Equipment

This article will concentrate on the new table footy equipment available, rather than going into detail on the history of the Subbuteo brand. That topic has been covered elsewhere.

What do you need to play the game? Well, if you just want to try it out, you just need to live near someone that plays it. Check our Locations page and send them an email, or if there is no-one on that list, email info@mistfa.org.

When you are ready to purchase your own equipment, there are a few factors to consider:

• Price
• Durability
• Portability
• Quality
• Convenience

Buying the Set

Beginner sets make for a very convenient and often cheaper purchase, but you may sacrifice a little quality.

To get started without buying a beginner set, you will need to obtain a pitch, two teams, two goals and a ball or two.

Pitches

Pitches are made of various materials. The original type of cloth is a felt like material, like that made by Superfooty in their starter set. There are also "artificial" surfaces, mostly called Astro~something, which are a kind of fine bristle fuzzy surface on a rubber backing. This can be rolled up and transported or stored. Both pitch types can be laid down on a table, or glued/taped down on MDF for a more permanent setup. The cloth pitches work great on a pool table if you have one in your den, as the felt clings to the pool baize.

Goals

Goals can be either plastic or metal. Metal ones have the obvious durability bonus. Most players will pin down their goals with thumb tacks, or you can come up with a method a little more long-lasting such as a T-nut mounted flush in your MDF board and thumbscrews to position them - the goals may need wider holes drilled in their base. The long-term disadvantage of using thumb tacks is, the area the tacks are inserted into can become soft and unstable with repeated pinning.

Teams

Teams can be purchased ready painted, in paint your own sets, or as individual bases and figures to paint. There are two main methods of connecting a figure to a base: The peg or the bar. Obviously there is no way to connect a pegged figure into a base with a bar slot in it, and vice versa. Otherwise you can mix and match any figures to any bases: Stefan Corda figures in Flickmaster bases, for example. Occasionally, the pegs may need a bit of filing down to fit. Use a piece of about 100 grade sandpaper to take the end off if needed. Be careful to leave enough on the peg for it to still fit snug inside the disc!

Bases

Most bases have two pieces, the base and a disc, some are only one piece. The vast majority of bases will have some kind of weight in them, usually a regular hardware washer. If you want to add more weight, you would be able to either add an additional washer or a heavier one, as long as there is room in the base. Some figures are larger and heavier than others, which combined with different weighted bases could lead to different centers of gravity.

Bases come in all kinds of shapes, allowing for differing levels of gliding and curling ability. For example, the Stefan Corda G2 has a very large flat bottom and a fully rounded striking surface. Most bases have a smaller flat bottom with a larger curve, and a cornered striking surface possibly with a bevel. The best way to compare different base types is to buy some cheap (possibly second hand) or just try them out at a local tournament.

Balls

Even balls can be different weights. The Superfooty ball for example is considerably heavier than most.