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timmyspiteri — Wed, 25 Oct 2006 12:47:47 CDT

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timmyspiteri — Wed, 25 Oct 2006 12:38:42 CDT

EUROPA CUP - FINAL LIST

The final list of clubs participating in this season's Europa Cup has been issued. The list includes 28 clubs from 9 countries surpassing last year's competition by 8 teams.

The list is very impressive and includes clubs of an immense level. It is very hard to tell who the favourites are as yet, as it is still early. However the usual strong teams will undoubtably do well, these include last year's champions, ACS Perugia who are strengthened by there new signing, Massimo Cremona. Eagles Napoli, although weakened by the exit of their key players Delogne and Hanotiaux, will still be seen as strong favourites. The DEVILS will also challenge for gold and have been strengthened by the transfer of Delogne who adds the extra flair to an already impressive team which includes Verhagen, Lenz and Wittman. Their fellow countrymen at TFC Mattersburg will be no outsiders with their extraordinary level of players such as Matzinger, Hinkelmann and Leitner. World Number One team AS Hennuyer will also be expected to shine as will Spanish Giants, Asociacion Murciana.

The surprises this season will include SC Charleroi, who are looking exceptionally strong with the return of Alain Hanotiaux, as well as Catalunya FT who are further strengthened from last season's strong squad with the return of Venegas and the two new Portugese signings.

All the local teams are seen to be threats. Os Pastilhas have a very talented team which has already proved itself to be one of the strongest of the Iberian Peninsula, taking various international honours over the past year. Porto's Orfeao de Foz do Douro is a very strong team which has had little recognition and honours in recent years but includes strong players like Hugo Carvalho, Norberto Miguel and Paolo Laranjeira. Also GD Dias Ferreira of Matosinhos is a team which is full of promising young players of tremendous level, and although they will not be expected to be challengers for the title, they will gain alot of experience for the future.

Full List:

Belgium:
1. Avenir Subbuteo Hennuyer
2. SC Charleroi
3. SC Verviers
4. SC Stembert

Italy:
5. ACS Perugia
6. CCT Eagles Napoli
7. CS Reggiana
8. Stella Artois Milano

England:
9. Yorkshire Pheonix TFC
10. English Premier League

Germany:
11. TSG Rain
12. SF/SW Gemaba Hitdorf

Netherlands:
13. SMV Delft

Austria:
14. D.E.V.I.L.S. Austria
15. TFC Mattersburg
16. TSC Royal 78 Kaisermühlen

Spain:
17. Asociacion Murciana JFM
18. Catalunya FT
19. El Palmar Flames

Portugal:
20. Orfeão da Foz do Douro
21. UFC Os Pastilhas
22 GD Dias Ferreira

Greece:
23. Roligans
24. Atlas TFC

RESERVES: (Will play in the competition)
25. San Siro Worthing Fivestar TFC
26. Sport Lisboa e Campolide
27. Barcelona FT
28. SC Temploux

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CHALLENGING HISTORY

Everybody wants to be part of the history of our game, either by winning a great title or becoming a great player. London's Putney Subbuteo Club wanted to make history by organising the first ever FISTF Challenger Tournament, this is a new type of tournament created by the FISTF which is open to all players who do not occupy a position in the FISTF Ranking's top 200. However earlier this week it was announced that another two FISTF Challengers will be organised before the Putney event which will take place on the 4th of November.

AS Hennuyer will organise the first ever edition of this event in Olivier Pere's hometown of Eugies on Saturday 21st October. Olivier Pere who organises the biggest tournament of the year, the Major of Mons, will be the host for this historic event, which will not be a big challenge for him after organising such great events in the past.

The second FISTF challenger will be organised in Birkirkara by the St Martin's College Table Football Club on Friday the 22nd of March in the school's gym as part of the school's annual sports festival. This will provide a chance to gain international ranking points for the school's table football players, which amount to a total of around 35 players, all under 16 years of age.

Below are the contact addresses for each of the competitions:
Putney: flicker1995@yahoo.co.uk
Eugies: olivier.pere@skynet.be
B'Kara: timmyspiteri@gmail.com

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LATEST TRANSFER NEWS

Although the transfer period will go on until December this season, the "regular" transfer period is over and since the last transfer report there has been very little change, the most significant being the formation of TFC Vikings in Norway, which includes most of the former stong Porsgrunn Flickers squad which included Anders Bergane, Anders Grorud, Jon Henning Bergane and Lars Tore Myge, all of these players and more now form part of the TFC Vikings club.

There has also been the usual handful of Greek movements which include, to name a few, Kostas Kechris's transfer from Atlas to Olympiakos, Giorgios Drazinakis' move from Atlas to AEK Athens and Anastassios Priftis' move from Olympiakos to Roligans. This surge of transfers in Greece has created a very worrying situation for Atlas, who now have very little local players within their ranks.

In Belgium we had the single move of Stephane Lambert from Magic Team Tournai to the only Flemish team still in existence, SC Flanders.

In England even more players are moving from Clubs to the new Conglomerate Super Teams as Yorkshire Starlet Matt Lishman and East Midland's Paul Wilkinson both move to TSPA Whitestar.

Finally, in Italy we saw the aspiring Lazio bring in 3 new players which include Paolo Barone from Putney and the free agents Diego and Stefano Tagliaferri.

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TRANSFER NEWS

Quite a bit has happened over the last week on the transfer market which feature quite a bit of movements in Spain, Portugal, Malta, Belgium and Greece. To start off, Catalunya FT have secured two new signings, both coming from Portuguese squad, GD Dias Ferreira, of Porto, these new signings, Antonio Tavares and Tiago Sousa are expected to bring a new flare to the Catalunya Squad which had already been reinforced with the re-signing of Diego Venegas.

Asociacion Murciana have signed ex-U15 World Champion, Juan Gabriel Noguera, from their reserve squad, El Palmar Flames, while the Flames re-acquired Javier Alfocea who had a brief one-year spell at Greek Giants' Atlas.

Still in the Iberian Peninsula, however in Portugal, Sporting Lisboa made up for the loss of yet another local player to City and European Giants, Os Pastilhas, by bringing in two new faces at the club. These are Diederik Boyen who comes in from Belgian team, Templeuve United, as well as Jorge Silva who was signed from Amadora Toccers.

In England, new club, TSPA Whitestar acquired Veteran Ace, Paul Remund who comes in from his home team, Ajax Basel, the Swiss player joins an already booming squad which includes the likes of Jeremy Bradley, Jeff Jordan and Colin Fletcher, to name a few.

