OUR CLUB

CLUB ETHOS

Western Sydney Subbuteo is open to all players of all ages, genders, experience and ability.
The club holds regular meetings at the Western Sydney Subbuteo Clubhouse in Toongabbie and at the FitDistrict training centre in Bella Vista, usually in the form of one-off monthly tournaments. For a few months every spring, the Spring League takes over as the club's players battle it out, league format, to find the season's champion. Even during this time, however, new players are always welcome to come along and join in. We can always provide equipment for new players as well.
Western Sydney Subbuteo is a club which prides itself on the camaraderie of its players. Healthy banter is a key feature while fair play is valued above everything. There is no pressure for players to participate unless they are able to and want to, though opportunities to play are provided as much as possible.
With a desire to encourage new and inexperienced players, Western Sydney Subbuteo has adopted a number of strategies to encourage experienced players to use their games against less experienced players as an opportunity to help them develop. The main one is to never use goal difference, or goals scored, as a factor in determining placings in any league or tournament. If players finish any of these on equal points, their head-to-head result(s) are used to determine who finishes higher and if this is tied, or the players have not played each other in a particular tournament, they finish as equals. This way, stronger players are not using their games against weaker players as a chance to improve their arbitrary goal difference, but as a chance to help weaker players improve. A second strategy is that all tournaments are held using the Swiss System. This means that every player plays the same number of games (rather than other systems where better players play more games, helping them to become even better) and most of these are against opponents with relatively equal ability.
Another of the club's defining features is a refusal to standardise its equipment. A range of different pitch types, in particular, are always used in order to emulate the real world experience of football, where players must be flexible in adapting to different conditions.

CLUB HISTORY

In the early 2000s, Adrian Elmer had introduced his friend, David Hughes, to the game of Subbuteo and they would play the occasional match. In 2003, Adrian's wife, Rebecca, suggested that he organise a tournament for his birthday. This way, he and David would get to play the games they craved, while friends and family members would not be able to offer their usual excuses not to play, as it was Adrian's birthday wish. And, so, the September Cup was born on September 3, 2003, featuring players who would become club stalwarts, such as Costa Kamarados. From then, a loose connection of players would descend on Toongabbie once a year to resume their Subbuteo rivalries and the tournament continues, annually, to this day.
In the week before the 2013 September Cup, Adrian did a google search to see if there was any other mention of Subbuteo in Australia, as he did every year in the lead up to the tournament. The search was usually fruitless, only turning up archival references but, this time, he came across the relatively new WASPA website, through which it was found that a few others in Sydney and Melbourne were again playing the game. After getting in contact with these fellow enthusiasts, it was decided to formalise the collection of once-a-year players into a club to begin playing against others from around Sydney and Australia.
Some early contact with the Western Sydney Wanderers football club was promising so the initial name of the club was taken as Western Sydney Subbuteo. However, the Subbuteo club was too small to make much impact at the time and so, in order to help forge its own identity, the name of Subbuteo Parramatta was taken at the beginning of 2014 and the club began the process of establishing itself and reaching out to other players in Sydney. With a newfound presence on the internet, pockets of interested players began getting in contact such as Paul Magee, who has been organising Subbuteo in Western Sydney since the mid-1970s. By the middle of 2014, enough players were interested in starting a league that the Spring League was begun, with club stalwarts like Steve Diasinos, Gordy Dudley and the Elmer sisters, Imojjen and Æowyn, establishing their names. Initially, the league was open to all players, regardless of their club affiliation. It proved a successful starting point, however, helping to grow both the club and the game in the city, meaning that the League is now for Western Sydney Subbuteo players only - the other clubs now strong enough to hold their own leagues.
The first official club playing strip, which you can see modeled on the 'Our Players' page, was introduced in July of 2015, after a design and voting process in which all club players participated. The club's colours of black with silver, white and deep red trim are featured on the strip. An updated kit began with a similar design process in late 2019 but the COVID outbreaks put most things Subbuteo related on hold for 2 years. It was finally launched in January of 2022, maintaining the dominant black, the silver trim and tweaking the deep red into the club's official 'rust red'.
The club has continued to flourish, and birthed a number of other clubs as well. Its Spring League is still the largest league in the country with new players joining every season. Between 2017 and early 2020, the club had a home base at the Bella Vista Good Games store. With this move of clubhouse away from Parramatta, and club players coming from a range of areas in Sydney's West, the players decided to change the name of the club back to its original, and more accurately indicative, name of Western Sydney Subbuteo, in mid-2018.
In the post-COVID era the club has flourished and grown. In late 2023, long time member, Ray Micallef, held a trial tournament for new players at his FitDistrict training studio in Bella Vista. The success of the tournament proved that the studio would be perfect as both a venue and as a way of reaching even more players and so, in 2024, FitDistrict became an official, regular host of Western Sydney Subbuteo meetings.
Western Sydney Subbuteo continues to be a forerunner in the game in Australia. In the ATFA (Australian Table Football Association) era (2013->), the club has been a pioneer, being the first to hold retro tournaments (The September Cup), the first to establish a regular club league, the first to host a Junior category at a tournament and the first to host Junior only tournaments. Monthly World Amateur Subbuteo Players Association rankings suggest that Western Sydney Subbuteo is currently the largest club in the world in terms of active players numbers. The club is a proud member of the Australian Table Football Association.

