Mental Health, Lucky Pants, and the Ireland Subbuteo World Cup Team.
For the final article previewing teams competing at this year’s Eland Cables FISTF World Cup, Steve Sharman meets with members of the Ireland team to chat about the upcoming tournament, what it means to the players, and how Subbuteo, for this team, is so much more than just a game.
Atop the pristine green table football pitch, a decisive defensive flick or a clinical dynamic attacking combination can make or break a tournament. Winner takes all, in a world where victory is everything. In competitive sports, those who hold the trophy aloft take all the headlines. But when we peel the armour off these warriors, we get to see the true heroes underneath.
As teams and individuals from around the globe prepare for the Eland Cables FISTF World Cup, I had the opportunity to talk to some of the Ireland team who are coming over to Tunbridge Wells this week to test their skills against the world’s greatest players. Team captain Mark Farrell, Open player Andy Fitzpatrick and veteran William Magnier, plus young players Daniel Kaliszewski and Elliot Fitzpatrick were kind enough to share their hopes, dreams, superstitions, and expectations with me, and helped me understand the role Subbuteo plays in their lives.
From Grassroots to Glory
More a function of administrative convenience than an intentional imposition of seniority, I speak with Mark Farrell first. As team captain and secretary of the Table Football Association of Ireland, a great deal of organisational responsibility falls on Farrell’s shoulders. A humble man, he plays down the importance of the role but alongside playing, he is also responsible for maintaining Ireland’s association with governing body FISTF, registering players and clubs, and perhaps most important of all in the context of a World Cup, convening the Irish qualifier.
It is with no small measure of pride that Farrell explains to me that Subbuteo in Ireland is undergoing something of a renaissance. The advent of the PlayStation put an end to Subbuteo’s halcyon days of the 80s and 90s, resulting in a decline in participation. In the run-up to COVID-19, Farrell explains how there were few clubs around, perhaps only 10 or 12 registered players, and even raising a World Cup team was difficult:
“But you go back five, six, seven years, we couldn’t even get a team to the World Cup. You know the way, literally, you could have said who wants to go and it’s “I’m alright lads. I don’t want to this year”.”
Fast-forward to the present day and there are clubs in places like Derry, Munster, and Dublin with over 30 registered players to choose from. It is in these clubs and regional events that Farrell believes family can play an important role in passing interest down through generations; he says it is not unusual to see a son or a daughter accompanying a parent to a tournament – and to see the flame of enthusiasm ignited through the social connectedness and excitement of competition.
Subbuteo events often have a familial, community feel, especially those of increased importance that draw players and families from across the country. For this World Cup, each competing nation could decide how they selected players; for Ireland, rather than force people to travel across the country to multiple events, Farrell and colleagues settled on a single event:
“You know, (other countries) they might rank tournaments, local tournaments throughout the year, you know. And if you play in majors, you get points for each, how well you do. So every country can kind of do their own little selection process. You might say for us we thought, well, look, there’s no point in expecting lots of travel to five or six or seven tournaments. Let’s just have a one-off day. So we had a one-off qualifying event.”
Despite the increased participation in Subbuteo in Ireland and the deeper pool of players to select from, Farrell still considers his team minnows on the world stage. Accordingly, his expectations are modest; success would be progression from the group stage, either in the Open, Veterans, or Team competitions. This is a big challenge perhaps for players who travel without much sponsorship, often putting their hands in their own pockets to be able to travel and compete, but a challenge his players are willing to take on.
Although Farrell has modest ambitions of progression from the group stage, we indulge for a moment in what a greater degree of success – perhaps even a World Champion – would mean for table football in Ireland:
“It would be a huge lift for the players here. It would be something to work on, wouldn’t it? To say you had a World Champion, a World Cup medalist in your nation, on your nation’s team. It would be a focal point. Yeah, it would be unreal.”
For Farrell, the opportunity for his team to travel together, test themselves against the best players in the world, and enjoy all the sites Tunbridge Wells has to offer will be a wonderful experience. Who knows, perhaps the men from Ireland will return home with memories and results to continue to inspire future generations.
Field of Dreams
For some players, representing their country and competing in a World Cup brings great expectations and intense pressure; for others, the experience brings nothing but pride, joy, and happiness. Irish veteran player William Magnier, who plays his Subbuteo in Munster and Cork, falls without a doubt, into the latter category.
Now 60, Magnier was first introduced to Subbuteo as a small child when his cousins bought him a set for Christmas. Although he suspects the gift may have been more for the benefit of his football-nut father, he has extremely fond memories of playing with no pitch, just goals on the floor in the front room, dogs interrupting play and careless knees ending miniature careers.
Having played as a youngster, the habit fell away as the rigours of life took over. However, during a COVID-19 lockdown, a chance find of an old set in his attic reignited Magnier’s love affair with Subbuteo. Now, this will be his first World Cup, where he will take part in the veteran’s team event, plus the old rules World Cup – events where Magnier hopes to perform to the best of his ability.
The veteran takes immense joy from Subbuteo for myriad reasons – including the feeling of nostalgia created by playing the old rules game – but what he really seems to thrive on is the sense of togetherness created by a shared passion:
“Every tournament is a pleasure to play; the community here in Ireland is fantastic. We all get on, we all like the craic. Everybody wants to win but, you know, everybody encourages everybody. It’s brilliant, it’s just the atmosphere and it’s great, it’s great.”