Moving to Belgium, this week saw quite a few movements which included Salvatore Visconti's move from JSC Rochefort to emerging club, SC Stembert. While SC Ternois-Sambreville lost 3 key players of their squad, Magali Doumont and Christophe Dhyne who transferred to Temploux SC and Jerome Heyvaert who returned to SC Charleroi. SC Jambes also added a new player to there squad when they signed Julien Deroubaix from Magic Team Tournai.

In Malta, Valletta SC got a decent surge of new players after securing the services of Stephen Caruana, Adrian Bonnici, Steve Austin and Andre' Grima, all of whom are expected to aid the club in this time where it is lacking sufficient players of a high standard.

SF SW Hitdorf's Stefan Pace was picked up by the aspiring Sicilian club, SC Palermo. Pace will undoubtably help them in there quest to avoid relegation from Italy's Serie B this season.

The past week also saw the formation of a new club in Athens. The Athens Kickers SC will be formed by a number of quality players including Falcons' Giorgios Aggelinas, Faliro's Koutsompinas and Kourabas, Athina's Poulidis as well as six-time Greek Champion, Aggelos Tsakiris.

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TRANSFER NEWS

Alot has happened on the transfer market since the last transfer update we had. The most notable has to be the formation of a new "Super Team", I am of course talking about the highly-rated new acquisitions of San Siro Worthing Fivestar TFC, formerly known as Worthing Fivestar TFC. Since the recent influx of funds the club has recieved from its new sponsor, San Siro Stadia Company, the club has gone on a shopping spree for players, signing some of England's top players including Kasper Benett, Chris Short, Chris Thomas and Peter Thomas, alll of whom belonged to English Premier League last season. The club also attempted to sign AS Hennuyer's Hansel Mallia however they did not succeed in doing so, and in turn it is also being rumoured that the club is approaching World Number One, Eric Verhagen.

As a result of these transfers, English Premier League is struggling to find a strong team with which to play next season, as the club has also lost their Welsh Starlet, Phil Dacey, who has returned to his native Cardiff. Therefore the United Kingdom's strongest team has now been reduced drastically and it is doubtful whether they will have much impact on England, let alone Europe, next season. However the new signings of Dimitris Stamatopoulos from Atlas and former Lichfield TFC Ace Paul Sutton will help the team cope better.

This season will also see another new team joining the FISTF family, in Spain the former club of Valencia FM has changed its name to A. Turia FM and includes the likes of Vicente Benita who represented Spain in the Dortmund World Cup, as well as Fernando Gomez who has returned to a local side from his former team, Bologna Tigers. Remaining in Spain we turn to Diego Venegas who will be rejoining his home side, Catalunya FT from European Champions, ACS Perugia. This move will further strengthen the already strong team which includes the likes of Arturo Martinez and Vincenc Prats Salat.

The biggest single transfer of the month seems to be that of Gil Delogne, twice World Champion, who has left Giants Eagles Napoli, where his place in the first team is doubtful, to join the rising Austrian Stars, DEVILS.

German Champions, SF SW Hitdorf will see two new faces within their ranks next season when they acquired top Wuppertal players, Wolfgang Schneider and Markus Lindner. While in Scotland, Greg Dand and Gareth Christie will rejoin their old club Tayside Kickers 91 in an attempt to take the club back to its former glory.

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PEMBROKE SATELLITE FOR PACE

Hitdorf Player Stefan Pace won the Satellite of Pembroke, beating Ilai Zammit Marmara' 1-0 in the final. Pace overcame challenges from Catania's Enrico Testa in the semi-finals and Hamrun youngster, Timothy Spiteri in the Quarters, while his opponent saw off ex-World Champion Roderick Sciberras as well as Reggio Calabria's Mario Spiteri.

The U19 competition was surprisedly won by home player, Karl Camilleri who beat firm favourite, Timothy Spiteri 1-0 in the final. Camilleri overcame the challenge of well-established youth, Andrew Abela in the Semi-Final while Spiteri eliminated Andre' Grima.

The U15 competition also saw many surprises, with firm favourites, Matthew Pace and Thomas Camilleri were eliminated in the Semi-Finals and Quarter-Finals, respectively, both by Adam Gatt who then lost the final to an in-form Dennis Dalli.

The Ladies competition was won by Martha Camilleri who claimed her 4th international title in a row in this category.

Quarter finals
Stefan Pace (MLT) beat Timothy Spiteri (MLT) 5-0
Enrico Testa (ITA) beat Massimo Berselli (ITA) 2-1
Ilai Zammit Marmara' (MLT) beat Mario Spiteri (MLT) 4-0
Roderick Sciberras (MLT) beat Jean Carl Tabone (MLT) 1-0ms

Semi-finals
Stefan Pace (MLT) beat Enrico Testa (ITA) 2-1
Ilai Zammit Marmara' (MLT) beat Roderick Sciberras (MLT) 2-1

Final
Stefan Pace (MLT) beat Ilai Zammit Marmara' (MLT) 1-0

Other finals:
U19: Karl Camilleri (MLT) beat Timothy Spiteri (MLT) 1-0
U15: Dennis Dalli (MLT) beat Adam Gatt (MLT) 2-0
Ladies: Martha Camilleri (MLT) beat Tiziana Spiteri (MLT) 1-0ms

==>FULL RESULTS

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SINGAPORE LIONS SUBBUTEO CLUB

On the 19th August 2006 the first official subbuteo club was founded in Singapore by 5 Subbuteo enthusiasts including 2003 World Cup Participant, Erza Aripin. The club will go by the name of Singapore Lions Subbuteo Club and will start its season in September. The club will be aiming to promote table football in Singapore so that it may return to its former glory. The 5 members of the club are Erza Aripin, Christopher Soh, Samuel Soh, Derrick Soh and Efrandy Kusnadi.

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EFREM MAJORS IN MATTERSBURG

Current World Champion, Efrem Intra won the Mattersburg Major beating the highly-rated Vasco Guimaraes in the final. The Italian had an excellent run on his road to the final, recording two 4-0 wins as well as eliminating ex-World Champion, Massimiliano Nastasi. Guimaraes, on the other hand, had an all-Italian road to the final where his only match not against an Italian during this tournament was against Murat Tunger in the group stage.

The Veterans Competition was dominated by the home players and the final was won by Erich Hinkelmann who beat Gunther Bamberzky in the Final. The Ladies and U19 competitions also provided all-Austrian finals with Bettina Lenz and Thomas Karnthaler winning both categories respectively.

The U15 saw an Naples showdown which saw Mattia Bellotti coming out happy in an encounter with his younger team-mate, Simone Palmieri. Naples also took home the Teams title when they annihilated the Austrian Superteam DEVILS in the final of the 21-Team competition.

