The Structure
The BFA is the national association of table football in the UK. Internationally, the ITSF (International Table Soccer Federation) oversees the development of table football in all of it’s member federations, of which the BFA is one of them. Together, these federations form the basis of the national and international scenes:
The International Scene:
The ITSF was formed in August 2002, with the UK amongst its founding members. The goal of the ITSF, as listed on their website www.table-soccer.org is “to develop and promote different aspects of table soccer without discrimination of any kind, in close cooperation with its member federations and partners.” The ITSF is effectively trying to bring all of the national federations closer together to get a unified international game. Large steps are already being made, not least the organisation of the second World Cup in Nantes, January 2009. This tournament was the first to be featured on TV in a long time (Eurosport 2, March 5th/7th), and it is hoped this increased exposure will continue.
Along with the annual World Cup (a team event), the ITSF also organises annual World Championships for individual players of various categories. Member federations are encouraged to host their own international (ITSF-sanctioned) tournaments on the 5 official ITSF tables (see Tables under Learn), and there are 4 levels of ITSF tournament, which are (in order of prestige):
Level 4: World Championship Series
Level 3: International
Level 2: Master Series
Level 1: Pro Tour
Players who attend ITSF tournaments earn ITSF ranking points, and those in the Top 16 at the end of the season automatically qualify for the World Championships (there are other routes to qualification, but I wont go into them here). Anyone can enter Level 4 tournaments and below.
The National Scene:
The BFA was formed in 1998, and details about the BFA can be found on the main website. The structure of the national scene is slightly complex. Tournaments are organised usually once a month or every 2 months. These are usually organised by individual promoters, however some are organised by the BFA. Recently a tour has been set up by UK Foosball Promotions, who are holding several Tornado events throughout the year. The BFA National League has been running for 3 years; an exciting team event designed for anyone to enter, all you need to do is be part of a club, or form your own. Check out the League website: www.britfoos.com/nationalleague for more information and how to enter, and also the BFA League section on this site for the club scheme.
The main event of the year in the UK is the UK Championships. This is held at the end of the season, with the winners qualifying for the ITSF World Championships. Players can choose their preferred table to play on in this competition.
That brings me onto tables. Many different types of table football tables can be found in the UK, however you will usually see only Tornado, Garlando and (rarely) Bonzini tournaments being organised as these are the most popular. There is a fairly even split between Tornado and Garlando player bases (with Garlandos more popular among students), however Bonzini is quite popular in London. On a local level, there are plenty of vibrant scenes in the UK where players come to play once or twice a week in a friendly format. These are often more social occasions than anything serious, and new players are always met with a friendly welcome wherever they venture. There is a wide demographic of players in the UK, ranging from 15 to 60+ in age, students to professionals, men and women, all shapes and sizes...table football really can be played by anybody.