England veteran player Darren Clarke (right) taking a shot against Belgium during the Subbuteo World Cup in Tunbridge Wells, England, on Sept 22. KENT, England – With a quivering finger, England Subbuteo veteran Rudi Peterschinigg conceded the free kick that sent his country’s World Cup quarter-final into extra time before smashing his plastic goalkeeper on the floor in frustration. In the genteel southern English town of Tunbridge Wells, 300 elite players have gathered to play the classic table football game they love.
“I won’t say this is the best weekend I’ve ever had in my life, but it’s certainly in the top two,” said Mr Hughie Best, 58, who flew in from Perth, Australia, to compete and commentate at the event. Tunbridge Wells is the “spiritual home” of Subbuteo which was invented there in 1946 before being copied around the world. The game of skill and strategy fell out of fashion with the advent of computer games, but is enjoying a renaissance among nostalgists and also the younger generation, with the 2024 tournament the largest ever.
Around 5,000 people visited the three-day tournament’s various events, according to Mr Stewart Grant, press officer with organiser The English Subbuteo Association, as the town embraced the unusual honour. “Everybody you speak to, they say it’s the home. It’s a pilgrimage for some people,” he added.
The game’s collectability has always been part of its allure, with many people accumulating the finely painted.