Quarter finals
Wolfgang Leitner (AUT) beat Alex Iorio (ITA) 4-3
Efrem Intra (ITA) beat Massimiliano Nastasi (ITA) 3-2
Simone Bertelli (ITA) beat Daniele Bertelli (ITA) 1-0
Vasco Guimaraes (POR) beat Francesco Mattiangeli (POR) 1-0

Semi-finals
Efrem Intra (ITA) beat Wolfgang Leitner (AUT) 4-0
Vasco Guimaraes (POR) beat Simone Bertelli (ITA) 2-1

Final
Efrem Intra (ITA) beat Vasco Guimaraes (POR) 3-2

Other finals:
U19: Thomas Karnthaler (AUT) beat Christoph Gerbasits (AUT) 2-0
U15: Mattia Bellotti (ITA) beat Simone Palmieri (ITA) 2-1
Veterans: Erich Hinkelmann (AUT) beat Gunther Bamberzky (AUT) 2-1
Ladies: Bettina Lenz (AUT) beat Jelena Radic (AUT) 1-0
Teams: Eagles Napoli (ITA) beat DEVILS Austria (POR) 3-0

==> FULL RESULTS

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ANOTHER ONE FOR FLORES ON HOME TURF

Bologna Tigers' showcase player, Carlos Flores confirmed himself once again as Spain's strongest Table Football player when he won the biggest event in the Iberian Peninsula after beating fellow country-man Raul Benita in the final of the Spanish Grand Prix held in Cobrera de Llobregat which saw a very strong field of players including World Champion and World Number One, Efrem Intra and Eric Verhagen, both of whom reached the Semi-Finals of the Open Competition.

The other winners included Juan Carlos Granados (Veterans) and Juan Gabriel Noguera (U19) providing an all-Spanish roll of honour. However the team's competition was won by the Austrian side D.E.V.I.L.S. Austria who defeated Stella Artois Milano in the final of a very prestiguous competition.

==> FULL RESULTS

SC Temploux

timmyspiteri — Fri, 15 Sep 2006 05:16:18 CDT

Subbuteo Club Temploux, Temploux Belgium

SC Temploux is an underachieving squad, it is quite strong, however it does not receive much recognition, it’s fifth place in the Belgian League did not aid its reputation, its squad includes very strong players and should not be underestimated as it is bound to create a few upsets.

Squad: Some of the strong players in the Temploux squad are:

Steve Gregoire is one of Temploux’s best players, he is Belgium’s top Veteran and has also reached the semi-finals of the world cup at two of the last three held. He is a player with immense experience and is one to watch out for in Almada.

Antoine Dikaios is seen by many to be Temploux’s best player. He has great potential and was therefore selected to represent Belgium at the last two World Cups. Lets hope he can live up to his potential and guide Temploux to a strong European campaign.

Benoit Massart is another of Temploux’s key players and will be an important figure in their squad at the Europa Cup

TEAM RATING: 2.5

SC Verviers

timmyspiteri — Fri, 15 Sep 2006 05:04:46 CDT

Subbuteo Club Verviers, Verviers, Belgium

SC Verviers has quite a squad which may be one of the surprises in Almada. The club has various talents including World-Class Junior, Arnaud Nullens as well as Belgian international, Alexandre Torre

Squad: Here are some of SC Verviers’ key players:

Alexandre Torre is a very talented Belgian International who has had a lot of success over the past year, he is the man behind the team, the one that really makes a difference to the performance of the squad.

Arnaud Nullens is one of the World’s top Juniors and performs well in the open also as he showed in the Brussels IO where he topped a group which included Antonio Mettivieri and in the Charleroi GP where he topped another group which included Joseph Mifsud. Nullens will help Verviers obtain some sort of glory in Portugal.

Marcel Lange is one of Belgium’s top Veterans and will be a key player for the Verviers squad as he is an experienced player who will help Verviers make something of their venture to Almada.

TEAM RATING: 2.5

SC Stembert

timmyspiteri — Fri, 15 Sep 2006 05:04:27 CDT

Subbuteo Club Stembert, Stembert, Belgium

SC Stembert is a young ambitious club from a town in the vicinity of Liege. Stembert currently holds very talented young players as well as various strong senior players. This year also saw two new faces join the club, Slavatore Visconti who joins from Rochefort and Steve Jourdan who joins from SC Verviers.

Squad: Here are a few of the promising Stembert players:

Christophe Dheur is Stembert’s top man. The squad’s hope will lie on his shoulders. Along with Frederic and Damien Denooz, he is expected to lead the team in Almada.

Micheal Denooz is currently one of Belgium’s top juniors, and although it is not yet clear whether he will feature in Almada, he will be a useful addition for the squad, and will experience the top level of Team Tournaments.

Jerome Herbecq is another of Stembert’s juniors who has gotten recognition in Europe by winning the Amsterdam GP for juniors. Like M. Denooz he will be a useful addition however his presence in Almada is not yet certain.

TEAM RATING: 2

SC Charleroi

timmyspiteri — Fri, 15 Sep 2006 05:04:14 CDT

Subbuteo Club Charleroi, Charleroi, Belgium

Charleroi had a very good season in which they won the Belgian League, the GP of Charleroi and the Verviers IO. Charleroi players have also performed well abroad, and as if things couldn’t get better, August saw the long-awaited return of their star, Alain Hanotiaux.

Squad: The club has many talented quality players, here are some of them:

Alain Hanotiaux is currently Belgium’s top player and is returning to the club after a long spell at European Giants’ Eagles Napoli. He will be the club’s playmaker in Almada and it is safe to say that he will be one of the best players present,

Bessim Golger is another key player of the squad and despite having a very short fuse he will be very useful in the club’s European Conquest.

Michael Casciano is the youngest player on the team at the age of 21. The Belgian-born Italian has proved very useful in the past and the Europa Cup will provide him with another chance to shine and show his true potential.

Sami Targui is another of the clubs successes, he is proof that Charleroi is the club which provided Belgium with most of its best Junior players in the past, players like Casciano, Targui and Golger are now all top players and will be vital for the squad where together with the more experienced players such as Hanotiaux, Di Ruggiero and Mazzaglia they will provide an amazing team which are definitelt contenders for the title.

TEAM RATING: 4

AS Hennuyer

timmyspiteri — Fri, 15 Sep 2006 05:04:01 CDT

Avenir Subbutéo Hennuyer, Mons, Belgium

Despite holding the number one spot in the FISTF World Rankings this club didn’t fare very well in the Belgian League for Clubs and ended the season 10 points behind first placed, SC Charleroi. Also the main reason why the club took the top spot in the World Rankings is due to it being very well-travelled and the winning several small tournaments did wonders to help the team’s rise.

Squad: The club has several big names on its books, here are some of its key players:

Olivier Père, is one of Belgium’s top players and has had great success this season winning the French Open in Issy as well as reaching the Quarter Finals of the World Cup, the world’s number six will play a vital role on helping the club improve on last year’s sixth place in Murcia.

