This past week, I did something I haven’t done in 30 years. I played a game of Subbuteo.
The last time I played the table soccer game, I had bought a set from Toys R Us in the 1980s. In that game, my cousin and I picked up the generic red and blue teams that came with the set, and played the game across the green cloth pitch on the carpet in my apartment. That feels like a lifetime ago. So much has changed in my life and around the world since then.
But when I was invited to attend a night of Subbuteo with local soccer fans at a nearby brewery this past week, the memories came flooding back of spending countless hours playing the game when I was even younger, as a child and young teen in Wales. Back then, my friends and cousin had literally played the game for hundreds of hours over countless summers and winter holidays.
When I drove to the local brewery to join in a night of Subbuteo, I didn’t know what to expect. Nor did I know whether I remembered the rules of play. But within two minutes of playing a practice match against Pat O’Brien, the organizer of his Garage Soccer events that feature Subbuteo events across South Florida, I had nothing to worry about. I was hooked. Once again.
The concept of Garage Soccer is to bring together soccer fans throughout South Florida for a fun night out at a local brewery to play Subbuteo. There’s no membership fee, and it’s free to play. While soccer video games are enjoyable, Subbuteo is more of a purer form of soccer. There’s plenty of tactics, just like in the real game. Sure, there’s plenty of skills required, too, but the game is easy to pick up and understand. Plus, most importantly, it’s fun.
Playing Subbuteo with Garage Soccer, there’s the added bonus of bring able to drink your favorite craft beer (or as my preference, cider). It’s also a great opportunity to meet new people and talk about soccer with like-minded friends.
If you’ve never played Subbuteo before, it’s easy and fun to play.
To learn more about Garage Soccer and to find out where the upcoming events will be in South Florida, check out Garage Soccer on Facebook or online.
