Subbuteo was invented by Peter Adolph (1916–1994), who was demobbed from the Royal Air Force after the end of World War II. Searching for a new business opportunity he turned his attention to creating a new table-top football game. He adapted his game from Newfooty, a table football game that had been invented in 1929 by William Lane Keeling of Liverpool. He made numerous improvements, including changing the heavy lead bases under the model players to lighter materials, using for his prototype a button from his mother's coat and a washer. [5] Hasbro relaunched Subbuteo in 2005 with flat photorealistic card-style figures on bases, rather than three-dimensional figures. The relaunch was not a success and was again discontinued.

As a newcomer to Subbuteo, you’ll be joining a passionate community enjoying an analogue hobby that brings people together in person rather than on the computer. This provides a chance for young people to develop their social skills and connect with like-minded people. The general rules of play are basically the same as those for Association Football, with some necessary additions to govern their application to Subbuteo Table Soccer. . In addition, you can find a team painted in almost any current or history team, and you can even buy your own unpainted teams to create fantasy sides! In contrast to an immersive and responsive videogame like FIFA, Subbuteo relies on your own imagination to make the game come to life. And the possibilities are endless. Put yourself up front for your favourite team, rerun England’s penalty shootout heartache in the Euro 2020 final, or set up a David and Goliath FA Cup tie between your local team and Liverpool! Building your stadium, assembling your accessories, and painting your players will teach you some handy and highly transferrable DIY skills. Become a tactical mastermindx3 (C131), throw-in figures x3 (C132), interchangeable goalies (C133), ball boys (C134), logbook and wallet (Set L), ref's whistle (Set V), kitchen sink.... However, unlike the World Cup set, this Subbuteo captures some of the magic of the beautiful game, providing players of all ages with an engaging tabletop game and a creative modelling hobby. The first sets were and were made out of wire and cardboard. There was no pitch – a piece of chalk was provided so that players could mark out their own pitch on an old army blanket. After the war every home had one of these blankets, and this bit of resourcefulness kept the set small and cheap to produce! Collecting is a form of self-expression, and hobbyists experience a sense of accomplishment as they build their collections. Collecting can provide a sense of comfort and control, and can encourage hope and connection with others. The Subbuteo story: How a war-veteran- cum-egg-collector invented Britain's legendary tabletop favourite". FourFourTwo.com. 16 August 2021.

That Subbuteo Table Soccer is THE game with which authentic football tactics can be reproduced is proved by the fact that so many famous national and international clubs use it regularly for tactical study and games analysis.Subbuteo is popular on social media. A Subbuteo stadium tour by YouTuber “Subbuteo Collector” is generating tens of thousands of views! If you have possession of the ball a single player can touch it three times in succession before another one of your players must touch it.