Delphine Dieudonne’, is labelled as the world’s top female player, and is currently ranked 21st in the Open World Rankings 150 places above the next female player. She is one of Hennuyer’s top players and has also been chosen as part of the Belgian Squad on various occasions. She will definitely have a key role in the squad.

Hansel Mallia has now begun his third season playing for the club and is one of the regular players who will definitely represent Hennuyer in Almada. He is one of Malta’s top players and will play his heart out for his beloved club where he is loved by all.

David Fraikin has improved drastically over the season winning various titles including the Belfast GP and the Norwegian GP & IO. The player from Stembert has become an important figure both in his club and in his country.

TEAM RATING: 3.5

Europa Cup 2006

timmyspiteri — Fri, 15 Sep 2006 03:43:55 CDT

EUROPA CUP 2006

ALMADA, PORTUGAL

Twenty-eight teams from nine countries will take part in this year’s edition of the Europa Cup in the town of Almada in Portugal. Here is a bit of information about each club and its top players. We have also given you our rating of the team which is out of five, five being the best. This rating indicates the team’s chances to win the tournament.

Links

timmyspiteri — Mon, 04 Sep 2006 10:02:11 CDT

General
FISTF - International governing body - www.fistf.com
FISTF Forum - FISTF's Official Forum - www.fistf.com/forum
Subbuteo Players Forum - Table Football Discussion (English) - www.subbuteoplayersforum.co.uk
Subbuteo Forum Italia - Table Football Discussion (Italian) - www.subbuteoforum.it
eFlicker - News Site - www.eflicker.net
tablesoccer - News Site - www.tablesoccer.net
le Premiere - News Site - http://le-premiere.blogspot.com/
Flick 2 Kick - American News Site - http://flick2kick.typepad.com/flick2kick/

National Associations:
Italy - www.fisct.it
Portugal- http://apssubbuteo.no.sapo.pt
England - www.estfa.com
France - www.francefootballdetable.net
Belgium - www.fbfts.com
Netherlands - www.nsvb.com
Malta - www.maltasubbuto.cjb.net
USA - www.americansubbuteo.com
Greece - www.poep.gr
Northern Ireland - www.nitfa.org.uk
Switzerland - www.swiss-subbuteo.com

Equipment:
Sefan Corda UK - www.stefancorda.co.uk
Stefan Corda Italy - www.stefancordaitaly.com
Astrobase - www.astrobase.com
Flickmaster - www.flickmaster.com
Subbuteo World - www.subbuteoworld.com
World Table Soccer - www.worldtablesocer.com
Subbuteo USA - www.subbuteousa.com
That's Magnificent - www.thatsmagnificent.com
Extreme Works - www.extremeworks.com
Biemme - http://biemme.cjb.net

Transfers

timmyspiteri — Mon, 04 Sep 2006 09:36:26 CDT

A. TURIA F.T.

City: Valencia
Nation: Spain
Players In: Vicente Benita, Jose Casas, Javier Chirona, Manuel Clemares, David Gallart, Carlos Hoyo, Jose Luis Marquez, Jose Maria Rodriguez, Daniel Soto, Vince Marti (VALENCIA FM), Fernando Gomez (BOLOGNA TIGERS)
Players Out: None
Notes: This is a new club made up mainly of former Valencia FM members. The club is expected to be very dangerous both on local as well as foreign turf. The club has also acquired the services of Fernando Gomez who joins them from European Giants, Bologna Tigers. Vicente Benita is also set to be a key player in the squad.

A.C.S. PERUGIA

City: Perugia
Nation: Italy
Players In: Massimo Cremona (CS REGGIANA)
Players Out: Diego Venegas (CATALUNYA FT)
Notes: The exit of Spaniard, Diego Venegas is unlikely to hurt a team so rich in talent. The signing of Cremona, however will help enrich the squad and the World Cup Finalist is sure to help in the club’s quest to defend its European Cup title

AVENIR SUBBUTEO HENNUYER

City: Mons
Nation: Belgium
Players In: Christos Aggelinas (FALCONS ATHENS)
Players Out: Joseph Mifsud (ATLAS ATHENS)
Notes: The loss of Joseph Mifsud will be felt by the World Number Ones, however the fresh new Greek talent imported from Falcons Athens, Christos Aggelinas will look to fill in for the Maltese Player and prove that he was a player worth signing

ASOCIACION MURCIANA J.F.M.

City: Murcia
Nation: Spain
Players In: Juan Gabriel Noguera (EL PALMAR FLAMES)
Players Out: None
Notes: The Spanish Giants have acquired the services of ex-U15 World Champion, Juan Gabriel Noguera who is just 16 Years Old. Noguera is still very young to make an impact on the Spanish Kings, however it is expected that he will begin to leave his mark on Europe in a couple of years. Noguera was a good signing for Murcia’s future

ATHENS KICKERS S.C.

City: Athens
Nation: Greece
Players In: Dimitris Kourabas, Vassilis Koutsompinas (FALIRO), Giorgos Aggelinas (FALCONS ATHENS), Argiris Poulidis (ATHINA), Aggelos Tsakiris (UNAT.)
Players Out: None
Notes: Another club is born in Athens, very little is known about the squad, however it does include six-time Greek Champion, Aggelos Tsakiris as well as top Falcons player, Giorgos Aggelinas, we will have to wait and see how well this team will fair this season

ATLAS ATHENS T.F.C.

City: Athens
Nation: Greece
Players In: Samuel Bartolo, Mark Gauci (VALLETTA SC), Joseph Mifsud (AS HENNUYER)
Players Out: Javier Alfocea (EL PALMAR FLAMES), Dimitris Stamatopoulos (ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE)
Notes: Atlas have outdone themselves this season, they have really brought out the big-guns on signing three of Malta’s top players, the loss of Stamatopoulos will be hardly felt due to their new signings! The only problem Atlas face is the shortage of local players, apart from Papakonstantinou and Plytas they have no good Greek players and this might be a problem for them in the near future

CARDIFF BLUEBIRDS T.F.C.

City: Cardiff
Nation: Wales
Players In: Les Commons (LONDON TFC), Phil Dacey (ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE), Kenny Scott (PUTNEY SC)
Players Out: Matt Thomas (ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE)
Notes: The Cardiff Bluebirds look like they will be a more consistant squad this season with the three new signings, the most significant being Phil Dacey who is returning back to Cardiff after a long spell at EPL, Dacey who is seen by many as Wales’s top player will be joined by London Veteran Les Commons and Australian World Cup representative, Kenny Scott.

CATALUNYA F.T.

