Alfred Laporta achieves his first victory in the Catalan

On Sunday, May 18, the fifth and final tournament of the regular phase of the Catalan Table Football Circuit 2024-2025 was held in Mataró. The competition was held at the headquarters of the "Capgrossos de Mataró human tower team", a regular meeting point for the organizing club from Mataró, AS Iluro Futbol Taula, and featured the participation of 28 players from various parts of Catalonia.

Alfred Laporta collecting the award from Julià Rosa of the local club AS Iluro de Mataró

Toni Rosa receives the consolation trophy from his son

Alfred Laporta achieved his first victory in a Circuit tournament after a demanding and highly contested course. In the semifinals he narrowly beat Vicenç Prats, current number 1 in the Catalan ranking, and in the final he defeated Ferran Coll, leader of the Circuit, also in a very even duel. Laporta managed the decisive moments well and took a victory that he had narrowly missed on previous occasions.

In the consolation tournament, local player Toni Rosa gave a great performance and defeated Guillem Balaguer in a tight final, closing his regular season with very good feelings.

With this fifth event —after the tournaments held in Montornès (2), Breda, Girona and now Mataró, the regular phase of the Circuit closes and the final classification is confirmed with the 16 players who will participate in the playoffs for the title, which will be held in Breda on July 6.

(story by Ricard Carles Prat)

Adrian Elmer wins AGFA cup 2025

Adrian Elmer etched his name into AGFA Cup trophy history, becoming the 11th winner in the 25 year history of the event.

With only 8 entrants for the 2025 event, we opted for a full league format, sticking to the lightning 15-minute matches and 7 matches each.

His victory prevented the first three-peat by Eliot Kennedy.

It was great to have players from the Nothern Falcons, Western Sydney and Hipfingerz, and especially with Jez Simpson using his Toccer figures.

Early results went as expected, though Franck was dragging his feet and dropped much needed points.

As we got to the back end of the tournament, the results started to matter.

Adrian beat Eliot, then dropped a point to Steve, while Franck started to ramp up.

Into the last round, Adrian could claim the title with a win against Geoff, while Eliot or Steve could grab the title with wins.

As it was, Adrian held on 1-0 against Geoff to claim the title.

A late Doubles Cup was a fun conclusion to the day: Adrian & Franck and Eliot and Johnny sharing the points after a win and a draw. Steve & Louie are preparing their revenge for later in the year!

(Report by Steve Dettre)

May 25: results from around the world

We are happy to see many WASPA events played in many different countries. We have struggled to get stories about different tournaments but we publish here a summary of events held around the world. Thanks to our friends in Australia, Belgium, Greece, Wales, New Zealand, Romania and Germany. We hope to see many more tournaments in many more countries.

Melbourne (TFC), Australia, April 26 2025

On Saturday, Melbourne Table Football Club celebrated a major milestone — 12 years since its founding — with a special WASPA tournament held at our home venue of East Ivanhoe Bowls Club. It was a fantastic day of matches, showcasing the growth, talent, and spirit that has characterised Melbourne TFC since its beginnings.

The competition in was incredibly tight, with players battling for every point. After a tense and hard-fought group stage, the standings were extremely close, reflecting the high level of competition and determination among all participants. Every match was meaningful, and several players were separated by just a single result.

A special mention goes to Nathan Heard, representing Northern Phoenix, who delivered an outstanding performance throughout the day. Nathan continues to show rapid improvement in his game, and his efforts were rewarded with a spot in the semi-finals — a fantastic achievement and a sign of great things to come.

In the knockout stages, I was lucky to get on a roll and defeat Adrian Connolly 2–0 in the semi-final and Christos Garagounis 3-0 in the final to claim the tournament title.

Thank you to everyone who attended and helped make this 12th anniversary event a success. Here's to many more years of Melbourne TFC and the ongoing growth of table football in Australia!

