to say more, just have a look at the results, rankings and statistics.

We are really proud to see 73 different clubs scored points are are rankind in the three "rankings of clubs". We also have 11 clubs ranked in the junior table!

The doors of the WASPA circuit remain open for all players and clubs!

Don't hesitate to contact me at vincentcoppenolle@gmail.com if you see some mistakes in the files or to send missing results!

We are happy to see organizers doing an amazing job and continuing to promote the game. All connections with other bodies (FISTF and national associations) remain possible and we are looking forward to seeing more nations promoting WASPA events!

Have a great week-end!

Vincent Coppenolle

May and June 2025: news from Around the world

We have had a lot of WASPA events held in the last few weeks and many countries have held great tournaments!

Besides all the things happening in England where things are just really big nowadays, we publish here a summary of recent events held in Belgium, Ireland, Italy, the United States, the Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, Wales and Austria.

Don't hesitate to send your WASPA results by e-mail to vincentcoppenolle@gmail.com

Tralee and Munster (Ireland), May 30, 2025

Round 4 of the Irish Circuit - Tralee 2025 (original report by David Elton from https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61569711173090)

They came by boat, car, train, motorbike and pushbike. Some came for the day others for the weekend but still they came. 19 individuals looking to contend with like-minded people and to be part of an enjoyable day competing at the beautiful game that is Subbuteo or Table Football.

For those that wanted it there was a couple of pleasant evenings of sampling the delights of a busy bank holiday weekend in Tralee, with lots of banter and craic in the eateries and hostelries of Kerry’s main town.

On to the serious business of Saturday in the Brandon Hotel, 19 finger flicking enthusiasts did battle to determine who would be leaving (or remaining) in the Kingdom as the number one.

Just like 2024 Dublin’s Mark Farrell made no mistake in the main competition as the Jackeen made up for his round 3 set back in Dublin to power to victory in Kerry. The Il Re (King) of the Shield did it again as in Dublin, Mario Frittelli took the second-string competition against Nick Pearson. In the Junior event Roisin Hogan collected the title in a carbon copy shootout win like in Dublin over Mons winner Elliot Fitzpatrick. Finally in the plate after years on the side lines Northern Ireland’s 1970’s international Louis Herbert is back amongst the honours as he saw off Tralee’s Dave Elton and Donal O’Sullivan to clinch the converted plate.

One of the big challenges to running a tournament in Table Football is the diverse nature and abilities of the competitors.

We had 19 player and 4 competitions. On a footballing level it was like throwing Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund, Ipswich Town, Forest Green Rovers, The Dog and Duck FC and Home Farm under 10’s into one competition and hoping they all leave somewhat fulfilled.

The format was met with some confused looks, panicked questions and rolling eyes, but I make no apologies I feel for what we had it worked. What I will apologise for is that it wasn’t spelt out clearly enough for everyone. Verbally it didn’t come across well. A lesson learned for next year.

At the end of the first group stage most players had found their level and could do battle with players of a similar standard in the second phase. Our aim is that everyone gets a decent number of games and comes away having learned something and with their dignity and confidence very much intact.

The highlight of the day was seeing the early evolution of a junior tournament with 3 players. That’s very much down to young Elliot Fitzpatrick constantly playing the last 2 years and now we’re seeing others enter the fold. Hopefully as the tournament moves around other young players will be inspired to join in and play against lads and lassies of a similar age. If the game is to evolve this side of things really is a must.

I have to say that I’m delighted with how the players in our own locality fared. Although we’re nowhere near close to the big shots the improvement is fantastic. We’re very proud to see former Tralee player Mario taking the Shield (which is getting very competitive), Cian has come on massively in the last year and is taking to competitions like a duck to water. James is one to watch for the future, great to see a Silvia making her debut along with Donal and Liam. Finally, Roisin, 2 competitions and 3 trophies (2 junior and 1 club player of the tournament) is unprecedented. A very well done!

Finally, many thanks to all the players that made the effort to travel to Kerry. The Brandon hotel for hosting, SC Cork and Cheerytree SC for loaning some equipment, John Moore for the tech help, the players that volunteered to referee and to our own players and family members that did their bit in helping set this event up.

I salute you all……

Open final: Mark Farrell - Martinog Bradley 6-1

Shield final: Mario Frittelli - Nick Pearson 2-0

Junior tournament:

1. Roisin Hogan
2. Eliott Fitzpatrick
3. Liam O'Sullivan

Nassogne (Belgium), May 25, 2025

Bruno Timpano won the latest tournament in the South of Belgium where 12 players from different clubs were taking part. Philippe Thys was runner-up with 3 wins but Timpano was decided winner on goal difference.

1. Bruno Timpano
2. Philippe Thys
3. Jean Grosdent
4. Richard Boulanger
5. William Van den Houte
6. Antonio Timpano
7. Sophia Grosdent
8. David Boulanger
9. Noah Dirick
10. Maxim Grosdent
11. Thomas Janssens
12. Vincent Dirick

Auckland (New Zealand), May 26, 2025

Club night standings

1. Mark Rossi
2. Conrad Mudge
3. Ian Samsom
4. Andy Miller
5. Richard Edeson
6. Phil Samsom

Gouda (the Netherlands), May 21 2025

Action in the Netherlands where the May tournament had 7 players competing in a league format and MVV Rijnmond's Jerrel van Keimpema taking the honors.