City: Barcelona
Nation: Spain
Players In: Tiago Sousa, Antonio Tavares (GDDF), Diego Venegas (ACS PERUGIA)
Players Out: None
Notes: The Catalunya Squad is greatly strengthened this season with its new Portuguese signings and the return of Diego Venegas from a one-year spell at Italian Giants’ Perugia

D.E.V.I.L.S. AUSTRIA

City: -
Nation: Austria
Players In: Gil Delogne (EAGLES NAPOLI)
Players Out: None
Notes: The signing of two-time world champion Gil Delogne has come somewhat as a surprise to the TF community. Gil, who was a key player of the Eagles Napoli super team will be a key player for the DEVILS and will strengthen the already solid squad. The DEVILS will be seen as a major threat in Europe this season.

EAGLES NAPOLI

City: Naples
Nation: Italy
Players In: None
Players Out: Gil Delogne (DEVILS AUSTRIA), ALAIN HANOTIAUX (SC CHARLEROI)
Notes: Eagles Napoli have lost two of their key players this season. However it was almost impossible for them to play all their world class players next season, simply due to a new rule which has been enforced in Italy which states that each team must have two players from its region playing in the team during a match which also rules out Antonio Mettivieri, this meant that the club had to get rid of two of its key players. Despite losing Delogne and Hanotiaux, the Eagles are still a great team and are expected to be among the favourites to obtain the European cup title next season.

EAST MIDLANDS ALLIANCE

City: Nottingham/Norwich
Nation: England
Players In: None
Players Out: Jonathan Bryan, Simon Bryan, Trevor Arthur, Johan Lourdon, John Turpin (TSPA WHITE STAR) Malcolm Dickson (YORKSHIRE PHOENIX)
Notes: The EMA is literally shattered as a club and it is unlikely that they will be able to field a team in any tournament next season.

ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE

City: Bristol
Nation: England
Players In: Adrian Curtis, Sam Curtis (YORKSHIRE PHOENIX), Dimitris Stamatopoulos (ATLAS TFC), Paul Sutton (UNAT.), Matt Thomas (CARDIFF BLUEBIRDS)
Players Out: Kasper Bennett, Chris Short, Chris Thomas, Peter Thomas (SAN SIRO WORTHING FIVESTAR), Phil Dacey (CARDIFF BLUEBIRDS)
Notes: The EPL’s main players have departed to Worthing and its best foreign player has returned to his home team, the club has been greatly reduced from last season. But with some of its top players remaining and the new signings of the Curtis’ and fresh new foreign talent, the club seems to be on the right track again.

IRISH PREMIER LEAGUE

City: Dublin
Nation: Ireland
Players In: None
Players Out: Kenneth Beggs, Eoin Adams (YORKSHIRE PHOENIX TFC)
Notes: The IPL has lost two of it key players, Beggs and Adams, and it is uncertain whether the club will be able to field teams in next year’s tournaments. We will just have to wait and see what will become of the IPL.

LONDON T.F.C.

City: London
Nation: England
Players In: None
Players Out: Jeff Jordan (TSPA WHITE STAR), Les Commons (CARDIFF BLUEBIRDS)
Notes: The departure of Jeff Jordan and Les Commons will cause little effect to the London Team, firstly because they participate in very little tournaments throughout the year as a team, and secondly because they have other players of similar level and can cope well with the departures

MAPLE CITY S.C.

City: LaPorte
Nation: USA
Players In: Jon Schultz, Chris Schnick, Brian Bostelman, Chase Sprouse, Brittni Sprouse (UNAT.)
Players Out: None
Notes: The Maple City SC is a new club in the USA which is made up of former US giants in subbuteo including former National Champion Jon Schultz, they are expected to fight it off with the other top teams in the US next season to be crowned national champions

EL PALMAR FLAMES

City: Murcia
Nation: Spain
Players In: Javier Alfocea (ATLAS)
Players Out: Juan Gabriel Noguera (ASOCIACION MURCIANA)
Notes: The El Palmar Flames is made up of a number of Juniors and average players in Murcia, it is sort of a reserve team of the Asociacion Murciana, the Spanish Giants, however it is still a very strong team and has participated in the European Cup for clubs, this year saw the departure of their best player, Juan Gabriel Noguera which was a big blow for the club, however they did re-acquire Javier Alfocea who returns from a brief spell at Atlas TFC

PHILADELPHIA S.F.S.

City: Philadelphia
Nation: USA
Players In: Doug Dixon, Dave Flagler, Tod Koziara, Steven Laskey, Sam Lee, Jon Rizzo, Anthony Rubbo, Herb Shallcross, Andrew Zunino (UNAT.)
Players Out: None
Notes: A relatively new club in the USA, situated at the very centre of American Table Football being very close to Maryland however it is very unlikely that they will shine in the American Championships.

SAN SIRO WORTHING FIVESTAR T.F.C.

City: Worthing
Nation: England
Players In: Chris Thomas, Peter Thomas, Kasper Bennett, Chris Short (ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE)
Players Out: Craig Heward (YORKSHIRE PHOENIX)
Notes: Worthing are the new giants of the United Kingdom signing 4 of England’s best players due to the large cash influx from their new sponsors, San Siro Stadium Company. They are being described as the Chelsea of table football. They are now clearly the strongest team in the UK and Ireland. They are expected to make their mark on Europe next season. They have also been trying to acquire a foreign player, many have been mentioned including Eric Verhagen, Hansel Mallia, Diego Venegas and Vincenc Prats. Due to the new surge of players in the club, Craig Heward, the club’s top player from last season will depart to Yorkshire Phoenix as he has now lost his place in the first team.

S.C. CHARLEROI

City: Charleroi
Nation: Belgium
Players In: Alain Hanotiaux (EAGLES NAPOLI), Jerome Heyveart (SC TERNOIS-SAMBREVILLE)
Players Out: None
Notes: The Belgian Champions are stronger than ever this season, what with the return of their showcase player, Alain Hanotiaux from European Giants Eagles Napoli and all the young players from past years now developed into world class talents, as well as the signing of fresh talent in Jerome Heyvaert. This team is the real team to watch in the 2006/07 season, they will definitely be one of the main contenders for the European Cup.

