Superb pictures from our young number 1 Juniors

Superb pictures from Italy where the Rebels Genova received their certificate for finishing as number 1 junior club in the WASPA (World Amateur Subbuteo Players Association) circuit 2022-2023. The club has an amazing youth section and must be a source of inspiration for other clubs in the world.

Also young local talent Samuel Bignardi received his certificate for being the number 1 junior player 🏆 in the WASPA circuit 2022-2023.

Thanks to Luca Bignardi for the pictures!

We hope the Rebels Genova will have another great season and hopefully it will boost interest for the youth development among other clubs in Italy and in other countries!

#WASPA #Subbuteo #tablesoccer #tablefootball

First results of the season 2023-2024

Here is a quick look at the first tournament results collected for the new season.

First of all we collected some "old" results from Australia as the Hipfingerz clubs in Sydney (https://www.facebook.com/groups/1063342333730453) had a tournament a few weeks ago. 9 players were taking part and Geoff Sirmai took the honors after defeating Jeremy Simpson in the final. Neil Brener and Francis Cozzarin made it to the semi-finals.

A nice venue in Pedmore

Mick Hammonds receiving his certificate

In England, the Pedmore tournament played last week-end was an amazing success with 31 players taking part. Players were dropped in 8 groups and then knock-out games were played to decide the big winner and the Plate winner. Mick Hammonds (Wolverhampton) defeated Kevin Cordell (Stanway) in the big final. Jason Christopher (Solent) and Richard Badger (Wolverhampton) made it to the final 4. Cayne Matthews (London Road) defeated Gager Badger (Wolverhampton) in the Plate final. Congratulations to the organizers (and Richard Roper in particular) for an amazing event!

The Stanway Rovers Flickers (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063670742239) players their monthly event on Tuesday with 8 players from several different clbus taking part. After the five sessions of Swiss ladder, host Kevin cordell took the honors while Alan Lee (Wobbly Hobby SC) was runner-up and Martin Hodds (Yorkshire) took the third spot. Peter Holmes (4th), Mike Williams (5), Adam Douglas (6th), Jamie Samuel Warren (7th) and Paul Matthews (8th) were the other entries of the evening.

In South Africa, the Easterns TFC (https://www.facebook.com/EasternsTFC) players met this week-end and Ian clark was the best of the six players taking part. Gary Downs was runner-up and Craig Smith was third. Rui Dos Santos (4th), Keegan Paolini (5th), Christopher Paolini were also taking part.

Derry City TFC (https://www.facebook.com/DerryCityTableFootball) had the "Last of the Summer Wine Cup" tournament on Monday. Seven players played in a lague format and Martinog Bradley was the man of the night, finishing with 5 wins and a draw to take the honors! Barry Spence took the second place while Ernie Bickerstaff was third. Other involved players were Oisin Mór (4), Frankie Connolly (5), Lawrence Watson (6), Sean Connolly (7).

Finally, we received the results of the first WASPA promotional tournament organized in England by the Leicester Foxes Club (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100083610377617). Mark Weaver won the league format with Alex Ashcroft being runner-up, Scott Hunt 3rd and Paul Taylor 4th.

Finals rankings of the WASPA season 2022-2023

Dear Subbuteo friends, here comes the time to reveal the file rankings of the WASPA season 2022-2023.

Excel file (rankings)

PDF file (results)

Subbuteo was back in Helsinki in August

I know many of you are excited to discover the final tables. The season has been amazing with 519 WASPA tournaments held in 21 countries. Almost 50% of the events were held in England, which proves the amazing work of development done by the English Subbuteo Association must be a source of inspiration for other Subbuteo nations.

That's no surprise then if England is dominating the different rankings. Solent Subbuteo Club's Jason Christopher is the absolute number 1, not only in the rolling ranking but also in the season ranking. We have 9 English players in the top 9 of the season ranking, which is totally unbelievable.

Thumbs up for Italy's Samuele Bignardi for being the number 1 junior player while samuele's club, "Club Rebels Genova", is also the number 1 junior club!

Solent Subbuteo Club (England) finishes the season as number 1 in the "Top Clubs" section while Yorkshire Phoenix (England) dominated the Development League.

Subbuteo players in Singapore

Congratulations to the winners but please never forget rankings are not the important thing in the WASPA circuit. Playing Subbuteo under WASPA banner should more importantly be a question of fair-play and fun!

As for August, we had another cracking month with 37 events added in the records. We have been pleased to see our friends from Finland playing again and the first tournament held by Athinaikos SC in Greece! The Netherlands continue their development with more local events and their great job offers them a place in the top 3 of nations. Norway is also back in the circuit and there will hopefully be more developments in Oslo soon. Besides all great events in the UK and Ireland, we had good events run in Singapore, Australia, Belgium, Italy and South Africa.

