What Is Table Football?

Table football has become popular all over the world, even though the original patent was filed in 1923 by Harold Thornton from North London. The concept traveled across the ocean to the United States when his uncle from Portland, Oregon came to visit and patented it in 1927 in America. Both continents have continued to keep the game alive and it is a great game for tournaments, home play, or just a night of competition with the boys.

The inspiration of table football came from soccer, as it is called in the United States. Table football also goes by different names such as table soccer, tabletop football and is especially known as foosball in America. The basis of table football is the same as soccer or UK football where a single goalie defends the point scoring hole and tries to work the ball through the lines to set their own team up to make a goal on the opposing end of the table.

The game became popular as a recreational game for those who were not able to play real soccer through a 1937 patent and in 2002, the International Table Soccer Federation was launched in France, which established the game with the International Olympic Committee and they regulate international competitions of table football.

Certain rules govern the game, and the game begins when the ball is dropped through the side of the table and the bars with the players are maneuvered with the goal of making a point in the defender's goal. Certain movements are considered illegal in tournament play, such as spinning the rods 360 degrees, but anything short of that is considered legal. The figures that look like little football or soccer players "kick" the ball into the goal at speeds up to 35 mph or 56 kmh.

Typically, the game is over when the first player hits the pre-determined number of the winning goals, which are usually 5, 10, or 11, but Bonzini competitions are 7. Teams can be 1, 2, or 3 players who control the four rows of men. Typically, there are two men on each team and side of the table, with a row for each hand.

Organized competitions became popular in the 1940s and 50s over in Europe, but the United States started large money tournaments in the 1970s. The FIFA World Cup is held every four years and in the last one, held in 2006, the top three places were held by Austria, Germany, and Belgium. So you can see the international appeal that table football has.

Because there is not a certain physical strength or fitness involved, anybody can become good at table football. The best players have good hand and eye coordination and master some of the techniques to "smoke" the ball past opponents. The table game is a popular bar and pub sport, but table football has become affordable enough to have tables in your home. They are a great form of recreation and playing competitively with your friends, which is the best way to turn from a novice into a tournament player in table football.

If you have an interest in table football for recreation or for tournament play, the best thing to do is buy a table football table and start practicing, while you have endless hours of fun.