First steps for Subbuteo beginners

So, you are a Subbuteo newbie and asked your favorite search engine for introduction to this great game? My website “Flicking Forever” gives you quick briefing for your carefree start. Here we go:

Get some equipment

• Teams

  You need a Subbuteo team which consists of at least 11 players and a goalie. To start with, any Zeugo team will be adequate for your basic needs. Later on, you might want to change to better bases because terms like CC2 or EW bases or Arrows have reached your ears. Yes, there is professional material on the market that can make a difference. But you will have to spent quite an amount of money. So consider your needs carefully.
  And check out the “Subbuteo Selling Page” on Facebook which is a very active private second hand market for Subbuteo items.

• Pitch

  There are cotton pitches on the one hand and Astroturf pitches on the other. To be honest, this website is dedicated to promote the new and faster version of Subbuteo. So I strongly recommend to buy an Astroturf pitch, e.g. here or here. Again, you will find pitches in the lower prize segment as well as the professional and more expensive versions (like Astroturf Pro Competition oder Extreme pitch).

  The better your pitch is, the more likely you want to mount it flat and permanently on a MDF board.

• Goals, balls, polishing cloth

  Get a pair of goals: plastic goals will do for a while. But in the long run you should switch to metal goals. By the way, the high-end premium standard is produced by ExtremeWorks in Italy.

  So now you got a team, a pitch and two goals. What’s missing? A Table Soccer ball, obviously! Here, you should stick to quality from the first day. Topspin balls with 22 mm diameter come from Italy and must be your choice (Supplier e.g. MySubbuteo, FlickforKicks, LPM-online.

  To round up your set of equipment, look out for a good polishing cloth. Even the best professional Subbuteo bases won’t glide very well unless you polish them regularly. Here is my polishing tutorial.

Learn the rules

Have a closer look at the rules. What is the shooting line? How does possession of ball change? And when is a player in offside position? The “Sports Rules of Table Soccer” (pdf) provide everything you should know about Subbuteo.

Watch more games

Even if there are no FISTF events taking place in or near your hometown, you are able to learn from dozens of great tournament games on YouTube. See my “Watching Videos” section for more information. And give Paul Eyes’ tutorials for beginners a try.

Join a club

You do not have enough Subbuteo enthusiastic friends to challenge? Then join a club!
Quick tip: I mentioned the FISTF in the paragraph above. The “Federation International of Sports Table Football” is the governing body of the Sports Table Football worldwide. In the Organisation section on FISTF.com you will find your national association. Follow the provided links and find out if there is a club nearby.

Or try to find like-minded Subbuteo fans on Social Media: It is a small but nevertheless very active community. Just search for #Subbuteo on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

Practice, practice, practice

Get better every day: Subbuteo is easy to learn but hard to master. You will need to practice your skills to develop a promising game play. Have you checked out my training exercises yet?

Good luck and flick on, my friend!
Are you happy wit this beginners’ guide to Subbuteo? Please feel free to add more ideas or suggestions in the contact form.

Disclaimer:
Flicking Forever is not associated, affiliated, endorsed, sponsored by or responsible for any products or companies that are listed or linked on this website. Trading with them is at your own risk.