Top 10 Subbuteo Accessories From Yesteryear (Photos)
By Chris Wright
I think we can all agree that the actual game of Subbuteo was tripe – and yes, this is largely because I was terrible at it – but the accessories were absotively fantastic works of miniature art.
From the pure pleasure derived from getting your hands on a beautiful, pristine green box containing the Port Vale 1990 squad displayed in uniform within their blister pack to the very first time you snapped one of them off at the ankles – Subbuteo’s visual aesthetic was a thing to be cherished.
For no reason other than we love it, here’s our rundown of the top ten Subbuteo accessories you probably wish you’d owned…
10. Outside Broadcast TV Unit/Gantry
Broadcast your game live to millions…
9. Adidas Tango balls
Coolest football ever, somehow made infinitely cooler…
8. Substitutes’ bench
The physio figurines were a bloody nightmare to keep perched on the pine. Many were the times that games were interrupted by a chap in a green tracksuit rolling around on his back on the touchline…
7. Referee and Linesmen
The men in black…
6. Fences
It seems quite strange to say, but having fencing or hoarding around the perimeter of your pitch was a big deal – especially if you had the sponsors stickers affixed too…
5. Official Subbuteo Grandstand
Only serious players need apply…
4. Scoreboard
An absolute nightmare to set up if memory serves, but how else are you going to keep track of the score? With a pen and paper? Get out of it!
3. Floodlights
Two 5 watt bulbs? Illuminate that sucker, maestro!
2. Premier League/FA Cup/World Cup trophy
Something to hoist aloft at the end of it all…
1. The stadium on the advert!
Would you just look at that thing? Subbuteovana!
Oh yes!
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Rar Rar!
I enjoy things I remember!
kids these days don’t know they’re born with their xbox’s, playstations and higher education.
Subbuteo was my childhood. Many a day spent with a scissors cutting up the black cards for the score board names: Legia Warsaw, Cliftonville, you name it and my score board had it
Never understood the whole “kids these days” arguement. If you were a kid now you’d be doing exactly the same. Theres always a generation before you that had less.
Always wished I could play subbuteo when I was a kid. Just couldn’t get to grips with it. Fortunately I had a sega mega drive to play instead.
@Harry – the expression is used in jest, one genaeration always says it about the previous generation regardless of what they had/didn’t have, can’t believe I had to explain that, the joy police are out today
The young lad in the stadium picture has also got a whistle!
You had to have a whistle just in case your ref was broke.
Glory days.
Tripe? Sorry I’ve got to disagree with that. I bloody loved Subbuteo, I had the Tango’s, scoreboard, and floodlights (which were tripe)
Wahey – I had the grandstand, scoreboard and floodlights. Nothing really will replace the feeling of sadness when one of them breaks off :(
yea kids these days are playing fifa! That their soccer toy and I won’y deny anything cuz fifa is a fantastic game.
In 30 years time, we will be reminiscing about how we could make simulated versions of our football idols run around on a field and score amazing goals. And we will reminisce on how we were able to feel an excitement so similar to that on the field.
Apart from the stands and the Prem League trophy, I had all of these…plus photographers, throw-in figures, corner kick figures and “live action” goalkeepers (whatever they were.)
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[...] Top 10 Subbuteo accessories [...]
[...] Top 10 Subbuteo accessories [...]
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