Mark Adolph playing Subbuteo with Alessandro Benedetti in Rome (nov. 2006)
Mark Adolph* and Peter Whitehead**: interview by Fabrizio Ghilardi.
A double interview to know their point of view on Subbuteo and football in the UK.
* Mark is the son of the inventor of Subbuteo, the great Peter Adolph. Mark has recently written "Growing Up with Subbuteo: My Dad Invented the World’s Greatest Football Game" published by Sportsbooks Ltd.
** Pete is a collector. Owner of Subbuteoworld he runs www.subbuteoworld.co.uk. Pete is a famous seller of vintage Subbuteo and items dedicated to Table Football.
Mark, more than a year ago, we presented your book, “Growing Up with Subbuteo: My Dad Invented the World’s Greatest Football Game”, to the public of Rome.
The occasion arose with the wonderful event dedicated to Subbuteo and to Fair Play.
How is the book going?
Mark: The book seems to be going well. I have had some good positive feedback from people, across the world who have read it and some from afar afield as Australia and New Zealand so it is nice to know that Subbuteo is still going strong that far away from Tunbridge Wells! I did have interest from a UK based television production company, who had the idea that the whole Subbuteo story, based on my book, would make a good TV drama. I even signed an option agreement contract with them, but unfortunately they decided not to renew this contract and not to pursue their original idea of a programme. It is a shame, but I may see if anyone else might be interested as I think it might make excellent viewing. A bit biased maybe, but you have to try these things!
Pete, you have a fantastic website (www.subbuteoworld.co.uk) in which you sell Subbuteo items from the past and from the present, and everything that is connected to the world of Subbuteo. A very interesting place especially for collectors. Tell us something about your activity.
Pete: The idea for the website was first thought of back in January 2000 while I was in the USA. Then when I returned to the UK in March 2000 I registered the name SUBBUTEOWORLD and got a local web designer to make my website. The website went live in June 2000. Originally the idea was to set up a website selling just used Subbuteo as a part-time business, but virtually from the beginning it became a full-time business. By 2004 I found I had more work than I could cope with on my own so in June 2004 my wife left her banking job to come into the business with me full-time. Our aim has always been to build and expand the business year by year and as the game has developed and changed we would like to think that we have adapted to the changes.
Pete, are you a collector, an enthusiast or do you play with Subbuteo?
Pete: I am a collector. I played the game when I was at school back in the late 70's but not to a great standard. I have always been a collector both of Subbuteo and also records. SUBBUTEOWORLD was built on my collecting background and knowledge, not on my playing ability.
Action Now-Play old style is still promoting the exhibition ‘Flick about’ by the Swedish artist Charlotta Smeds. The exhibition will in fact shortly be presented in Turin and Verona. The idea is to promote Fair Play among young people through a clean image of football, the image that is transmitted by Subbuteo, the most beautiful game dedicated to Football. What do you think?
Mark: I think this is an excellent idea. Firstly, I absolutely love Charlotta’s book - I have never seen photos of Subbuteo portrayed in such a unique way, and the enlarged photos that appear in the exhibition really do the subject justice. Anything that promotes a good clean image of football across the world can only be of benefit, and if Subbuteo can help to do this then all well and good.
Pete: We have seen some of the work from the Exhibition and think Charlotta is very talented, we like the work and idea very much. Promoting Fair Play in football is a great idea and there is no better way than through Subbuteo or Table Football. It would also be great to see Table Football in the Olympic's. This would be the best way to promote the game and it's image across the world. Also we think that if Table Football or Subbuteo did become an Olympic sport then this would surely make Hasbro re-think the whole Subbuteo brand and re-launch it on a large scale.
How is Subbuteo going in the UK? How is the interest in the young generations? I saw that you, Pete, have a programme to be developed in schools. Tell us all about it!
Pete:As you know Hasbro own Subbuteo but over the last ten years they have done very little with it. So today we have a situation were the only Subbuteo branded product being made is the DREAM TEAM STADIUM EDITION. There are no Subbuteo branded teams (apart from what you get in the set), Floodlights, Grandstands or accessories etc. etc. being made today. This has left the door open to people like Edilio Parodi with the Zeugo brand, Flickmaster, Stefan Corda and also now our own brand PEGASUS to come up with new products and so keep the game alive to a new generation of players and collectors. The demand for the old Subbuteo teams, accessories and box sets is still there and there will always be a healthy market for the original products but new collectors are very happy with the various accessories and new Zeugo teams that we sell. They are every bit as good as the original and unless Hasbro do something major with the brand (which we think is unlikely) then there is no question that the future of Table Football will be in the hands of small businesses and not the Subbuteo brand.
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