NOVEMBER 2025 RANKINGS

With 12 WSS players involved across a host of different events at the recent Asian Cup, significant ranking movement has happened across both the FISTF and WASPA rankings. Franck holds on to his club no. 1 position in the FISTF rankings with a decent jump in his own world and Australian rankings. Justr behind him, though, the significant jumps were made by the following pack. Tim, John and Steve made the biggest jumps, in the 300s & 400s on the world rankings, and 4 new players joined the opens rankings - Imojjen, Paul, Zakkhya and Gordon. Imojjen also rejoined the women's rankings, while 4 players joined the U20 rankings - Tim, Josiah, Zakkhya and Iain. Tim's victory as U20 Asian Champion pushed him all the way to number 7 in the world

In the the teams category, another first for the club. Linked with Canberra & South Coast TFC as the Tumbleweeds, for the first time in our history, we have an A and a B team in the rankings. With both teams making it to the quarter finals of the Asian Cup teams tournament, we jumped to positions 3 & 4 in Australia, into the low 40s for both in the world rankings.

As with the FISTF rankings, there was movement aplenty in the WASPA rankings. Adrian managed a jump up 1 place to 2nd in the Australian rankings. The biggest jumps were made by Melvin and Steve. Both missed out on getting through to the round of 32 at the Asian Cup, but both went on to be grand finalists in their resepctive WASPA consolation tournaments. Unfortunately, both missed out on titles via shootouts in their grand finals, but their performances, nonetheless, boosted their WASPA rankings considerably.

WSS AT THE 2025 ASIAN CUP

Over the weekend of October 18 & 19, Western Sydney Subbuteo was the club with the highest number of players at the 2025 Asian Cup. Here is a rundown of how everyone fared:

