🇫🇷🤝🇧🇪 First WASPA Tournament in Mulhouse: A Day of Friendship and Table Football

On August 1st, 2026, Mulhouse Subbuteo by ASPTT hosted its very first WASPA tournament, welcoming four friends from Belgium's Wamme Subbuteo Club: Jean Grosdent and his three children, Henri, Maxim, and Sophia.

More than just a competition, the day was a wonderful celebration of Franco-Belgian friendship, sportsmanship, and the unique camaraderie that makes our hobby so special.

Twelve players took part in the tournament, combining our Belgian guests with eight Mulhouse players. After a series of competitive and friendly matches, it was Jean Grosdent who claimed victory, defeating his son Maxim in the final. The third-place playoff saw Pierre Troestler overcome his daughter Charlotte, proving that family rivalries can be just as intense as international ones!

A special mention goes to Claude Bunner, who played his first official tournament matches and achieved an impressive 9th place finish.

Beyond the results, the day provided a valuable learning experience for the Mulhouse players, who benefited from the advice and expertise of Jean Grosdent, an experienced player and President of the Wamme Subbuteo Club. Meeting different opponents and discovering new styles of play is always rewarding, especially when shared in such a friendly atmosphere.

The day concluded with a commemorative trophy presented by Mulhouse President Pierre Troestler to Jean Grosdent, before everyone gathered on a sunny terrace to continue the celebrations over Alsatian flammekueche, Pinot Gris wine, and, of course, Belgian beers!

Final Standings

1. Jean Grosdent
2. Maxim Grosdent
3. Pierre Troestler
4. Charlotte Troestler
5. Henri Grosdent
6. David Dolui
7. Sophia Grosdent
8. Patrick Mayeux
9. Claude Bunner
10. Oussama El Mortaqy
11. Christian Reinbold
12. Romain Thuring

A fantastic first WASPA event in Mulhouse and, hopefully, the beginning of many more international Subbuteo gatherings to come! ⚽🏆🍻

A Busy Weekend on the WASPA Circuit

The WASPA circuit enjoyed another highly successful weekend, with tournaments and events taking place across Europe. From France to Romania, Malta, Italy, and England, players once again proved the dynamism and growth of subbuteo at both local and international levels.

Wattrelos FISTF Satellite: Competition and Collaboration

Some of the players of the Friday tournament

The FISTF Satellite hosted in Wattrelos, in the North of France, was a major highlight of the weekend. With more than 40 players competing, the event welcomed participants from France, Belgium, and Germany, confirming its strong international appeal.

Alongside the Open and U16 official competitions, several additional tournaments were organised under the WASPA banner. The Friday evening WASPA tournament went far beyond a simple warm‑up session for the nine players involved, with Sébastien Rochez emerging victorious. Due to his high ranking in the Veterans category, however, he was unable to take part in the Satellite on Saturday.

With table availability limited on Saturday, the 14 players involved in the consolation competitions were divided into two separate tournaments of seven players each. Didier Van Renterghem and Vincent Coppenolle claimed victory in their respective events, while the host club of Wattrelos celebrated having two finalists: Jean‑Michel Cordier and Jean‑Jacques Trichot.

Finalists of both events on Saturday: JJ Trichot, V. Coppenolle, D. Van Renterghem, JM Cordier

Reflecting on the event, Vincent Coppenolle underlined the importance of such initiatives:
“These events prove that FISTF and WASPA can work together. The feedback from the players was amazing, and everyone was happy to play more than just friendly games after the group stage of the Satellite.”

A Welcome Revival in Romania

In Romania, the subbuteo scene returned to action after a challenging period marked by several weeks without competition. The Bucharest players took the opportunity to welcome Paul Andreas, a Cypriot player based in London, by organising a special WASPA tournament in his honour.

Paul Andreas claimed the win, but one of the standout moments of the tournament was the noticeable improvement shown by Bogdan Panait, who delivered excellent performances throughout the day. Looking ahead, Bucharest is now preparing to host its first-ever FISTF Satellite — an important milestone for the development of the game in Romania.

Monthly Action in Malta

In Malta, the H’Attard players ran their regular monthly WASPA event. Robert Farrugia delivered a flawless performance, finishing the tournament undefeated and claiming the title as the undisputed winner of the day.

Old Rules Tournaments in Italy and England

Two Old Rules tournaments also featured in this busy weekend.

In Italy, SC Alba Roma organised a league-format tournament in Grottaferrata, with six players competing against one another. Marco Perotti, from Terni, took the top spot after consistent performances throughout the competition.

