British Foosball Association

Following on from the recent debates and discussions about the state of the game in this country, which were originally sparked by Geoff Brice's newsletter interview, it has become quite obvious that there are a LOT of people on this forum who are passionate enough to want to change things, both regionally and nationally.

As moderator of the Y&GR Development Group, it seems that the time is right to initiate an organised effort to get things moving in the right direction. The group is currently loosely associated with the BFA committee (indeed only 2 committee members are present) and does not have to answer to it either. Largely this is a facility to have honest, open discussions and opinions, but more importantly it is a place to share ideas and help to develop an organised grass roots structure (which I will explain shortly). I don't want this group to turn into a waste of time - I only want people who are willing to make a difference, or feel like they have some good ideas to share. I don't want anyone who just wants to be part of a group for the status.

The objectives of the group (which will be continually under revision and are very open to change) will center on:

• Firstly, we need to identify our current situation CLEARLY. Where are all of our players based? Where are all of our local scenes based? Where are there foosball tables without players, and players without tables? Where are all of these schools with tables? I'd like all of this information to be presented on a map of some sort, which would also be visible on the BFA website for all to see. The spread of up to date information like this is invaluable in generating interest.
• Once we have this information we can start to use it. By breaking the UK up into regions (arguably counties would be a good idea) we can start to tackle each region individually. The problem the BFA have had is that there are far too few people trying to take on far too much - by having a lot of us take on smaller chunks not only will the task appear much less daunting but we will also be more productive.
• The ideal end product (and what we should be aiming for) are local leagues, local tournaments, county associations, county leagues, county cups, UK Junior Championships etc etc.

Clearly we're a long way off from any of this, but we have to start somewhere. Exactly how we get there is obviously open to debate, but it will all be a LOT easier if we're actually organised. My role as group moderator will be to facilitate, create, encourage and contribute to all discussions/help etc. I will also be looking to appoint regional representatives in the very near future, who can assume "responsibiity" for development in their region. Consequently I personally will be looking to develop foosball in Gloucestershire along with the help of others (although how long I will be here is unknown at present).

There have been a lot of passionate posts from many people in the last week or so, and plenty from times gone by. Now is the time to step up and show that this was more than just words on a foosball forum.

If you would like to join the group, please PM me. Please remember that the more people that get involved, the less work for everyone and consequently the less of your time it will take! Remember that not many of us have much time - you are not alone there!

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