Hello players! As our foosball community has grown, we’ve encountered new challenges. We used to be able to run events quickly, but now that our player base has grown we’re running into situations where we have more matches than there are free tables. Players are standing around laughing and socializing instead of focusing on the game, and it’s a bad experience for everyone. We want our events to be about foosball, not community or friendship.
To remedy the situation, we’re going to change the format for our larger events to 4v4 matches. Each game will have four players per team, two teams per table. With four tables we will be able to have 32 players all playing simultaneously.
We will also move from the “best 2/3” or “race to 10” formats to instead use a 10 minute game clock. Rapid play is too hard for spectators to follow. A soccer style game where teams take an early lead and then run the clock out while barely breaking a sweat is more what our audience is looking for. Possessions will be limited to 30 seconds per rod.
FAQ:
Q: Left or right handed play?
A: Normal events will be players choice, but for some speciality events we will require that players play with their non-dominant hand to improve their skills.
Q: How will you enforce the 30 seconds per rod possession clock?
A: We are working with local Silicon Valley technologists to develop a new handle that automatically gives a player an electric shock if they keep possession of the ball for more than 30 seconds. (Note: no gloves or insulated wraps are permitted.)
Q: Do these games conform to ITSF or WFT match rules?
A: After we prove the effectiveness of this new format, we expect other clubs and governing bodies such as ITSF and WFT to quickly adopt similar changes.
Q: Any changes to prize money?
A: We’re offering $1000 added prize money per event to incentivize players to try out the new format. We expect ITSF and WFT to adopt this payout change as well.
Thank you all in advance for supporting the new format!