Original story: https://www.facebook.com/groups/359073844214135

There will be a Northern Phoenix tournament also in Melbourne on May 25 (https://www.facebook.com/events/2530439713956569/).

Group stage:

1. Benji Batten (Melbourne)
2. Christos Garagounis (Northern Phoenix)
3. Nathan Heard (Northern Phoenix)
4. Adrian Connolly (Western Sydney)
5. Beth Eveleigh (Northern Phoenix)

Semi-finals: Benji Batten - Adrian Connolly & Christos Garagounis - Nathan Heard

Final: Benji Batten - Christos Garagounis

Nassogne, Belgium, May 3 2025

During the "Luxembourg Cup", the consolation tournament was played under WASPA banner and Richard Boulanger from the home club was the undefeated winner!

Semi-finals: Lulani Verhoeven - Maxance Legros 3-0 & Richard Boulanger - David Boulanger 7-1

Final: Lulani Verhoeven - Richard Boulanger 0-5

Club link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/180520979012248

Thessaloniki, Greece, May 6 2025

During the visit of Austria's Alfred Strommer, a WASPA tournament was held in Thessaloniki. Young and older players were playing together. Congratulations to Nikos Giotlis for winning the tournament.

Club link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/508391319337029

Category A:
1. Ilias Galanopoulos (Crimson Horses - Larissa)
2. Nikos Giotlis (Thessaloniki)
3. Alfred Strommer (Phoenix)
4. Takis Tsagkaridis (Thessaloniki)
5. Giannis Psihopoulos (Thessaloniki)

Final: Nikos Giotlis - Ilias Galanopoulos 2-0

Category B:
1. Nikos Stavropoulos (Thessaloniki)
2. Dimitris Topaloglou (Thessaloniki)
3. Ernis Stavropoulos (Thessaloniki)
4. Marinos Dimitrakipoulos (Thessaloniki)
5. Maximos Mpoutsikos (Thessaloniki)

Pireas, Greece, May 1 2025

A small WASPA event was played in Pireas as a good way for local players to prepare for the Open of Chalkida.

1. Leonidas Koutromanos (Piraeus Lions TSC)
2. Vassilis Kondylis (Piraeus Lions TSC)
3. Stavros Lioumos (Piraeus Lions TSC)
4. Spyros Koustas (Piraeus Lions TSC)
5. Ioannis Dimopoulos (Piraeus Lions TSC)

Aberaeron, Wales, May 3 2025

The Welsh national circuit has another successful tournament in Aberaeron earlier this month with some players from England also taking part. Ruby Matthews was sentional and defeated all older players.

Quarter-finals: Rob Fitch - Martin Bellefontaine 1-4, Darren Barnes - Cayne Matthews 2-0, David Lauder - David Samuel 2-1, Ruby Matthews - Matthew Rowley 7-0;

Semi-finals: Ruby Matthews - David Lauder 3-1, Martin Bellefontaine - Darren Barnes 0*-0;

Final: Ruby Matthews - Martin Bellefontaine 4-0

The third stage of the circuit will take place on June 3 at the Parrot in Buckley.

Auckland, New Zealand, May 12 2025

The new season started in New Zealand with a food turnout for the first WASPA event. Mark Rossi took the honors but several platyers are really improving.

Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2858174651002860

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

Karlsruhe, Germany, May 10 2025

A big International WASPA tournament took place in Karlsruhe as 24 players from several nationalities were taking part. Players were coming from Switzerland, France, Italy, Germany, Romania and Serbia and there was even a player from Croatia. The winner was Pietro Di Pietrantonio who defeated Janus Gersie in the final while Eric Lienhardt was third. Congratulations to Milan Knezevic for a great organisation and special thanks to Cezar Stoilescu who travelled from Romania to play!

Tralee, Ireland, May 12 2025

The latest Tralee tournament was a success with 7 players taking part and italy's Mario Frittalli taking the honors. We are glad to see new players improving week after week.