Once again, I want to thank all those who put energy to keep the WASPA circuit going. It's really awesome to have support from so many clubs around the world!

Subbuteo action in Oslo, Norway

Please note more news will be posted in the next few days:

- final season file with more statistics;

- updated WASPA handbook for the new season;

- list of clubs in the "top clubs", Development League" and "Conference League" for the new season.

Quick reminder:

How to send results?

This is a question I often receive and the easiest way to send results is to keep individual scores of all games (group stages, knock-out games) + a list of players taking part (first name, name, club, country, birthdate also if there are new juniors). Once we have that, it's usually easier to keep records.

The first Athinaikos SC WASPA tournament

Once again, I insist on the fact clubs should not hesitate to run tournaments under the WASPA banner. It's a great way to promote your club, to attract new players and to create local or regional development and we all agree this is what the game needs nowadays.

All your ideas to make the WASPA circuit more attractive are more than welcome. Don't hesitate to send your feedback. We also hope to see more and more clubs running events under the WASPA banner in the future.

We also take to opportunity to thank our partners:

- SubKits at https://www.facebook.com/subkits

- Flicks for Kicks at http://shop.flickforkicks.com/

- MAD ABOUT GAMES at http://subbuteo2012.co.uk

Well, that's all for now. Please remember you only need 3 players to register your tournament. Don't be scared to join. It's free and tournament requests can be sent by e-mail to vincentcoppenolle@gmail.com

Keep an eye on the WASPA blog at http://waspa-circuit.blogspot.com as there are updates almost every day.

Please invite your friends to join our Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/waspasubbuteo/

We also have a WASPA page here: https://www.facebook.com/WASPA-World-Amateur-Subbuteo-Players-Association-231789816834700/

Keep in mind WASPA is also looking for new partners. If you know any company ready to support us (we don’t ask for money but we want some win-win agreements so that we can promote each other), don't hesitate to contact me at vincentcoppenolle@gmail.com

Thanks for reading and have a great day!

Vincent Coppenolle, WASPA organizer

Mark Farrell winner in Wexford

The 4th stage of the Irish Circuit took place last week-end in Wexford. There was a great turnout of 18 players dropped in 3 groups of 6. The top 4 players of each group adavanced to the next round while the other players competed in the Shield. Mark Farrell (Cherrytree Dublin & Yorkshire Phoenix) was the final winner after defeating Kenny Beggs in the big final. Michael O'Brien and John Moore made it to the semi-finals while Ernie Bickerstaff won the Plate after beating Nick Moore in the final on shots.

Players want to thank St Molings Community Center for the venue and the Moore family for organising a great event.

The All-Ireland championship will take place in Ballymena on September 30 and will be followed by the 5th round of the Irish Circuit in Derry on October 21.

Facebook pahe of the Irish championship: https://www.facebook.com/ulstersubbuteochampionship

More pictures from the tournament

Flicks in Oslo

Norway still has some Subbuteo fans andlast Sunday six flickers met in Oslo for a great gathering.

Ian Stuart (Englant), Svein Arne Brekke (Norway), Alfredo Gianoglio (Italy), Alessandro Cataliotti (Italy), Andy Swatland (England) and Riccardo Destefanis (Italy), who are all residents in Norway, were glad to meet. Andy, who lives in Kristiansand (South of Norway) travelled to join the group.

Svein Arne Brekke was undefeated and proved to be the best player of the day.

More importantly, players had a great time together. Well done!

Michael Choong wins National Day tournament in Singapore

The players

The National Day WASPA in Singapore was successfully held on the August 6th 2023 and was attended by 8 players. There were many exciting and close matches over the 2 groups and semi-finals.

Michael Choong managed to beat Rudy Hesty on shots in the final after a 1-1 tie and thus claimed the title.

Congratulations to Michael and to all players!

(Report by Den Mulia)

George Papadopoulos winner in Helsinki

From left to right: Teemu, George, Eliot, Bob and Kari

Some nations have less activity than others but it's always great to hear from isolated groups of players. In Helsinki, Finland five players met this week-end for a very international tournament. This was the first WASPA tournament in Finland this year. Besides Finnish players Kari Hakkarainen and Teemu Sihvola, George Papadopoulos from Greece and Australians Bob green and Eliot Kennedy were taking part. After the group stage, George Papadopoulos defeated Teemu Sihvola on shots after a close final (1-1) while Kari Hakkarainen defeated Eliot Kennedy to take the 3rd spot (2-0). More importantly it was a day of celebrations for old friends meeting around Subbuteo tables, in particular for Teemu and Eliot who had not met for 15 years! Thanks to Kari for oganising this great day!

WASPA records at the end of July 2023

Dear Subbuteo friends,

you will find in the enclosed files the updated results and rankings of the WASPA circuit after the 31 regional tournaments, the 9 tournaments with the old rules, the promotional tournament and the test-match added in the records.