Iain Anderson - Iain made his competitive début in the Junior Event on Saturday, enjoying his time greatly and keen for more.
Franck Cozzarin - Franck finished 2nd in his group in the Open Tournament, taking his place in the barrage round of the knockout stage. There, he met the eventual tournament winner, Michael Choong, and bowed out 4-1. On Sunday, he played his part in The Tumbleweeds A team before taking his place in the Australia B team in their friendly match with Singapore B.
Steve Diasinos - Steve was drawn in a tough group in the Opens Event, where he failed to make it to the barrage round. He did, however, recover to win his way all the way to the grand final of the Plate WASPA Event, where he was unlucky to lose on shots after a pulsating 2-2 draw with Japan's Tomoki Ono. On Sunday, he backed up as part of The Tumbleweeds A team.
Gordon Dudley - In spite of over 10 years of competitive experience, Gordon was playing his first ever FISTF tournament, drawn in a group with eventual tournament winner Michael Choong. He was knocked out in the shield tournament for players who didn't get through to the Asian Cup barrage round.
Adrian Elmer - Adrian had his best ever major tournament result on Saturday, getting through to the round of 16. In a common theme for WSS players over the day, he then met Michael Choong and was knocked out with a 2-1 loss. On Sunday, he joined Franck in The Tumbleweeds A team as well as the Australia B team.
Imojjen Hunnam - Playing more games than anyone across the weekend, Imojjen featured in the Open Event, where she played 2 draws and a single loss, as well as the Women's Event, where she ran 3rd. She then played all of The Tumbleweeds B team matches, followed by an appearance in the first ever Australian Women's Team international match against Japan.
Josiah Jackson - Playing his first ever FISTF tournament, Josiah started out with the Junior Event on Saturday. Here, he made it all the way to the grand final, where he succumbed to team mate, Tim, in a shootout after a goalless game. On Sunday, he was part of Tumbleweeds B team which won their way through the quarter-finals.
Paul Magee - A tough day for Paul who was drawn in Group 1 with Asia's top seeded player and then suffered a shock loss in another game to be knocked out of the Open Event.
Gabriel Phokos - Gabriel pried himself away from the study books to feature in both the Opens Event and the Junior Event on Saturday, where he made it through to the semi-final.
John Phokos - Playing in the Open Event, John joined Steve and Gordon in the Plate WASPA event on Saturday. He then backed that up to play in the President's Cup WASPA Event on Sunday.
Tim Phokos - Another player with a busy weekend, Tim alternated games in the Open Event with games in the Junior Event. He eventually went on to win the Junior Event with a shootout victory against clubmate Josiah in the grand final. On Sunday, he led The Tumbleweeds B team to the quarter finals of the Teams Event.
Zakkhya Quinn - Zakkhya also alternated between the Open and Junior Events across Saturday, making it to the semi-finals of the Junior Event.

The Tumbleweeds A - Franck, Steve and Adrian joined Canberra & South Coast TFC's Nick Brill and Richard Wilson in The Tumblweeds A team. An opening round win against STFC of Western Australia was followed by a tight game against the top ranked Melbourne TFC team. Though losing the match 3-1, a single extra goal could have tied the match completely. In the quarter finals, it was even closer, with the team pushing their nemesis, Northern Falcons TFC, all the way. Two late goals to the Falcons unfortunately sent the game into extra time, where Adrian conceded a goal to still win his game, but lose the tie for his team in heartbreaking circumstances.

The Tumbleweeds B - Entering the fray a player short, The Tumbleweeds B team, consisting of Imojjen, Josiah and Tim, began the Event with a view to going as far as they could in the Plate tournament for teams who don't get out of the group stage. Unfortunately for those plans, they played out of their skin to register a 3-1 victory over Yokohama OSC, in spite of being one player short. This bumped them into a quarter final berth of the main event, second in their group after a game aginst the might of Jurong Central TFC from Singapore - the eventual tournament winners - brought out the best in all 3 players. In the quarter finals they ran up against SG Lions, a team which included erstwhile clubmate Melvin, and which knocked them out of the Event, though they had definitely exceeded their own, as well as everyone else's, expectations on the day.

Australia B - Franck and Adrian were both priveledged to be selected in the Australia B team to play a friendly against a (sort of) Singapore B. In a tight match Singapore came out on top.

Australia Women - Imojjen had the honour of playing in the Australian Women's Team's first ever international game, a friendly against the visiting Japanese Women. In a very tight tussle across 4 games, there were 3 draws and a solitary 1-0 win to give Australia the overall victory.

SEPTEMBER 2025 RANKINGS

Ray and Melvin were the big movers after their appearances at the recent WASPA tournament at FitDistrict, while our top 3 players maintained their places. Adrian managed to slide up to a career high place of 17 on the World Rankings.

The Micallef brothers finally registered with ATFA and so their results from April's Louis Micallef Memorial tournament are now part of the official rankings! Not too much movement outside of that, but 3 different FISTF tournaments coming in September and October, including the big one - The Asian Cup - will mean lots of points earned and (hopefully) movement up the rankings.

JULY 2025 RANKINGS

A little bit of movement with a handful of players in action this month. The effect of consistent play are what is most evident this month. In spite of finishing on the bottom of the table in our monthly WASPA tournament, John made the biggest improvement both nationally and globally of all the players in our club because his results picked up ranking points. Tim was not far behind for the same reason. And, even at the top end of the scale, where movement is much more difficult, Franck continued his upward rise following one disappointing tournament (he came last) and one excellent tournament (which he won!).