In England, the fifth stage of the English Championship was held at the home of Surrey Saracens. The event once again highlighted the strong organisation and hospitality of the host club. Victor Jones claimed victory in the main event, while Richard Myers won the Plate competition.

Adam Wells paid tribute to those involved in making the event a success:
“Big thanks to Charles Lee Fenton for being the hostess with the mostest, and to the Surrey crew for setting up and taking down. Congratulations as well to Simon Goodman and Richard Myers for winning the main and plate events respectively.”

A Circuit That Keeps Growing

From large international Satellites to intimate local tournaments, this weekend once again demonstrated the strength and diversity of the WASPA circuit. High participation, competitive spirit beyond main events, and cooperation with FISTF continue to provide players with meaningful playing opportunities across Europe.

The momentum is clearly there — and the weeks ahead promise even more exciting developments.

Marain, Ceulemans and Midoux winners in Wattrelos

Players at the WASPA event on Friday evening

This week-end was a very special one for the French club of Wattrelos as the guys in the north of France were holding their first big tournament. With 36 players attending the FISTF Satellite on Saturday, the event was a success. Besides the main event, three smaller WASPA events have been ehld during the week-end.

Père, Marain and Rochez on the podium of the Friday tournament

On Friday evening, 15 players §including some players who were not allowed to play the satellite) came in the premises of the French club to play a Swiss system tournament and many good games were played. Geoffrey Marain won his 147th tournament after winning his four games while Lucas Père was runner-up and Sébastien Rochez was third.

Jos Ceulemans and David Sardi de Letto

On Saturday, the 2 consolation tournaments of the Satellite were also played under WASPA banner. 9 players attended the "WASPA Plate" for players ranked third in their group and Jos Ceulemans (SC Flanders) took the honors after beating local player David Sardi de Letto in the final. 

Jordan Bonte and Rafaël Midoux

In the "WASPA Shield" for players ranked fourth in their group, Rafaël Midoux (AS Hennuyer) defeated Jordan Bonte (Wattrelos) to win the prize.

Congratulations to Sébastien Sorge and his crew for organising a fantastic week-end with another successful partnership between FISTF and WASPA.

September 2024: results from across the globe

After a wonderful FISTF world cup, we are happy to receive many results from around the world. It's amazing to see players from many different countries playing WASPA tournaments. Here are some results from the last few days.

Regional tournaments

Melbourne, September 16, group format

1. Anthony Madiona (Northern Phoenix)
2. Nathan Urbaniak (Melbourne TFC
3. Christos Garagounis (Northern Phoenix)
4. Adam Deverell (Western Sydney)
5. George Theocharis (Northern Phoenix)

Gouda, September 18

1. Henk Landzaat
2. Jarno Marks
3. Xavier Aret
4. Rinaldo van Dijk
5. Richard Oranje
6. Cailim Marks

Templeuve (Belgium), September 20, Swiss system

1. Geoffrey Marain (AS Hennuyer)
2. Sébastien Rochez (Stembert)
3. Eric Caillaux (FRA/Templeuve)
4. Vincent Coppenolle (Templeuve)
5. Michaël Dupret (Tournai)
6. Sébastien Sorge (FRA/Wattrelos)
7. Franck Santer (FRA/Templeuve)
8. David Sardi de Letto (FRA/Wattrelos)
9. Ursule Dhondt (Templeuve)

Tralee and Munster (Ireland), September 16, group format

1. William Magnier (Cork)
2. David Elton (Tralee)
3. Jeff Murphy (Cork)

Perth (Australia), September 14 2024, host: Subbuteo Perth

1. Alan Kimber (Subbuteo Perth)
2. Noel Mani (Subbuteo Perth)
3. Chris Thorn (Subbuteo Perth)
4. Hugh Best (Sports TFC of Western Australia)
5. Ron Byrne (Subbuteo Perth)

Perth (Australia), September 15, host: Sports TFC of Western Australia

1. Tan Yew Loy (Singapore/Subbuteo Perth)
2. Hugh Best (Sports TFC of Western Australia)
3. Chris Thorn (Subbuteo Perth)
4. Noel Mani (Subbuteo Perth)

Promotional tournaments

Wattrelos (France), September 12, group format

1. Sébastien Sorge
2. David Sardi de Letto
3. Thibaut Marville
4. Nicolas Voet

Auckland (New Zeland), September 15, group format

1. Richard Edeson
2. Conrad Mudge
3. Andy Shearer
4. Andy Miller

Finnish rules

Helsinki (Finland), September 24, league system

1. Mika Ruuri
2. Janne Liesivaara
3. Kari Hakkarainen
4. Marki Leskinen
5. Timothy Ekholm
6. Jani Naapila
7. Vesa Närhi

June and July 2024: results from around the world

We are always happy to see players flicking the plastic in many different countries. In the last few years, we had of course a lot of WASPA event in England but some other nations are still very active with regular tournaments. Here is a brief summary of recent results from Wales, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Belgium, Northern Ireland, Ireland, France and Scotland. Some more news also from Norway!

