Along with nailing that triple twenty on the darts board and emptying the quiz machine, rifling in a twenty yard screamer on the Foosball table can make anyone a college bar hero, at least for one night.
We’ve all been there on a quiet evening, enjoying the thrills and spills of a quick game between essays, wasting loose change and lording it over your mates, but last year I took the chance to dabble in the inter-college table football league. Run by the OUTFC, this is one of the top leagues in the country, featuring a large number of sterling national players.
I must add that at the time of joining I was in no way gifted at the sport; horrific own goals rather than the aforementioned screamers had become my speciality and my scoring droughts left me looking less Alan Shearer and more Ade Akinbiyi.
Still, I wouldn’t trade the laughs and jokes for anything. The league setup gives students an excuse to visit a new college every other week for an evening, meet new people and chill out in a different bar or common room. The atmosphere is always relaxed and never taken too seriously, especially outside of the top tier, in a sport where alcohol merely acts as a lubricant for epic games.
Commitment levels are relatively low – the odd game here or there easily counts as ‘training’ and overall I personally found it a very rewarding experience.
Of course if Table Football is already your niche then I cannot recommend the University league highly enough. A number of students we came up against on our travels were nationally or even internationally ranked and the mesmerising skills they could pull off were a joy to behold, although less so when we were on the receiving end.
Whether an experienced player or simply a legend in your own lunchtime, Table Football is definitely something to get involved in as a fresher, even if just for the chance to meet new people or check out other colleges. In fact if you’re anything from a fresher to a seasoned grad a quick game of competetive foosball comes highly recommended (get in touch with the OUTFC for more information on setting up a college team).
So one evening, don’t let Noel steal all of your student pennies on the IT Box, why not put some change in the Foosball table and let the banter flow.
