12 Oct 2014 19:06:01
Liked your Subbuteo piece ed, but that was a far too one-dimensional viewpoint on the past-time.
Whilst there were established competitions for the flickers, who seemed to be expert middle aged fellas with a lifetime experience, many other kids' interest in this sport-substitute quickly waned.
Rather like train sets, who had their young would-be engineers/ mechanics / architects / designers etc as participants, Subbuteo also sold stadium extras that could broaden the mind. You could get terraces, stands, and other extras. Of course, the terraces went behind the goals. Saving your paper delivery money over a couple of months, and there was the prospect of buying a corner in-fill to your ground.
I don't recall Subbuteo selling toy spectators, but the stadium could be easily populated by toy soldiers, 'borrowing' train set figures and the like. A group of kids in cooperation would be better ; more resources and sharing of collections. A ground owned by, and run for, the fans!
The adventurous owners had a double or triple terrace end that recalled of trips to, or tv highlights of, the Kop or (pah) OT, Goodison Park or Maine Road.
Sadly I don't know of any kids who became billionaires and fulfilled this dream but that is not to deny the possibilities of Subbuteo.
The only down-side was that, by the time you'd saved enough to expand the ground and its fans, the lure of life had moved you on.
Perhaps a lesson that should be remembered by owners and television companies who take for granted their supporters
money?
When is Part II of Subbuteo due?

1.) 13 Oct 2014
You could buy crowds for the stands, I remember seeing them in a model shop many years ago. Actually it was a stand that had a crowd in it, if I remember rightly, rather than separate crowds to place in the empty stands.

I remember getting given Subboteo as a kid, I only played it once as we had to lay it out on the floor and there were only 3 players left intact after the first match!