Drury, Wales, June 16, group format

1. Ruby Matthews
2. Chris Bedford
3. Cayne Matthews
4. Brendan Ashley

Brisbane, Australia, June 16, group format

1. Giuseppe Tardiota
2. Gus Gillespie
3. Gordon Orr
4. Gareth Whalley
5. Wayne Miller

Johannesburg, South Africa, June 16 (group and knock-out games)

Semi-finals: Ian Clarke - Rui Dos Santos 3-0
Gary Downs - Craig Smith 3-1
Final: Ian Clarke - Gary Downs 1-0

Perth, Australia, June 23, group format

1. Hugh Best (Sports TFC of Western Australia)
2. Alan Kimber (Subbuteo Perth)
3. Chris Thorn (Subbuteo Perth)
4. Noel Mani (Subbuteo Perth)
5. Ron Byrne (Subbuteo Perth)

Auckland, New Zealand, June 24, Swiss system

1. Mark Rossi
2. Richard Edeson
3. Conrad Mudge
4. George Miller
5. Andy Miller
6. Craig Wright

Melbourne, Australia, June 27, group format.

1. Peter Thomas (Melbourne TFC)
2. Benji Batten (Melbourne TFC)
3. Adrian Connolly (Western Sydney)
4. Nathan Urbaniak (Melbourne TFC)
5. Anthony Madiona (Northern Phoenix)
6. Beth Eveleigh (Northern Phoenix)

Templeuve, Belgium, June 28, Swiss system (2 categories)

Templeuve United, one of the most active clubs in the circuit, organized a special tournament last month as the club will have to leave their premises in a couple of weeks. The city council decided to rebuilde the local sports center, which means the club will have to find a new venue during the next 2 years before have a great new room is available. 18 players attended the evening and two separate tournaments were organized in Swiss system. Geoffrey marain was unbeaten in the main tournament while returning player Raphael Dhondt, who had not played for more than 30 years, proved the training sessions of the last few weeks were good to win the "promotion" tournament.

Top division with 8 players

1. Geoffrey Marain (AS Hennuyer)
2. Sébastien Rochez (Templeuve)
3. Matthias Averlant (AS Hennuyer)
4. Jann Segers (AS Hennuyer)
5. Vincent Coppenolle (Templeuve)
6. Benjamin Marain (AS Hennuyer)
7. Lucas Père (AS Hennuyer)
8. Michaël Dupret (Tournai)

Promotion group with 10 players

1. Raphael Dhondt (Templeuve)
2. David Sardi de Letto (Wattrelos-SLM)
3. Jordan Bonte (AS Hennuyer)
4. Franck Santer (Templeuve)
5. Eric Caillaux (Templeuve)
6. Sébastien Sorge (Wattrelos-SLM)
7. Thibaut Marville (Wattrelos-SLM)
8. Ursule Dhondt (Templeuve)
9. Mathis Verhelst (Templeuve)
10. Roman Lamiral (Templeuve)

Brisbane, Australia, June 27, group format

1. Chris Burford (England/Andover)
2. Giuseppe Tardiota (Brisbane)
3. Gus Gillespie (Brisbane)
4. Gordon Orr (Brisbane)
5. Gareth Whalley (Brisbane)
6. Wayne Miller (Brisbane)

Johannesburg, South Africa, June 29, group format

Report by Gary Downs: "On Saturday the 29th of June, ETS held a fund raiser fun day.  A 7-a-side football tournament, stalls, food, raffles and of course a Subbuteo tournament were all there. The tournament was a round robin of 6 players. After a tough opening draw between Easterns team mates, Ian and Gary, their days took a different turn. Ian went unbeaten to take the top spot, while Gary battled and went winless to finish 5th. Chris had his best day in a tournament for a long time, picking up two wins and two draws. He was pipped to second spot by Fernando by just one goal. Johan had a mixed bag to take 4th spot while Carl couldn't repeat his good performance in his last outing, and finished in 6th. All players that played and a few that didn't, contributed to the fund raising with donations, that are going to a worthy cause."