1. Jerrel van Keimpema
2. Marco de Bruin
3. Fabrizio Cavazza
4. Xavier Aret
5. Rinaldo van Dijk
6. Martijn de Jong
7. Richard Oranje

Calabria (Italy), May 24 2025

Our friends from Virtus Calabria do a great work with regular events and some tournaments played with modern and old rules. Their last "FISTF rules" tournament was played by 6 players in a league format. Andrea Pagano won his 5 games to win the tournament.

1. Andrea Pagano
2. Giuseppe Andricciola
3. Francesco De Santis
4. Angelo De Santis
5. Francesco Pusia
6. Gianpaolo Pulice

Auckland (New Zealand), June 9 2025

Club night standings

1. Mark Rossi
2. Andy Miller
3. Conrad Mudge
4. Ian Samsom
5. Richard Edeson
6. Phil Samsom

Gouda (the Netherlands), June 4 2025

Final standings (3 groups of 3 players and then 3 groups of 3 players)

1. Marco de Bruin (Dutch Legends)
2. Nico Marks (Dutch Legends)
3. Jarno Marks (Dutch Legends)
4. Fabrizio Cavazza (Gorizia)
5. Stéphane Lambert (Belgium/Kent Invicta)
6. Rinaldo van Dijk (Rijnmond)
7. Xavier Aret (Dutch Legends)
8. Richard Oranje (Dutch Legends)
9. Cailim Marks (Dutch Legends)

Genova (Italy), June 7 2025

Once again the Rebels Genova held a great tournament with 16 players including special guest from France Enrico Lupo. It was a good event with 4 groups of 4 players and then every players had 2 more games to decide final standings. Here are the results of the finals:

Final: Samuele Bignardi - Cristiano Cordone 3-2
Final for place 3: Tommaso Sani - Alberto Capoferri 3-2
Final for place 5: Enrico Lupo (France/Le Cannet) - Massimo Garatti 2-1
Final for place 7: Filippo Sottili - Alessandro Gandin 0-1
Final for place 9: Luca Bignardi - Fabio Balito 1-0
Final for place 11: Filippo Careddu - Maurizio Cussotto 2-0
Final for place 13: Davide Balito - Simone Pennati 2-0
Final for place 15: Andrea Bolioli - Massimo Togo 1-0

Drury (Wales), Jun 8 2025

The Welsh national circuit offered a great of table football to 12 players coming from Wales and England. Chris Bedford took the honors after defeating riding star Ruby Matthews in the final.

Next event in the circuit takes players to another iconic venue: Knighton, home to the original Subbuteo shop, Woodentop brand run by Tom Taylor.

Barrages: Phil Dacey - Cayne Matthews 3-0
Darren Barnes - Brian Daley 1-0

Semi-finals: Chris Bedford - Darren Barnes 2-1
Phil Dacey - Ruby Matthews 1-1*

Final: Chris Bedford - Ruby Matthews 1-0

Plate:

1. David Lauder
2. David Samuel
3. Brendan Ashley

Shield:

1. Richard Stock
2. Luca Lanzani
3. Rob Fitch

Dublin (Ireland), June 9 2025

(Report by Andy Fitzpatrick - original link)

The felt was fast and the flicks were fierce at this week’s edition of Monday Night Flicks at The Cherrytree Walkinstown. With the Irish circuit heating up and momentum building, this session delivered narrative, nostalgia, and a few battles. Whether chasing ranking points or shaking off the weekend cobwebs, every player brought something to the board.

Player Highlights:

Adrian Piggott made his return to the scene tonight and A rock solid defensive showing (just 3 goals conceded all night).

Louis, recently crowned Plate Champion in Tralee, brought a fresh swagger to the table. The results didn’t all go his way this time, but the spark is back and it shows.

Mark “The Machine” was, once again, relentless. Five wins. Zero losses. Twelve goals scored. The man’s a metronome.

Elliot, only 11 years old, continues to capture hearts and rack up goals. He led Andy at half-time, scored consistently throughout the night, and left with more experience under his belt. With Roisín Hogan edging him out in recent shootouts, the hunger to improve is crystal clear.

Andy held his nerve after a tricky start and pulled out some important wins. His draw with Daniel and narrow win over Adrian added layers to what was a fiercely competitive evening.

1. Mark Farrell
2. Andy Fitzpatrick
3. Daniel Kaliszewski
4. Adrian Pigott
5. Louis Herbert
6. Eliott Fitzpatrick

Vienna (Austria), June 8 2025

At the recent Baumfalken Cup in AUstria, the consolation tournament of the FISTF event was played under WASPA banner. Four players contested in a round robin and loal player Karl Vranovitz took the honors. Thanks to Alfred Strommer for making things happen.