Excel file

PDF file with results

Lastest old rules event in Brescia, Italy

July was an amazing month for several reasons. We had the first Subbuteo tournament ever in Mongolia and this was played under the WASPA banner. We were also glad to see Cyprus back in the circuit.

England is the leader of the circuit in all categories but they deserve a lot of respect for organising so many local and regional tournaments. Some of their "big events" are also played under the WASPA banner, which is simply amazing!

Subbuteo action in Umnogobi, Mongolia

We continue to receive tournaments from many countries. Greece, Belgium, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Australia, the Netherlands, South Africa and Austria have also held WASPA tournaments and we are also excited to see the development of events played with the old rules.

There is no need to speak more about the events. It's better if you look at rankings and check that everything is correct. We had minor errors in the rankings last month but everything is corrected now.

Thanks to all national associations, clubs, organizers and players who support the circuit!

Sam Curtis winner in Leicester

How to send results?

This is a question I often receive and the easiest way to send results is to keep individual scores of all games (group stages, knock-out games) + a list of players taking part (first name, name, club, country, birthdate also if there are new juniors). Once we have that, it's usually easier to keep records.

Once again, I insist on the fact clubs should not hesitate to run tournaments under the WASPA banner. It's a great way to promote your club, to attract new players and to create local or regional development and we all agree this is what the game needs nowadays.

All your ideas to make the WASPA circuit more attractive are more than welcome. Don't hesitate to send your feedback. We also hope to see more and more clubs running events under the WASPA banner in the future.

We also take to opportunity to thank our partners:

- SubKits at https://www.facebook.com/subkits

- Flicks for Kicks at http://shop.flickforkicks.com/

- MAD ABOUT GAMES at http://subbuteo2012.co.uk

Well, that's all for now. Please remember you only need 3 players to register your tournament. Don't be scared to join. It's free and tournament requests can be sent by e-mail to vincentcoppenolle@gmail.com

Keep an eye on the WASPA blog at http://waspa-circuit.blogspot.com as there are updates almost every day.

Please invite your friends to join our Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/waspasubbuteo/

We also have a WASPA page here: https://www.facebook.com/WASPA-World-Amateur-Subbuteo-Players-Association-231789816834700/

Keep in mind WASPA is also looking for new partners. If you know any company ready to support us (we don’t ask for money but we want some win-win agreements so that we can promote each other), don't hesitate to contact me at vincentcoppenolle@gmail.com

Thanks for reading and have a great day!

Vincent Coppenolle, WASPA organizer

The first Subbuteo tournament ever in Mongolia

The final

July 20, 2023 will remain in the history of table football as the very first Subbuteo tablefootball tournament in Mongolia took place in the city of Gobi. We are extremely proud that the event was played under WASPA banner. 8 players from Mongolia and Malta were taking part under the guidance of Clarence Psaila who proved to be a great ambassador of the game during his stay in the country.

Clarence, who is also known as a chess player, introduced the game to the players of a chess club in Gobi, chess being one of the most famous hobbies in the country. After several days introducing the game, a total of 12 players had the chance to play games. Finally 8 players attended the tournament. After the group stage, Clarence Plasila defeated local player Tumendembrel Ganbaatar (2-0) to claim the title.

More importantly, there is real interest for the game as local players enjoyed themselves while some curious spectators showed real interest.

Thanks to Clarence Psaila for making thing happen.

Thanks to Josef Camilleri for the material support.

Thanks to Orgil Gantumur for hosting! 

There are now plans to collect material so that the newly-born "Dayan Khan Biligt Subbuteo club" can have another table and possibly develop the activity.

Anyone interested to help this project can e-mail Clarence at clarence_247@yahoo.co.uk

July 2023 (part 1): results from the Netherlands and England

Here is the first part of results from this month. We have already collected results from 23 events so here is a summary of the first events of the month.

Ludovic Ponthieux wins tournament in Gouda

Action from the tournament in Gouda

Action from the tournament in Gouda

One of the most exciting events on the last few months took place in Gouda (the Netherlands) with a great field of 23 players including two foreign players. Belgium's Ludovic Ponthieux finally took the honors after beating Germany's Rudi Knuf in the final. Dutchmen Casey van Os and Fabrizio Cavazza made it to the semi-finals. More importantly it was a great day of table football with every player being given the chance to play many games and it was nice also to see some new names among the players. As written several times this season, it's good to see the Netherlands having a revival. That's promising for the future!