No FISTF tournament action during June meant the FISTF rankings had very little movement, other than for a couple of players to fall off the rankings as the points from their last tournament finally expired!

JUNE 2025 RANKINGS

Only two players in the club managed to get along to a WASPA tournament across the last two months, and only one of those managed to improve his overall world ranking. Franck continues his gradual climb in the WASPA world rankings, up to a career high of 44. Hopefully, some more regular club tournaments over the next few months will help others to also crawl back skywards.

Our very own Louis Micallef Memorial Open in April helped a bunch of our players to improve on their FISTF rankings. Tim made the biggest moves while Steve got himself back into the rankings with his first FISTF tournament appearance since the beginning of 2023. Franck held on to the club's No. 1 spot while also clinging to his top 10 Australian ranking.

VALE LOUIS MICALLEF

It is with great sadness that we say farewell to the Godfather of Western Sydney Subbuteo, Louis Micallef. Louis passed away on Sunday evening surrounded by his beloved family.

Louis first played Subbuteo in his native Malta in the early 1960s and brought a considerable collection with him when he immigrated to Australia. The collection continued to grow and his stadium and figure collections are some of the most impressive in Australia. Louis taught his three sons how to play and, via the Spring League of 2018, he and the two youngest, Ray and Vince, became stalwarts of Western Sydney Subbuteo. In spite of decades of 'house rules', he quickly adapted to the current version of the game and was one of the club's finest banter merchants, with a sense of humour loved by everyone. The 'Micallef Derby' was a highlight of every Spring League, where the three Micallefs would gather around Stadium Micallef on one Sunday afternoon during the League to battle it out - the banter being as, if not more, important than the actual match results. Every Western Sydney Subbuteo player would become familiar with Louis' calls for the VAR every time he conceded a goal, and he would regularly turn up to The Clubhouse with a plastic bag full of biscuits and chocolates for the hosts. He was also a prolific painter of figures, painting dozens of teams, including the entire A-League worth of teams for new players to use at our club's second home - his son, Ray's, gym. Louis also served as the hand model for all of Western Sydney Subbuteo's tournament posters from 2022 to 2024.

As Ray says, "The Godfather of Subbuteo will be teaching the game in heaven".

We will miss you very much, Louis.

In honour of Louis, we are renaming the upcoming Sydney Open FISTF Satellite tournament as the Louis Micallef Memorial Open.

MARCH 2025 RANKINGS

The 2025 Australian Grand Prix allowed some significant movement for the handful of WSS players who made the trip to Melbourne. Significantly, both Franck and Adrian moved into the Australian top ten. With Franck's exceptional run to the quarter finals, he has been able to knock Adrian out of our club's top spot for the first time ever. Tim also made a significant jump while John entered the rankings for the first time.

The tournament also saw the debut of The Tumbleweeds, WSS' joint venture with Canberra and South Coast TFC for teams events. We kept all our points earned as WSS and added more under The Tumblweeds banner.

Tournaments within our club and also as part of the Australian Grand Prix meant there was a bit of movement in the WASPA rankings. The biggest jump came for John who shot up 52 places in the world rankings.

FEBRUARY 2025 Rankings

The only movements of significance in this month's WASPA rankings came following Dave R's involvement in a couple of tournaments and, for the first time since 2017, the return of the name Steve Diasinos to the WASPA rankings list. In spite of being a regular in every season's Spring League, Steve hasn't ventured out for a WASPA tournament in a long time. Great to have one of our club stalwarts recognised on another list again. Franck also moves into the world top 50 for the first time in his career as his steady climb continues.

No real movement with no participation by any club members in any FISTF tournaments over the last month. However, all that will change next month with February's Australian Grand Prix being accounted for.

JANUARY 2025 Rankings

John P was the big mover in the WASPA rankings this month, after a good showing at our Christmas Binge Tournament. He was closely followed by Melvin, back from his adventures in Singapore. Other moves were more minor, with Adrian dropping a place on the Australian rankings, while Franck slid up to his highest ever Australian ranking, joining Adrian in the top 5.