S.C. JAMBES

City: Jambes
Nation: Belgium
Players In: Julien Deroubaix (MAGIC TEAM TOURNAI)
Players Out: None
Notes: The SC Jambes team is little known nowadays, however it is a club of great history and is probably the oldest Table Football club still in existence, the club will be looking to participate in the Belgian Second Division this season and it has also managed to obtain the services of Julien Deroubaix who joins the club from Magic Team Tournai

S.C. PALERMO

City: Palermo
Nation: Italy
Players In: Stefan Pace (SF SW GEMABA HITDORF)
Players Out: None
Notes: This ambitious Sicilian club which relies on foreign imports will be looking to avoid relegation to the Italian Serie C and for this it will rely on its Siracusa Duo, Salvo Randielli and Ivano Russo as well as its Maltese Duo Ilai Zammit Marmara’ and Jean Carl Tabone, it has also acquired the services of top Hitdorf player Stefan Pace, who is also Maltese, this will surely aid the pinks avoid relegation

S.C. STEMBERT

City: Stembert
Nation: Belgium
Players In: Salvatore Visconti (JSC ROCHEFORT), Steve Jourdan (SC VERVIERS)
Players Out: None
Notes: This ambitious Belgian club has what it takes to fly high both on the national and international scene, what with its impressive first squad and talented youth coming through the ranks and its high fourth place finish in the Belgian League, the club is also even stronger this year with the signings of the talented Salvatore Visconti from JSC Rochefort and Steve Jourdan from rivals SC Verviers. The club is one of the powerhouses in Belgian Table Football.

S.C. TEMPLOUX

City: Temploux
Nation: Belgium
Players In: Magali Doumont, Christophe Dhyne (SC TERNOIS-SAMBREVILLE)
Players Out: None
Notes: Temploux is an underachieving team which has potential to do far better, with two new talented signings Doumont and Dhyne, they will be expected to improve on last year’s results.

SPORTING LISBOA E CAMPOLIDE

City: Lisbon
Nation: Portugal
Players In: Diederik Boyen (TEMPLEUVE UNITED TSC), Jorge Silva (AMADORA TOCCERS)
Players Out: Paolo Sena (UFC OS PASTILHAS)
Notes: SL Campolide has lost its former strength ever since the formation of UFC Os Pastilhas which was followed by most of its top players transferring to the Os Pastilhas. This year they have lost yet another player to their city rivals, however the signings of Jorge Silva from Amadora and Belgian player Boyen from Templeuve will help bring the club back on its feet.

TAYSIDE KICKERS 1991

City: Dundee
Nation: Scotland
Players In: Greg Dand, Gareth Christie (HOT CLUB D’ECOSSE)
Players Out: None
Notes: This Scottish club which has reformed over the past year has signed two of Hot Club’s best players; Dand and Christie. Along with Steve Bennett and a few other players they are expected to be a strong team and is also being hailed byt many as Scotland’s top squad.

T.S.G. RAIN

City: Rain
Nation: Germany
Players In: Thomas Wald (VFL KAMEN)
Players Out: None
Notes: One of Germany’s stongest teams, Rain will be looking to form a consistent team so that they can do well in the European Cup in Portugal. The signing of highly-rated Thomas Wald from VfL Kamen will undoubtably help them on their European Quest

T.S.P.A. WHITESTAR

City: -
Nation: England
Players In: Trevor Arthur, Simon Bryan, Jonathan Bryan, Johan Lourdon, John Turpin (EAST MIDLANDS ALLIANCE), Victor Jones (SOLWAY SEAGULLS), Jeremy Bradley (SPARTA SPREEATHEN), Jeff Jordan (LONDON TFC), Dave Cope, Colin Fletcher, Rob Ginn (UNAT), Paul Remund (AJAX BASEL)
Players Out: None
Notes: Whitestar is another new English superteam which was formed by many EMA and TSPA Members as well as acquiring Jordan from London, Bradley from the Berlin club, Jones from the Seagulls as well as Swiss ace Paul Remund. The club is expected to leave their mark on Europe next season and are England’s second substitutes for the Europa Cup. With a mix of experience and youth they are expected to go far.

T.F.C. OS PASTILHAS

City: Lisbon
Nation: Portugal
Players In: Paolo Sena (SL CAMPOLIDE)
Players Out: None
Notes: Os Pastilhas’ team has barely changed from last season with only one signing, being that of Paolo Sena from city rivals SL Campolide. Throughout the season, the club has proved to be one of the strongest in Portugal, winning several international titles and performing well in the individual competitions. They are bound to have an impact on Europe once more this season.

VALLETTA S.C.

City: Valletta
Nation: Malta
Players In: Steve Austin, Adrian Bonnici, Stephen Caruana, Andre’ Grima (ZABBAR SC)
Players Out: Mark Gauci, Samuel Bartolo (ATLAS TFC) Timothy Spiteri (HAMRUN TFC)
Notes: Valletta SC lost its two star players over the transfer period, Gauci and Bartolo. However now the club is reinforced with new talent from the destroyed Zabbar SC, with the new acquisitions of Caruana, Bonnici and Austin, the club can expect to battle it out with the slightly stronger Hamrun TFC to obtain the Maltese Team’s Championship

YORKSHIRE PHOENIX T.F.C.

City: Swinefleet
Nation: England
Players In: Joan Collier, James Collier (BRACKNELL SC), Kenny Beggs, Eion Adams (IRISH PREMIER LEAGUE), Malcolm Dickson (EAST MIDLANDS ALLIANCE), Stuart McIlroy (NORTH DOWN), Craig Heward (SAN SIRO WORTHING FIVESTAR
Players Out: Adrian Curtis, Sam Curtis (ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE)
Notes: The club has been greatly replenished this season with many new faces on the squad, the most notable of which are the Northern Irish duo Beggs and Adams, EMA’s Dickson and Worthing’s Craig Heward. The club will continue to be a striking force in British Table Football

Interviews

timmyspiteri — Mon, 04 Sep 2006 04:47:12 CDT

SCOTT GIVENS

From the Touchline caught up with Scott Givens from the Bedford Premier League, who is set to organise the largest FISTF Satellite ever held in North America. The club is also organising a National Open during the weekend and also hopes to organise a teams competition. Here are the questions we asked him and his answers to them:

FTTL: How did you discover Table Football/Subbuteo?

SCOTT: In the early 80's we all played soccer here in Texas and watched soccer made in germany on PBS. I actually subscribed to the newsletter that they advertised and there was an ad for subbuteo in there. We saw that picture of the two boys leaning over the stadium with the goal keeper on the spring and were hooked. I asked for the Jokari version that my parents got through Montgomery Wards for Christmas. My brother Toby and Corey Rolf who still play with us all used to play starting out on the floor like everybody else until we figured out we could mount that cheap cloth pitch to a board (plywood) and play on the table. We even made advertising signs out of cardboard to prop around the pitch before we found out about the plastic fence surround. We played for about a year or two before we developed other interests such as girls and music. In 94 we had a brief revival and then with WC 02 my brother Toby was looking on ebay and saw some sets and we started playing again. We founded the Bedford Premier League and have been playing ever since.

FTTL: How many players do you expect to come to play in your tournaments
throughout both days?

SCOTT: We have 14 confirmed for the satellite and 12 for the open. We may have 16 for the satellite.

FTTL: Who do you think are the favourites for winning the title?