1. Mario Frittelli (Italy/Cork)
2. William Magnier (Cork)
3. David Elton(Tralee)
4. James Murphy(Tralee)
5. Sean O'Connell(Tralee)
6. Liam O'Sullivan(Tralee)
7. Donall O'Sullivan(Tralee)

Nassogne, Belgium, May 10 2025

The consolation tournament of the FISTF Open of Wamme Subbuteo Club saw 16 players competing in knock-out games Congratulations to the very young Romain Joris who took the honors after defeating local player Luc Grosdent in the final.

Quarter-finals: Nico Marks - Luc Grosdent 2-4, Mathieu Marlair - Quentin Van Glabeke 0-2, Romain Joris - Antonio Timpano 2*-2, Benoit Lagneau - Delphine Dieudonné 1-4;

Semi-finals: Luc Grosdent - Quentin Van Glabeke 3-1 , Romain Joris - Delphine Dieudonné 2-1

Final: Luc Grosdent - Romain Joris 4-4*

Drury , Wales, May 18 2025

London Road WASPA at The Parrot last Sunday was held with four players. League format then two finals.

Final: Brian Daley - Cayne Matthews 1-0

Final 3rd place: Brendan Ashley - Ruby Matthews 0-5

Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1699324517049032

Bucharest, Romania, May 19 2025

The local group in Bucharest is improving and new faces are showing up now, including Italy's Michele Sterlechini who proves already to be a good support for the Romanian players. Michele won the latest WASPA tournament held last Monday.

1. Michele Sterlechini (Italy)
2. Cezar Stoilescu
3. Mauro Cavalli (Italy)
4. Bogdan Panait
5. Ciprian Necula

Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/subbuteoromania 

WASPA results from England - April 2025

Once again many WASPA events have been held in England in April and we are pleased to publish the summary of results. In case you see something missing, don't hesitate to drop a line to vincentcoppenolle@gmail.com

Harrow, April 1 2025 (group format)

1. Panos Stemitsiotis
2. Rudi Peterschinigg
3. Victor Jones
4. Neil Doherty

Leicester, April 1 2025

The Leicester foxes had a great event with 16 players taking part. Four groups of 4 players and then games for every place so that evey player had 5 games. Ian Aggett (Milton Keynes) defeated Damien Mayes (Godiva) in the final.

Semi-finals: Ian Aggett - Rob Paterson 1-0
Richard Roper - Damian Mayes 0*-0
Final: Ian Aggett - Damian Mayes 1-0

Dagenham, April 5 2025

The Chasers club ran an amazing tournament with 32 players taking part. Hadley Chapman (Kent) defeated clubmate Fraser Chapman in the junior final. In the Open section, Kevin Cordell (Stanway) took the hoors after defeating Ian Aggett in the final. while Kye Arnold and Adam Douglas made it to the semi-finals.

Quarter-finals: Adam Jackson - Kye Arnold 0-2
Ian Aggett - Connor Gregory 1-0
Adam Douglas - Malcolm Jamieson 3-0
Alan Lee - Kevin Cordell 0-1

Semi-finals: Kye Arnold - Ian Aggett 0-1
Adam Douglas - Kevin Cordell 1-1

Final: Ian Aggett - Kevin Cordell 1-3

Plate Final: Martin Colwell - Adam Wells 0-4

Shield Final: Chris Shilling - Fraser Chapman 2-1

Dagenham, April 9 2025 (groups and finals)

Final: Gary Gladwell - Adam Jackson 0-1

Final 3rd place: Martin Colwell - Mark West 0-0*

Final 5th place: Jack Cossington - Samantha Levy 1-1*

Final 7th place: Michele Claydon - Ben Torr 2-1

Harrow, April 16 2025 (group format)

The tournament was the inaugural Rayners Lane Subbuteo Club tournament. Rayners Lane FC are a football club playing at level 8 of the English football league system. It will hopefully help to attract more players!

