Foosball has always been one of everyone’s favourite hobbies; simple and fun, the king of evenings at the bar, and not just that.
Buying a table football, however, whether for home or for your own business, is not straightforward; ProduceBlog gives you the definitive guide to choosing the one best suited to your needs.
A symbol of Sunday afternoons at the bar or at the community centre, table football is one of the most popular games in the country. It’s not exclusive to bars, however; many people today choose to keep a foosball table at home. Either to save the two coins or to get them from friends who come to play at home.
Joking aside, buying a nice table football table today is certainly not the huge expense it once was; on the market there are several models of excellent workmanship at affordable and interesting prices. The real challenge (excluding the game) is to choose them carefully; here’s where the ProduceBlog team comes in! We’re giving you the definitive guide to choosing and buying a foosball table (and accessories) that’s perfectly in line with your needs. Ball in the centre, here we go!
Foosball: origin not known
Normally when we talk about a sport, or a specific game, we try to trace its history; in the case of table football, however, the path is more than bumpy: it’s a real mess!
We can say with some certainty that it was born in Europe between the two world wars; as for the inventor, just as happens with other ingenious inventions, several countries are fighting over it. We have in fact:
- Mr Broto Wachter from Germany
- for Spain, the noble Alejandro Finisterre
- an anonymous Citroën worker from France
- a certain Harold Sea Thornton who registered a patent in England
- Italy out of the picture
Since the 1950s, however, when futbolín, futballino, calcetto, subotto, foosball or, more simply,
table football, landed in the USA, its worldwide success was immediate and swift. Federations, tournaments and championships were set up in all countries. The rules changed according to the nation, but the fundamental one remained the same: fun for everyone.
For home too?
Although we normally associate table football with whole afternoons and evenings of fun at the bar (the coin on the edge remains a universal and unquestionable gesture of challenge), it is not rare – indeed it is increasingly normal – to find those who choose to keep one at home.
This is not only because costs and technology have come to our aid; being able to enjoy a few hours of entertainment with family or friends, without having to leave the comfort of one’s home, is a luxury that many people do not want to give up.
It is important, before proceeding to the guide, to evaluate a main discriminating factor: where are we going to put our foosball table? Whether we decide to leave it indoors or outdoors, depending on this choice, many specifications will change in terms of materials, dimensions, extras and accessories. Once you have decided, you can proceed to read the other features.
Practical Guide: How to choose table football and accessories.
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Materials
As is almost always the case, the quality of the materials is one of the first elements to consider; not only the performance, but also the durability and ease of moving the foosball table will depend on this. Frames can be made of plywood, chipboard or MDF (which we recommend for its qualities); a melamine coating ensures a higher level of solidity and protection. As well as small joining and decorative elements, we rarely find plastic or metal in the composition of foosball tables, except for those that will remain fixed outdoors.
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Dimensions and weight
If the size of a table football table used to be an obstacle to the desire to have one in the home, today there are various solutions. Not only because some tables are foldable, and therefore easy to store, innovative materials create the right compromise between weight and stability, offering solid but lightweight foosball tables.
The size also depends on the use and the players; some models can be for more than the usual 4 players, up to 8 or down to 2. The average size of a normal table for home or bar is 144x71x86 cm.
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Game top
While tempered glass game tops resist deformation over time, their price and fragility make them a risky choice; nowadays you can find game tops made of plastic or high-quality coated wood, painted to perfection with the court lines. Some also have a glass or transparent plastic cover and plastic corners to prevent the ball getting stuck.
Professional Folding Foosball Table Acaria -
Bars and Players
Table football bars are used to “steer” the players, known as figurines or pawns. It is natural that they should be made of a very strong material, probably metal tubing with a rustproof covering; since they are handled for minutes or hours (and with fury!), it is advisable that they have a soft, plastic and ergonomic handle. They can be of two types: telescopic, i.e. falling into different levels so as not to overhang the other side of the playing top; or outgoing, i.e. a single tube overhanging the opposite end of the pitch. The diameter of the pole, another factor to consider, can be 13 or 16 mm.
As for the players, which are easy to change if damaged, they are normally divided into: a goalkeeper, two defenders, five midfielders and three forwards. The classic colours are red and blue, but today you can find them in many colours, even small reproductions of famous teams.
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Balls
Table football balls are made of plastic (HIPS or shockproof polyester); weighted and hard, they are normally white, 25 g (tournament weight) and have a diameter of around 36 mm. However, there are variations in colour, size and weight, depending on the player’s needs; the important thing is that they run smoothly on the table. Stock up, as they are easily lost!
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Budget
Try to choose a foosball table that is in line with your pre-set budget. If you keep it in the bar, you can recoup some of the costs (and increase them as cross-marketing) by selling the ‘time’ players spend, or equipping it with a coin box to release the balls.
SSet 4 Figurines Table football 2 Red 2 Blue Replacement Rod 16 Mm
The ball is in the air! Arm yourself with our guide and a strong desire to play, and choose a table football from the ProduceShop catalogue now; tournaments to come!