What is also abundantly clear from talking with Magnier is just how proud he is to be representing his country, and his community, on a global stage. The pride and the emotion he clearly feels shines through in his voice and his words:
“I couldn’t describe it. Just to have a World Cup tournament entered. This is my World Cup. This is my Italian 90. It’s incredible. I couldn’t. It’s incredible to describe it, just such a thrill. It’s great. I can’t wait for it.”
Although taking part in individual tournaments is a source of great anticipation, where Magnier really gets a buzz is competing in team events; the shared goals, the camaraderie, and the sense of responsibility to his (team)mates all inspire the Munster man to play to his highest level:
“Playing the team event is just incredible because you all have to sort of perform and you’re all playing at the same time and you know what’s going on in the other pitches. So it keeps you motivated. It’s a great atmosphere to play in the team tournament.”
Although clearly adept with his hands, Magnier also likes to use his feet – he recently started playing walking football, and this summer at 60 years of age, made his first tournament appearance. He likens the camaraderie and team spirit in walking football to that of playing at a Subbuteo club; a feeling that gives him a sense of connectedness, and of belonging to something special.
Family Goals
Subbuteo can bring families together, and that is rarely more true than it is for individual Open and teams player Andy Fitzpatrick, who will travel to England with step-son Daniel Kaliszewski who will compete in the U’16 event, and son Elliot Fitzpatrick, who will compete in the U’12 event.
I catch up with them all whilst they are outside their campervan amongst mountain bikes, dogs, and sausages sizzling on the BBQ. Although competing in the U’16 category, Daniel is only 14 years old, yet this is not his first World Cup. He played in Rome in 2022 and hopes to improve on his previous performance of a solitary victory this time around. The family influence here is strong; Daniel started playing because of his stepdad’s interest in Subbuteo, and they play a practice game together almost every day. Free of the nerves of a debut tournament, his major aims for this year are to have fun, do his best, and continue to learn from playing against different players from around the world.
Elliot, on the other hand, has grander ambitions. Fresh from tournament success in the U’12 category in Mons, Belgium at the Major Grand Prix of Frameries this year – a major achievement – young Elliot is hungry for more success. Practising more than before, Elliot is clearly excited to be coming to England as he has always wanted to play in a World Cup; and now, having tasted success at the Major in Belgium, he is eager to come home a World Champion.
One of, if not the youngest player in the entire World Cup, Elliot is currently just 10 years old. However, his birthday is on Friday – so the young Irishman really could experience a birthday to remember!
Andy, now 48, first got into playing Subbuteo in the 90s and, like some of his teammates, is enjoying the tabletop renaissance. He considers himself something of an anomaly in the Subbuteo world in that he doesn’t really like football, instead drawn to the wider lifestyle opportunities the competitive circuit offers, combining his dual passions of Subbuteo and travel:
“The people, you know, the people you get to meet. And I love travelling as well. So I’ve been able to travel to another city, another city, and find a club and play with them. You know the amount of amazing people I’ve met through this sport is unreal. Yeah, that’s what I like about it, you know.”
Andy is also no stranger to World Cups and looks back extremely fondly on his experiences at the last world event in Rome, in the individual tournament but also in the team event. The sense of shared responsibility for the team events adds an extra motivation to compete with countries that have a more established table football network. He remembers, with some pride, one particular game where Ireland took on Germany, an association with many more clubs and players than Ireland. The men in Green upset the form book and overcame their more illustrious opponents, a result that Andy describes as like winning a World Cup.
Although there is a lot to savour about competitive Subbuteo – the opportunity to travel, the kinship, and the emotional highs – talking to Andy, it is clear that Subbuteo can have impacts beyond its tight-knit but relatively small communities, and affect real change in the wider world.
In his day job, Andy is a counsellor and has a Subbuteo table in his consulting room. When working with teenagers – who can sometimes resent being sent to see a counsellor and be unwilling to engage – Subbuteo can serve as an active therapy that breaks down barriers and opens up conversations.
“They’ll talk to me for 10 minutes and then we’ll take out the table. You play, and then we’ll talk for 10 minutes before the end of the session. They know it doesn’t seem as much of a session, but they’re getting a lot of work done without realising it. You know, they’re talking about stuff while I’m playing with them, chatting about, you know, process with their thinking and stuff like that, you know, and it works.”
The importance of trust and rapport between the client and therapist in a therapeutic session cannot be understated and often forms the foundation of a successful relationship. However, the power imbalance between the therapist/patient can upset this dynamic, causing the patient to react against a person of perceived authority, especially where there is an age difference. Using Subbuteo to remove this imbalance – to level the playing field, and interact as equals – demonstrates the power of play, and is a wonderful use of Subbuteo.
Roll on the Weekend
The countdown is almost over, and the World Cup is nearly upon us!
As teams start to arrive in Tunbridge Wells and final preparations are put in place, future stories are waiting to be written and history is waiting to be made. This Ireland team will arrive with little expectation but plenty of hope, and is a shining example of how, although results on the pitch are important, the wider impact of Subbuteo off the pitch – through family, community and within mental health environments – can have perhaps a far greater impact on our lives.
Please give Steve Sharman a follow on Twitter/X by clicking here.
Other articles by Steve Sharman…