SCOTT: Based on what I know, I'd think Tim Boone from SLSL or Keith Constable from BPL. Although there could be a dark horse. My brother perhaps or one of the SLSL guys. I've never seen the rest of the guys play. It could be a very level playing field which is nice.

FTTL: Do you think any local players can go far in the tournaments?

SCOTT: Most definitely, I think all of the local guys have a shot.

FTTL: What do you think will be the highlight of the weekend?

SCOTT: Just getting together on Saturday with so many players. So many of whom have traveled several hours just to play. Regardless of who wins it will be a wonderful weekend.

FTTL: How does it feel to be organising the biggest satellite the USA has ever
had?

SCOTT: It feels great. When we first bid on hosting it we thought we'd be lucky to get the 8 required to qualify for satellite. Now, we are just thrilled with all the guys traveling to play. We couldn't be more pleased.

FTTL: What is your opinion on the FISTF creating a seperate North American Federation with its own board of directors and its own independent circuit?

SCOTT: I don't know that I have an opnion one way or another on this. I know that this topic has been mentioned on the ASA board a bit in the past. I just am mainly interested in developing the game in texas and building our league here. If we can contribute to the growth of the ASA by doing that then wonderful.

FTTL: Do you think that subbuteo will still be around in 30 years time?

SCOTT: I don't see why not.

FTTL: Do you plan on organising another FISTF event in the future?

SCOTT: Sure, this has been an enjoyable experience.

Reviews

timmyspiteri — Mon, 04 Sep 2006 04:43:16 CDT

THE HAINAUT REGION

The Hainaut region in Belgium has always been one of the strongest table-football communities in the World, it is probably also one of the most densely-populated table-football regions in the world with the great clubs of AS Hennuyer, SC Charleroi and Templeuve United all residing in this region. Other clubs in this region include Magic Team Tournai, Herla Chapelle and the what-seem-to-be inactive clubs of Olympique Pecq and RSC Pays Blanc.

Hainaut has always been known for the high level of players it produces. In its early years of success in the early nineties it had some of the best Juniors in the world with Fabian Brau, David Ruelle, Sandro Centritto, Bertrand Sartisse, Joel Hanotiaux and many more from the region, all making major impact in Europe. Nowadays two of the world’s top 10 teams reside in the region, these being AS Hennuyer and SC Charleroi.

The region has also produced some of the world’s strongest Female players including seven-time World Champion Delphine Dieudonne, Cynthia Bouchez, Valerie Hoyois and Aurelie Lucq.

The club of Templeuve United is known as the number one club for the bringing-up of Juniors in Belgium and has over 20 members within its ranks, most of them being under nineteen years of age.

Hainaut is also known for organising the biggest tournament of the year, that of Mons organized by AS Hennuyer which attracts over 150 players every year and has been this way since the mid-nineties.

2005 saw the organisation of the World Cup in Tournai, which attracted just over 200 players and was hailed as being the largest World Cup ever organised.

This year's Belgian National League for Clubs saw SC Charleroi and AS Hennuyer take the top two spots respectively which confirms the dominance which the region has on the National Scene.

Vincent Coppenolle, current FISTF president, who is in charge of the organisation of Templeuve United, has done alot for the development in this region as well as Olivier Pere from AS Hennuyer, who, along with his club-mates organises the biggest tournament of the year. and this is why the region of Hainaut will always remain a striking force in international table football and hopefully we will see this region grow more and more as time goes by.

Regional Champions:

1951 Marcel Coppée Frameries
1953 Raymond Pennequin Frameries
1987-88 Pasal Dieu BSC Frameries
1988-89 Jean-Pierre Dilella BSC Frameries
1989-90 Bertrand Sartisse SC Villers SG
1990-91 David Ruelle BSC Frameries
1991-92 David Ruelle AS Hennuyer
1992-93 Sébastien Hoyois AS Hennuyer
1993-94 Antonio Mettivieri SC Charleroi
1994-95 Pascal Dieu AS Hennuyer
1995-96 Maxime Van Impe SC Charleroi
1996-97 Joffrey Laurent SC Eugies
1997-98 Philippe Mairesse AS Hennuyer
1998-99 Antonio Mettivieri SC Charleroi ( ?)
1999-2000 Jean-Robert Degavre AS Hennuyer
2001-2002 Logan Adam FCTAF Quévy
2002-2003 Olivier Père AS Hennuyer
2003-2004 Arnaud Canfin MT Tournai
2004-2005 Maxime Castel Templeuve United
2005-2006 Anthony Coppenolle Templeuve United

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

MALTA

No. of Players (appx.): 80-100

No. of Clubs: 5

Website: www.maltasubbuteo.cjb.net

National Committee: Mario Spiteri (President) - mspiteri@gasanmamo.com

A brief history: Malta was one of the first european countries to receive subbuteo after English Colonists stationed in the country brought it over. However Table Football Leagues on the Maltese islands didnt start till the early seventies where several leagues were set up; Marsa, Sliema and Tigne were some of the most popular. The Nationl Championships during the seventies used to be organized by the Subbuteo Agent and the national champions used to represent Malta in the World Cups and European Cups. In 1976 the world cup was also oganized in Malta. Several impoirtant figures during the 1970's included Sandro Vukovic who used to organise the Sliema league which attracted over 40 players each year, Joseph Debono and the Ellul Brothers who were all influential in the national league played in Marsa. In 1982 when Mario Spiteri came from the World Cup in Barcelona, he along with several others from the Austin Centre SO, felt the need for a National Association and the Austin Centre SO became the Malta Table Soccer Organization. The MTSO from then on organized several national tournaments with great success. Influential players during thi period include Mario Spiteri, Adrian Bonnici, Mark Drago, Patrick Pace amongst many others that developed into top class players. The 90's saw a division in subbuteo on the islands and two Associations were formed, the MTFA, also known as the "player's association" and the SAM, that funded by the subbuteo agents, because of the special benefits the SAM had the MTFA started waining and decreasing in numbers however it still enjoyed the top-class players. In 1992, the MTFA organized the Europa Cup which was won by Christophe Fuseau of France. In 1994, at the Paris World Cup, Malta triumphed, winning two world cups, Joseph Borg Bonaci won the U19's while Darren Scicluna won the U15's. In the mid-90's the two associations came to a resolution at last and rejoined. In 2003 Malta once again organized the World Cup, which also won Tournament of the Year for 2003. At this event Malta once again managed to win 2 world cups, the first went to Roderick Sciberras who won the U19's and the second was won by the extremely strong U19 Team made up of Roderick Sciberras, Jean Carl Tabone, Samuel Bartolo and Melanie Fenech.