Link to "Subbuteo Nederland": https://www.facebook.com/Subbuteonederland

Elliot Bellefontaine winner in Bristol

The final stage of the English championshIp was organized by the Bristol club. it was an amazing tournament with 39 players from 14 different clubs taking place.  Elliot Bellefontaine won his third event and shares the first place of the final table with Chris Thomas. Elliot was undefeated but shared the first place of the day with Rudi Peterschinigg. Elliot was decided tournament winner on goal difference. Final table was as follows:

1. Elliot Bellefontaine (ENG/lot)
2. Rudi Peterschinigg(ITA/har)
3. Shaun Dunne (ENG/yor)
4. Alan Lee (ENG/wob)
5. Kevin Cordell (ENG/stw)
6. Chris Bedford(WAL/lot)
7. Mick Hammonds (ENG/wol)
8. Aaron Skinner (ENG/bri)
9. Sam Curtis (ENG/yor)
10. Marco Ghigliotti (ENG/har)
11. Simon Goodman (ENG/sur)
12. Neil Doherty (ENG/har)
13. David Lauder (WAL/car)
14. Robert Jones (ENG/bri)
15. Alan Hounsell (WAL/car)
16. Paul Andreas(CYP/har)
17. Graham Harwood (ENG/ped)
18. Richard Roper (ENG/ped)
19. Malcolm Jamieson (ENG/sol)
20. Justin Scott (ENG/wol)
21. John Lauder(WAL/car)
22. Stuart Briffett (ENG/bri)
23. Tony McCann (ENG/yor)
24. Mark Weaver (ENG/lei)
25. Gage Badger (ENG/wol)
26. Jason Christopher (ENG/sol)
27. Andrew Forster-Fake (ENG/che)
28. Steve Wonnacott (ENG/bri)
29. Alex Scott (ENG/wol)
30. Darren Barnes (WAL/car)
31. Rob Paterson (ENG/tsp)
32. Richard Badger (ENG/wol)
33. Adam Douglas (ENG/stw)
34. Ian Sharp (ENG/yor)
35. Craig Purnell (ENG/bri)
36. Simon Bodily (ENG/ped)
37. Paul Taylor (ENG/lei)
38. Jamie Samuel Warren (ENG/stw)
39. Phillip Bryant (ENG/bri)

Li,nk to the English Subbuteo Association: https://www.facebook.com/EnglishSubbuteoAssociation

Haverhill: Kevin Cordell on fire

Stanway's Kevin Cordell won the latest Haverhill tournament after taking 13 points in five games while Martin Hodds was runner-up. Final table:

1. Kevin Cordell (ENG/stw)
2. Martin Hodds (ENG/yor)
3. Marco Barqueiro (ENG/hav)
4. Sam Curtis (ENG/yor)
5. Joe Harrington (ENG/hav)
6. Mike Williams (ENG/hav)
7. Gerry Harrington (IRL/hav)
8. Jamie Samuel Warren (ENG/stw)
9. Paul Matthews (ENG/roh)

Haverhiil Rovers on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/378921166394976

London TFC: Home win for Elliot Bellefontaine

London TFC players had a tournament with home and away fixtures. No surprise in the results as Elliot Bellefontaine won all his games to claim the trophy.

1. Elliot Bellefontaine
2. Brian Butterworth
3. Martin Bellefontaine
4. Francesca Bellefontaine
5. Peri Butterworth

Durham City is back

We are pleased to see the Durham City club holding a first tournament this season. Host Graeme Gibson couldn't stop Nick Pearson (tournament winner) and Tom Heslop (runner-up) but all players had a great day, which is the most important thing after all.

A great turnout of 24 in Leicester

Sam Curtis (right) winner of the tournament

If England is definately the most active nation in the WASPA circuit, it's amazing to see the great development of some local club. The Leicester Foxes had a great event with 24 players from 9 ddifferent clubs taking part. After the group stage, the top 16 players made it to the knock-out games for the main competition. Sam Curtis (Yorkshire) defeated Simon Bodily (Pedmore) in the final while Jeremy Bradley (TSPA White Star) and Graham Harwood (Pedmore) reached the semis. Stuart Briffett (Bristol) defeated Mark Weaver (Leicester) to claim the consolation tournament.

Leicester Foxes on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1256322291872352

Kye Arnold wins in Gillingham

Kent Invicta TFC is back in their new venue and the club held a tournament on July 10. Kye Arnold beat Dave Collier in the final while Terry Arnold and Malcolm Jamieson made it to the final 4. 12 players were taking part.

Kent Invicta TFC on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KentInvictaTFC

Chasers: Adam Jackson wins monthly tournament

Final table (league format):

1. Adam Jackson
2. Gary Gladwell
3. Mark West
4. Mark Francis
5. Samantha Levy

Chasers on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/314595413269756

Solent: Paul Izard on top

Paul Izard won this month's Solent tournament after defeating Malcolm Jamieson in the final. Chris Burford and Jason Christopher made it to the final.

Rochford and Southend Casual Subbuteo Club: Mark West wins first tournament

Mark West won this month's RAS tournament after defeating Adam Jackson in the final. 8 players were taking part and this time they were divided into two groups of 4 with finals for places 1 to 8.