1. Victor Jones
2. Rudi Peterschinigg
3. Panos Stemitsiotis
4. Neil Doherty

Solent, April 16 2025

The club's monthly tournament had a great turnout of 17 players. After the group stage, knock-out games decided the winner and Connor Gregory defeated Jason Christopher on shots after a great final (3-3).

Semi-finals: Jason Christopher - Malcolm Jamieson 2*-2
Connor Gregory - Rob Piggott 3-1

Final: Connor Gregory - Jason Christopher 3*-3

Plate Final: Dave Cope - Dave Hunter 3-0

Chesterfield, April 20 2025

Swiss system (4 sessions)

1. Ian Aggett (Milton Keynes)
2. Malcolm Jamieson(SCO/Solent)
3. Jeremy Boothman (Doncaster)
3. Connor Gregory (Solent)
5. Ian Sharp (Yorkshire)
6. Trevor Allen (Chesterfield)
6. Colin Fletcher (Chesterfield)
6. Tom Heslop (North Shields)
6. Nick Pearson (Yorkshire)
6. Brian Kinrade (IOM/Chesterfield)
11. Andrew Forster-Fake (Chesterfield)
11. Jeff Parsons(Darlington)
13. Dave Hunter (Solent)
14. Carl Drabble (Doncaster)
14. Ian Jopling (Doncaster)
14. William Lacey(Leicester)
17. Max Starkey (Yorkshire)
18. Graham Farmer (Milton Keynes)

Worthing, April 24 2025

Swiss system (4 sessions)

1. Shaun Allison (Worthing)
2. Joe Currey (Worthing)
3. Connor Gregory (Solent)
4. Steve Taylor (Worthing)
5. Malcolm Jamieson(SCO/Solent)
6. Ian Maskell (Worthing)
7. Paul Woodhouse (Worthing)
8. Nathan Holley (Worthing)

Yorkshire, April 24 2025, group format of 6 players

1. Brian Daley (London Road SC)
2. Craig Heward (Yorkshire)
3. Ian Sharp (Yorkshire)
4. Kevin Adderley (Yorkshire)
5. Simon Bryan (Yorkshire)
6. Darren Brook (Yorkshire)

Milton Keynes, April 29 2025, 2 groups of 3 and finals

Final: Sam Curtis - Elliot Bellefontaine 1-4

Final 3rd place: Greg Lickorish - Ian Aggett 0-4

Final 5th place: William Lacey - Graham Farmer 1-0

Dudley-Kingswinford, April 17 2025 (group of 3)

1. Campbell Air
2. Derek Air
3. Jordan Clee

Dudley-Kingswinford, April 24 2025 (group of 3)

1. Derek Air
2. Campbell Air
3. Jordan Clee

To be noted the Andover club also had a tournament with special rules. Only a few WASPA points were awarded during the meeting as this time it was a 5-a-side tournament but all players had a great time.

1. Malcolm Jamieson (SCO/Solent)
2. Chris Burford (Andover)
3. Shaun Ellis (Andover)
4. Tim Rogers (USA/Solent)

WASPA standings of April 2025 and a few questions

Dear friends,

you will find here the latest WASTA rankings. We are always happy to see tournaments played in many different countries and we had 30 events played under the WASPA banner added in the latest records.

WASPA rankings (Excel file)

WASPA results (PDF file)

Some nations are very active and continue to run many tournaments while things seem to be a bit calmer now in other nations. We are glad to have 2 new organizers (in England and Italy) and we are looking forward to seeing more new clubs being part of this fantastic circuit in the future.

While there are four months left till the end of the season, I would love to get your feedback about the following points:

1) Can you check if you see missing results in the PDF file? We might have unregistered results and would appreciate feedback from our different organizers.

2) Can you check if your junior players (born in 2008 or later) are included in the junior ranking? If your junior players are not listed, we just need their birthdates. Thanks in advance for your help.