1. Karl Vranovitz (AUT/Royal)
2. Marian Flemer (GER/Sparta Spreeathen)
3. Marios Strommer (AUT/Phoenix)
4. Marcus Tilgner (GER/Sparta Spreeathen)

Néchin (Belgium), June 13 2025

After a few weeks, the Templeuve United club was back in the club venue for the usual WASPA evening, which attracted 10 players from different clubs. Matthias Averlant was the clear favorite of the night and won all his games while Michaël Dupret was a well-deserved runner-up.

Final standings after 4 sessions in Swiss system (all players Belgians unless noted):

1. Matthias Averlant (Hennuyer)
2. Michaël Dupret (Tournai)
3. Raphael Dhondt (Templeuve)
4. Vincent Coppenolle (Templeuve)
5. Jordan Bonte (Wattrelos)
6. Sébastien Sorge (FRA/Wattrelos)
7. Ursule Dhondt (Templeuve)
8. Nicolas Malfait (FRA/Wattrelos)

Gouda (the Netherlands), June 18 2025

On Wednesday the Dutch Legends had a successful evening with 10 players taking part and the MVV Rijnmond players were in great shape to dominate the tournament!

Final: Casey van Os - Jerrel van Keimpema 1-0
Final 3rd place: Rinaldo van Dijk - Fabrizio Cavazza 3-0
Final 5th place: Marco de Bruin - Xavier Aret 1-0
Final 7th place: Martijn de Jong - Richard Oranje 0-4
Final 9th place: Sjoerd van Bentem - Fedde Aret 1-2

Sydney (Australia), June 18 2025

A delightful premiere game night a The Station in Pyrmont on Wed 18 June was attended by seven fine flickers. Theoretically hosted by the Hipfingerz Sydney East (homeless since the sale of the much-loved Captain Cook Hotel), the schmick new venue was really the ‘find’ of Northern Falcon stalwart and local Pyrmont denizen Eliot aka ‘Doc’ aka ‘Elbow’ Kennedy. It worked beautifully, cost-free, neat, well-appointed with good storage, a kitchen and a helpful caretaker, it’s clear this space will not only suit monthly club nights but also decent sized invitational tournaments – with room for probably 9 boards.

On this night, four boards were sufficient, but extra tables and chairs were all on hand to make for a comfortable pizza dinner and a viewing of State of Origin II on the big screen (nice tech ‘casting’ by Louis Dettre!).

For this Swiss System WASPA, it was also mate against mate; and fittingly Steve Dettre – mid-rehab after an ankle operation - arrived with a surgical boot and wheelie scooter, doing a good impression of an injured ‘rugba league gladiator’. In the event, he ‘took it easy’ playing only two of the four rounds on offer and picking up 6 of his 7 points (and all his goals) with byes. It was a brave performance though – and what he lacked in mobility, he made up for in cheeky banter.

As it transpired, local boy Eliot won the day with three wins and a draw – the latter a 0-0 draw (‘whose way, mate?”) against a plucky Geoff. The Hipfingerz man picked up two wins (against Louis and stablemate Greg) but lost to Franck. Frank and Adrian pulled out similar results (two wins and a draw) and only goal difference determined that Adrian and Geoff shared the ‘silva medal’ - named after Bernardo of course. Franck and Steve also ended up on 7 points, but Steve’s two 2-0 byes put him ahead… yep, sucked in Franck! It was, nevertheless, a night when everyone took some points - and a share of the glory.

Thanks to all for coming… we’ve definitely begun a new chapter in Sydney Subbo history. See you all – and many more no doubt – next time round. Diarise Tuesday Tues 15 July 6pm set-up for 6.30 flick-off.

Go the Blues! (report by Geoff Sirmai - Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1063342333730453)

Final standings:

1. Eliot Kennedy
2. Adrian Grunbach
3. Geoff Sirmai
4. Steve Dettre
5. Francis Cozzarin
6. Greg Werner
7. Louis Dettre

Ellicott City, MD (USA), June 14 2025

June 14 saw the playing of a challenge cup by the Maryland Subbuteo Club. 7 players competed in a round robin group. Daniel Cranston took the title with 6 wins. Final standings with points:

1. Daniel Cranston - 18
2. Paul Eyes 13
3. Bryan Arnold 11
4. Collin Dohner 9
5. Claudio Santos 5
6. Zach Swope 2
7. Ryan Belcher 1

Milan Knezevic wins Swiss Cup tournament in Eschenbach

The winning trio: Clinton (3), Milan (1), John (2)

On 14 June 2025, with temperatures soaring, the Linth Sliders Subbuteo Club hosted the 1st SWISS CUP 2025 in its beautiful new venue in Eschenbach SG. Eight players, a small but mighty team, played a great tournament, with everyone playing against everyone else. Milan Knezevic and Gionatan Luppolo travelled from Karlsruhe, and Henrik Berthel, a new player from Switzerland, also took part with enthusiasm.

Ranking list: Milan Knezevic (SER), John Imbrogiano (SUI), Clinton Gähwiler (SUI) Fabio Domenico (SUI), Peter Erb (SUI), Paul Remund (SUI), Gionatan Luppolo (HR), Henrik Berthel (SUI).

(Report by Peter Erb)