Tournaments: Today the MTFSA plays National Ranking Tournaments, once a month in Zabbar as well as the National League, the Knock Out and the National League for clubs, it also organizes the Malta Grand Prix and International Open in mid-March every season to which many foreign players attend. Other international tournaments played in Malta include another International Open as well as 2 Satellites.

General Info: Today Malta has many World-Class Players such as Massimo Cremona, Joseph Mifsud, Hansel Mallia, Derek Conti, Mark Gauci and Charles Aquilina. Most Maltese clubs are very well organized such as the semi-professional Club Valletta SC. Nowadays Malta has a very good youth setup with the likes of Hamrun TFC, Pembroke SC and SMCTFC all focusing mainly on youths and all having at least 10 youths. The MTFSA is also the only Table Football Association in the World that is recongnized by its National Olympic Committee.

The Future: The Maltese association plans to keep organizing its tournament well and hopes to focus more on its youth players in the future. The MTFSA will also be organizing the World Masters next season between the world's top 12 players.

Articles

timmyspiteri — Mon, 04 Sep 2006 04:39:09 CDT

WORLD CUP PREVIEW

This year's World Cup is expected to be the greatest ever organised, not only in organisation but also in diversity and quality of players. The open category this year seems to be very open. In fact there are many candidates which have the chance to take home the silverware. As always it is expected that the Belgians and Italians will dominate as has been for almost evry world cup that was organised.

The Italians will field a very stong team this year, featuring current World Champion, Massimo Bolognino, pioneer of the club in Naples, there is also Efrem Intra, who took Europe by storm this season, winning the biggest tournament of the year in Brussels, as well as winning the Grand Prix of France in Beausoleil. Massimiliano Nastasi, another of their greats who won the 2003 World Cup, is also expected to do well this season. One cannot forget Belgian-born Antonio Mettivieri who has always left a great impact on the game with his tremendous playing skills.

The Belgians, who will be without Hennuyer star, David Ruelle this time, are also fielding some world-class players including the two-time World Champion, Gil Delogne, Rochefortaise Valery Dejardin, who has performed some amazing feats this season on the domestic scene, winning several tournaments including Templeuve and Stembert. One also cannot underestimate FISTF Sports Director Olivier Pere who won the Issy Open.

The Portuguese duo Vasco Guimaraes and Sergio Loureiro are also expected to do well this year. Especially Guimaraes who won a host of prestigious tournaments this season. Greek startlet Nikos Beis is also expected to stir some trouble with his deadly playing which has seen him come up the ranks in European Table Football. His countrymen, Koutis and Triantafillou are also strong players who will cause a surprise or two.

Carlos Flores from Spain will be looking to avenge his Mons final defeat in Dortmund and is seen to be as one of the best players out there at the moment. World number 2, Massimo Cremona from Malta is also a player that is expected to shine in Germany, and the Austians will give anyone a run for their money when playing at their highest level.

Dutchman, Eric Verhagen will have to live up to his World Number 1 status in Dortmund, however it is expected that the Rotterdam Devil will not make much impact after being away from the game for so long in his table-footbally isolated new home in Brazil.

Some players to look out for in the tournament of the year will be Vincenc Prats and Raul Benita from Spain, Samuel Bartolo from Malta and Nicolas Wlodarczyck from France.

Since the Portuguese will be absent for this edition, the Belgians are expected to dominate the U19 competition with players like Arnaud Nullens, Logan Carette and Justin Leroy amongst others. However one must not leave out players like Christian Haas from Austria and Stefano Buono from Italy.

Dutchman Martin Bom is expected to win the Veterans Competition this season, however this category is of such high standard that their are several other big names which can take down Bom, players such as Renzo Frignani from Italy, Thierry Vivron and Henri Cornu from France, Arturo Martinez, Jose Leon and Juan Carlos Granados from Spain are all top candidates for the old-timers competition.

Delphine Dieudonne is expected to take her 8th World Title this year, there isn't anyone that can quite take her on at the moment, however the fight to get to the final will be quite an intense one as there are many players of similar level such as Danish Kamilla Kristensen, French Francoise Guyot and Micheal Kalina, Bettina Lenz and Micheal Scherbaum from Austria.

Ruben Portugues from Portugal is firm favourite to take home the silverware, for he is currently the best U15 around,however Kristian Staal Nielsen from Denmark and Mattia Bellotti from Italy can quite as easily take the honours. Other players to look out for include Joris Bois and Benjamin Garnier from France, Alex Haas from Austria and Jonathan Thulier from Belgium.

For more info on the World Cup you can visit www.tablefootballworldcup.de

Below is the official World Cup schedule:

Friday, 16th

9.00 - 17.00
11.00
19.00
20.30
21.30

Free training at the venue with media coverage
International press conference
Players Night at the "ROADSTOP", Do-Hohensyburg
Draw at the event-room of the "ROADSTOP"
FISTF congress at the event-room of the "ROADSTOP"

Saturday, 17th

08.30
09.00
09.30
13.15
13.45
19.00

Arrive and check-in
Opening ceremony
Start of the individuel competitions - groups
Break
Knock outs
End of the 1st day

Sunday, 18th

08.30
09.00
09.30
13.15
13.30
14.00
14.15
16.15
17.15
17.45

Arrive
Pricegiving ceremony Woman/ Veterans
Start of the team competitions - groups
Pricegiving ceremony U15/ U19
Break
Pricegiving ceremony Open
Knock outs
Finals
Pricegiving ceremony team competitions
Say goodbye from Dortmund...

THE AMERICAN FEDERATION

With the FISTF general elections round the corner, one of the various proposals that has been mentioned and proposed by Mr. Vincent Coppenolle, FISTF President, is that of creating a seperate American Federation with its own seperate Circuit, Committee and Continental Championships.

There are many pros and cons regarding this so-called Table Footballing "Schism". Those that stand for this issue are saying that it will encourage more play within the states as well as in the other American countries such as Canada, Mexico and the South American Nations. They might also say that it givs a chance for Americans to progress in their own Rankings and organise themselves better and gain experience in organisation of tournaments.

However I can only see this idea as a negative thing. How can the FISTF seriously call itself the World Governing body when it only has European countries affiliated within its ranks? This so-called break-up will lead to less communication between America and Europe and will only create a rivalry amongst the continents and lead to lower attendances at FISTF tournaments over on the other side if the pond.

Why not create a FISTF sub-committee to deal wit issues regarding the states, I must admit, having continental championships isn't a bad idea, but how can you call a competition continental when only 2 nations are participating? We need to encourage more nations to affiliate with FISTF and not break away creating new federations otherwise the sport will never grow. Another good idea would be to still have american tournaments in the FISTF calendar and have the American Nations organise a stand-alone circuit with 2 or 3 competitions in each country, this would enable the Americans to develop as a continent as well as keeping relations with the FISTF and its circuit.