3) Future of WASPA: should we continue the WASPA circuit? After 14 years, it seems we have reached some of our goals. Our main goal was to get people involved, to continue local development and to offer something for the players who can not go to international events. But in the last 2 years, we have had the feeling many players are only chasing points and don't really care about helping the game to grow. We really need to continue to work to have more new players, more new clubs organising tournaments and more activities to promote Subbuteo table football. Do you think you are ready to help?

4) Blog: it's really hard to keep the blog updated. I would really appreciate it if organizers could send at least one picture of their tournament and a few lines about results and news about the event.

5) More ideas: all ideas to improve the WASPA circuit are welcome so, once again, your opinion is more than appreciated. You can give ideas about tournaments, individual rankings, rankings of clubs, prizes awarded at the end of the season...

6) Relations with FISTF: many organizers run WASPA tournaments as a consolation event at Grand prix, Opens or Satellites. What should we do to convince other organizers to join?

Well, that's all for now, I would really be happy to get some feedback!

Don't forget that the best way to send results is to send an e-mail to vincentcoppenolle@gmail.com

Have a great week,

Vincent Coppenolle

PS: see here some pictures of WASPA events played last month.

April 2025: results from around the world

While April was another big month for the WASPA circuit, here is a summary of the latest international results collected from South Africa, Australia, Italy, Romania, Wales and Belgium. It's not to late to send your April results. Results can still be sent to Sunday, May 4 at midnight to vincentcoppenolle@gmail.com

Johannesburg, South Africa, February 8 2025 (group format)

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

Johannesburg, South Africa, March 22 2025 (group format)

1. Gary Downs
2. Ian Clarke
3. Craig Smith
4. Christopher Paolini

Adelaide, Australia, April 12 2025

Richard Gwynne hosted the latest round of games, the club's fourth different venue over the last 12 months. The next meet is being scheduled for Sunday June 1st.

1. Mick Phillips
2. Stephen Wilson
3. Richard Gwynne

Campomorone, Italy, April 12 2025

Another amazing tournament run in Italy by our friends of Valponte. Rebels genova's Samuele Bignardi took the honors while some players from Tigullio and Le Cannet (France) were also taking part.

Semi-finals: Samuele Bignardi -  Lorenzo Vernazza 2-0
Simone Pennati -  Alessandro Gandin 2-6

Final: Samuele Bignardi -  Alessandro Gandin 2-1

Final 3-4: Lorenzo Vernazza -  Simone Pennati 1-0

Bucharest, Romania, April 14 2025

Another event in Bucharest where local players have the chance to play against italy's Mauro Cavalli. Massimo DalPrà finished on top of a group of 5.

1. Massimo DalPrà
2. Mauro Cavalli (Italy)
3. Cezar Stoilescu
4. Bogdan Panait
5. Ciprian Necula

Drury, Wales, April 13 2025

1. Chris Bedford
2. Ruby Matthews
3. Cayne Matthews
4. Mark Tilling
5. Brendan Ashley
6. Harry Tilling

Next event in Drury will be on May 18!

Nassogne, Belgium, April 24 2025

A great rehearsal for the Wamme players before their FISTF tournament coming up in May. Jean Grosdent took the honors after the three sessions played in Swiss system.

1. Jean Grosdent
2. Noah Dirick
3. Luc Grosdent
4. Vincent Dirick
5. Maxim Grosdent
6. Sophia Grosdent

Néchin, Belgium, April 25 2025

While some of the regional top players were travelling to Mallorca for the FISTF Major, Matthias Averlant was on fire and won the latest Templeuve United tournament.

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

Calabria, Italy, April 28 2025

We are extremely happy to have a new club in Italy organising WASPA events. The guys of "Virtus Calabria" play with old rules but have a Junior section now with 4 young guys having fun playing Subbuteo. We wish them good luck and hope to see them in future tournaments!