1. Ian Clarke (Easterns)
2. Fernando Rodrigues (ETS)
3. Chris Dimmer (Johannesburg TFC)
4. Johan Niewenhuis (Johannesburg TFC)
5. Gary Downs (Easterns)
6. Carl Bolweg (ETS)

Derry, Northern Ireland, June 23, Knock-out games

Lawrence Watson & winner Kenny Beggs

Lawrence Watson and runner-up Marco Bevilacqua

This years Jimmy Watson Memorial Cup was played as the plate competition at the Irish Open FISTF IO. The group was made up from an impressive line up who narrowly missed out on the last 16 from the main comp, so the competition was fierce. Kenny ‘The Legend’ Beggs came out as champion with Derry's own Marco Bevilacqua coming in runnner-up.

Semi-finals: Kenny Beggs - Malcolm Lees 2-1
Paul Lawrenson - Marco Bevilacqua 1-2
Final: Kenny Beggs - Marco Bevilacqua 2-1

Cork, Ireland, July 1, Group format

1. Mario Frittelli (Cork)
2. David Elton (Tralee)
3. Cian Hogan (Tralee)
4. William Magnier (Cork)
5. Timmy Ryan (Cork)
6. Jeff Murphy (Cork)
7. Barry Higgins (Cork)
8. Gerard Heaney (Cork)

Auckland, New Zealand, July 8, Swiss system (2 games each)

1. Mark Rossi
2. Andy Miller
3. George Miller
4. Conrad Mudge
5. Richard Edeson
6. Craig Wright

Edinburgh, Scotland, July 8, Group format

"July's WASPA event in Edinburgh saw 6 players play in a league format. Marco won his opening game against Bruce Henderson which proved to be pivotal, with Marco taking the game 1 - 0 and helping him to achieve top spot. 

Solid performances from Bruce and Peter Morrison saw them finish 2nd and 3rd respectively, with Peter accomplishing a full house of shutouts and conceding 0 goals on the night. 

In the Crammond Derby, Andy Kent and Paul McFadyen played a nail biting affair, with Andy triumphing 1 - 0 . And Lee McMenemy learned the hard way to hold his goalkeeper when getting shots taken against him. All in all, a great night."

1. Marco Bevilacqua (Golazzo SC)
2. Bruce Henderson (Golazzo SC)
3. Peter Morrison (Golazzo SC)
4. Andy Kent (Golazzo SC)
5. Paul McFadyen (Golazzo SC)
6. Lee McMenemy (Golazzo SC)

Wattrelos, France, promotional event, July 3, group format

1. Jordan Bonte (Belgium)
2. David Sardi de Letto
3. Sébastien Sorge
4. Thibaut Marville
5. Nicolas Voet

Norway: Subbuteo project in Terje Ellefsen's school

Terje Ellefsen is still doing an amazing job in his school with many kids involved in a development program. The "Euro 24 tournament" is not a WASPA event but might open doors for future events. The hard work pays as boys and girls are improving week after week and 16 players have been involved in the event. Half-size pitches and teams have been borrowed to kids so they can continue to practice during the summer and Terje is hoping to have tournaments outside school in the future, possibly involving parents, too. "We have a good wave here", reported Terje Ellefsen who has also been very active posting flyers and posters about the beautiful game in the surroundings with some positive answers from former players who will hopefully be back in action soon.

WASPA results from around the world - May 2024

The WASPA circuit is still going on and we have collected more results from around the world. Here is a brief summary of results from the Netherlands, France, Belgium, England, Ireland, Australia and Northern Ireland.

Please send your results to vincentcoppenolle@gmail.com

Gouda, the Netherlands, March 13, groups and knock-out

Final: Fabrizio Cavazza - René Bolte 1-0
Final 3-4: Jarno Marks - Nico Marks 1-2
Final 5-6: Richard Oranje - Marco de Bruin 0-3
Final 7-8: Xavier Aret - Cailim Marks 2-0

Gouda, the Netherlands, April 4, league format

1. Nico Marks
2. Marco de Bruin
3. Fabrizio Cavazza
4. Xavier Aret
5. Richard Oranje
6. Cailim Marks

Wattrelos, France, May 8, group of 6

1. Geoffrey Marain
2. Matthias Averlant
3. Sébastien Rochez
4. Benjamin Marain
5. Jordan Bonte
6. Sébastien Sorge

ALC Wattrelos-SLM on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100077687595237

