1929. Newfooty.
Newfooty! __ Never heard before? __ The original invention of the finger flicking table football game came from Mr. William Lane Keeling from Liverpool. Liverpool and “The Beatles” are well known, but Liverpool and “Newfooty“, that sounds unfamiliar, does it not?
We write the Year 1925. Mr. William Lane Keeling from Liverpool started to think about a football game, that he can play indoors in the winter time with his children. The hard thinking and creation, development how to play on the table began, until the patent (invention) was able to be registered in 1929. Four hard years in testing, thinking, designing and re-development of miniature figures on round half shapped balls (bases) with lead molded into the plastic base at the bottom. Figures who are able to “run” on the wool blankets (chalk was used to draw the lines) and curle around.
What fun indeed? The first curling figure was born. Sliding and polishing came only in the mid 1970s from Italy.
The fore-runner to Subbuteo Table Football/Soccer was born. He may claim to be the original invertor of the finger flicking table football/soccer game on the table or later on a playing board with a football field. It was first manufactured in 1929 by William Lane Keeling and distributed from his little Newfooty shop In Liverpool. Newfooty Limited!
Thanks to William Lane Keeling, YOU, dear reader, are able to “flick and play” with others, because of his genius figures invention. Sorry dear Mr. Peter Adolph, thats sounds like a bit history correction. We also know that Subbuteo Sports Games Ltd. take over rivals Newfooty Ltd. Company from Liverpool in 1957 and therefore the main market rival disappeared. History could have been written otherwise, if Keelings success would have been a marketing hit, ….. but that is fantasy. Subbuteo was the way it would go after 1957 …. !