Traditional subbuteo:

1. Andrea Pagano
2. Giuseppe Andricciola
3. Angelo De Santis

Junior tournament:

1. Gianpaolo Pulice
2. Francesco Pusia
3. Filippo Parlafore
4. Francesco De Santis

The Irish Subbuteo Circuit Gets a Hand-Drawn Reboot

The Junior final

The Walkinstown Open 2025 set a new standard for Subbuteo in Ireland, delivering unmatched competition, flawless execution, and outstanding community spirit. Hosted at the esteemed Cherrytree Walkinstown venue, players from across Ireland and the UK competed fiercely, showcasing top-level skills and sportsmanship.

Heartfelt Thanks: A huge thank you to Cherrytree Walkinstown for being not just our venue but truly exceptional hosts. Their generosity, superb facilities, and unwavering support created an unforgettable atmosphere. Additionally, enormous gratitude to the Cherrytree Dublin Subbuteo Club members who tirelessly contributed to the setup, logistics, and local pride, making the event seamless.

Special acknowledgments to John Moore, whose charismatic leadership and meticulous organization ensured every aspect of the tournament ran smoothly. Fin Moore, the unsung hero behind the screens, deserves praise for his outstanding organizational skills and crucial tracking efforts, which were instrumental in avoiding chaos.

Group Stage Recap: Group A saw Barry Spence secure first place with 11 points, closely followed by John Moore with 9 points, edging out Mario Frittelli on goal difference. In Group B, Andy Fitzpatrick dominated with a perfect 15-point record, with Shaune Dunne taking second place at 12 points. Mark Farrell was unstoppable in Group C, topping the group flawlessly with 15 points, while Mick O’Brien secured second place. Kenny Beggs mirrored this perfect performance in Group D, leading with 15 points, closely followed by Joe Harrington.

Open Knockout Highlights: The quarter-finals featured commanding wins from Barry Spence (5–0 against Mick O’Brien) and Joe Harrington (5–0 over Andy Fitzpatrick), the latter providing the tournament’s major upset. Kenny Beggs narrowly advanced past Shaune Dunne (3–2), and Mark Farrell confidently defeated John Moore (5–1). In intense semi-finals, Kenny Beggs defeated Barry Spence 3–0, while Mark Farrell overcame Joe Harrington 3–1.

Final Showdown: In a thrilling final, Kenny Beggs edged out Mark Farrell with a 3–2 victory, maintaining his unbeaten streak throughout the tournament. Beggs’ precise and relentless play confirmed his reputation as Ireland’s premier Subbuteo talent.

Shield Competition: The Shield competition witnessed Mario Frittelli’s clutch performances, notably his quarter-final victory (5–1 over Louis Herbert) and his penalty shootout wins in both the semi-final against Adrian Pigott and the tense final against Nick Pearson, ultimately claiming the Shield title.

Plate Competition: In the Plate division, Daniel Kaliszewski emerged as the victor, defeating Cian Hogan decisively 3–0 in the final after a competitive semi-final win over Roisin Hogan.

In the junior Competition, Roisin Hogan and Elliot Fitzpatrick Delivered an intense and evenly matched final, ending in a 0-0 draw at full time. then it went to penalty shootout where Roisin cool head took the win ending in 2-0 to Roisin on shot. For Roisin’s first tournament and a win she is a kid to watch.

Culinary Kudos: Special appreciation goes to the creators of the outstanding homemade chili con carne that fueled the competitors, sparked joy, and undoubtedly won its own unofficial final.

Key Tournament Insights:

Tournament Champion: Kenny Beggs, undefeated with exceptional tactical discipline.

Notable upset: Joe Harrington’s quarter-final victory over favorite Andy Fitzpatrick.

Shield Champion: Mario Frittelli, demonstrating exceptional nerve under pressure.

Plate Champion: Daniel Kaliszewski, exhibiting resilience and tactical brilliance.

The Walkinstown Open 2025 didn’t merely showcase elite Subbuteo competition—it celebrated the passion, precision, and camaraderie that define grassroots sports, setting an inspiring precedent for future tournaments.

Original link