Stanway, England, May 14, group of 5

1. Kevin Cordell
2. Adam Douglas
3. Stuart Chambertain
4. Jamie Samuel Warren
5. Rob Fitch

Stanway on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063670742239

Munster, Ireland, May 13, group of 4

1. Mario Frittelli
2. William Magnier
3. David Elton
4. Barry Higgins

The club's Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/382626976190248

Brisbane, Australia, May 19, group of 4

1. Gareth Whalley
2. Gordon Orr
3. Giuseppe Tardiota
4. Wayne Miller

Brisbane on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brisbanesubbuteoclubinc

Perth, Australia, May 19, group of 5

1. Alan Kimber
2. Ross McNulty
3. Ron Byrne
4. Chris Thorn
5. Noel Mani

Perth on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1233903783292458

Cork, Ireland, May 20, group of 5

1. David Elton
2. Mario Frittelli
3. William Magnier
4. Barry Higgins
5. Callum Higgins

Cork STF: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61558190611074

Sydney, Australia, May 21, Swiss format

1. Steve Dettre
2. Francis Cozzarin
3. Louis Dettre
4. Tony Credentino
5. Gareth Whalley
6. Johnny Ball

Northern Falcons: https://www.facebook.com/groups/854801904538974

Derry, Northern Ireland, May 20, group of 4

Lawrence Watson takes the Beltaine Cup. "Reduced numbers again put us in the shed but it didn’t dent the drama. Lawrence Watson rolled out the winner after beating Bradley in the first game. A draw in the final match against Oisin Mor secured his champion status on the night."

1. Lawrence Watson
2. Martinog Bradley
3. Oisin Mór
4. Stephen McAllister

Derry city TFC: https://www.facebook.com/DerryCityTableFootball

Templeuve, Belgium, May 24, Swiss system

1. Geoffrey Marain (Hennuyer)
2. Sébastien Rochez (Templeuve)
3. Michaël Dupret (Tournai)
4. Matthias Averlant (Hennuyer)
5. Benjamin Marain (Hennuyer)
6. Vincent Coppenolle (Templeuve)
7. Raphael Dhondt (-)
8. Olivier Bodelle (Wattrelos)
9. Marc Sceraert (Eugies)
10. Ursule Dhondt (-)

Templeuve United: https://www.facebook.com/TempleuveUnited

Great success for the first tournament in the North of France

 A few months ago, Sébastien Sorge and David Sardi de Letto started their own club in Wattrelos. This is the only club in the north of France, a region where most of the best players decided years ago to play for foreign clubs. Starting a new club is always a challenge, in particular in a region with no tradition of Subbuteo. Fortunately, the motivation of organizers made miracles happen. Weekly trainings are organized with some new players taking part but also friends from belgian clubs. The club had the first tournament under WASPA banner on thursday and dur to limited space, it was decided to limit to 10 players. For this first "promotional tournament", Wattrelos players had the visit of Romania's Cezar Stoilescu, who was spending a few days in the area, but also some players travelling for other regions and even 2 Belgians.

After groups sessions played in games of 20 minutes and semi-finals, local player David Sardi de Letto faced AS Hennuyer's Jordan Bonte in the final. Bonte was in an amazing great day and won the final! Sébastien Sorge and Franck Santer reached the semis.

In the end it was a great evening for all, every player was given the chance to play at least 5 games. It was also a good way to promote the game in the area!

We are sure more tournaments will be played in the future!

Final table:

1st: Jordan Bonte - AS Hennuyer
Finalist: David Sardi de Letto - ALC Wattrelos-SLM
3rd: Franck Santer - Templeuve United
4th: Sébastien Sorge - ALC Wattrelos-SLM
5th: Cezar Stoilescu - Subbuteo Bucuresti
6th: Eric Caillaux - Templeuve United
7th (tied): Olivier Bodelle - ALC Wattrelos-SLM
7th (tied): Nicolas Voet - ALC Wattrelos-SLM
9th: Thibaut Marville - ALC Wattrelos-SLM
10th: Anthony Meireaux - Templeuve United

ALC Wattrelos-Subbuteo Lille Métropole on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100077687595237

More pictures of the tournament

Daniel Polsinelli winner in Saint-Symphorien

We are pleased to receive news from the club of Saint-Symphorien-sur-Coise (France). The club held for the first time this season a tournament with the WASPA status. There was a great field of 21 players including visitors of "Alsace SC" and "Subbuteo Côte d'Azur". There were also some players coming back to the game after a long hyatus

Local legend of the host club Daniel polsinelli took the honors after defeating Hervé Rakowski who was using Toccer figures.

See more about the club on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100057337192919