Very little to report in the FISTF rankings with no tournaments played by any WSS players, so it was only natural attrition rates which helped a few players slide up slightly on the world rankings. The Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne in February will give some players a chance to see if they can push themselves up the list a bit.

THE TUMBLEWEEDS

Happy New Year to all!
For the 2025 Season, Western Sydney Subbuteo is happy to announce that, alongside the Canberra & South Coast Table Football Club, we are a founding member of a new enterprise - The Tumbleweeds.

What is it?

The Tumbleweeds are an affiliation of NSW and ACT, Australia, based subbuteo table football clubs who come together as a single entity for the purpose of FISTF tournaments only. Its two founding member clubs are Western Sydney Subbuteo and Canberra & South Coast Table Football Club. Membership is open to any NSW based clubs who wish to join in the future.

What does it mean?

In order to allow as many players as possible to compete in teams events at FISTF tournaments, member clubs register all their players with FISTF under the single name - The Tumbleweeds.

This means that, for clubs who often cannot field enough players for a teams event, there is a much higher chance that their players can still compete in a meaningful competitive manner, by combining with other clubs under The Tumbleweeds banner.

It also means that there is a greater chance of more legitimate teams to compete in the teams event at FISTF tournaments in Australia.

_________________________

F.A.Q.s

Q. So, why bother?

A. At most Australian FISTF tournaments, around half of all competitors are unable to compete in the teams tournament, when it is played, because they don’t have enough fellow club members to make a full team. This means they are banished to a hastily organised WASPA tournament, or compete with less than a full team (starting each match 1-0 down), or compete as part of a ‘dummy’ team whose results are not recorded and who are ineligible to go beyond the group stage. By banding together, there will be a significantly greater chance of players from all member clubs being able to play meaningful, competitive matches as part of a full, registered team in FISTF teams events.

Simultaneously, it also means that there will be greater numbers of actual teams at all teams events. Australian tournaments often struggle to have enough teams for a meaningful teams tournament. The Tumbleweeds will help increase the number of legitimate club teams at these tournaments.

Q. Are The Tumbleweeds trophy hunters?

A. No. In any given situation, players from the same club will, as much as possible, play alongside the other players from their own club. It is only in the instance of one or more clubs not having enough players to field a full team that two or more clubs would combine in a single team. If there are enough Tumbleweeds players at a tournament for 2 or more teams, we will not be ‘mixing and matching’ to try and make ‘A’, ‘B’, ‘C’ teams etc. Wherever possible, players will be in teams alongside members of their own club.

Q. Does being part of The Tumbleweeds mean that clubs have to give up their club identity?

A. No. The Tumbleweeds member clubs remain separate, distinct and unique. Outside of FISTF tournaments, in all other aspects of Australian table football activities - WASPA tournaments, club leagues, Subbuteo Player Power Rankings etc - the clubs compete against each other under their own club names and identities. During FISTF tournaments, players still wear their own club jerseys, etc etc.

Q. If my club is part of The Tumbleweeds, does that mean I have to play in teams tournaments?

A. No. No player from any member club will be compelled to play in a teams tournament. If, for example, an Individual WASPA tournament is organised to happen at the same time as a teams tournament, and a player would prefer to play in the WASPA tournament, they are free to do so. The Tumbleweeds is designed to give players more options, not limit their options.

Q. So, what’s the downside?

A. The trade off is that players from all Tumbleweeds member clubs will be registered as members of The Tumbleweeds for FISTF ranking purposes. Member clubs will no longer have their individual club names registered with FISTF. But seeing as most Australian players who compete in FISTF tournaments can only do so once or twice a year anyway, we believe that this is not a significant compromise in order to allow all players from all the member clubs to compete meaningfully.

Richard Wilson (Canberra & South Coast TFC)
Adrian Elmer (Western Sydney Subbuteo)

DECEMBER 2024 Rankings

A bit of movement foillowing some recent tournaments in Sydney, including our own League Cup late in November, and the September Cup in October (?!). Some significant jumps on the World Rankings from Æowyn, Costa, Dave & Paul following their first participations in WASPA tournaments for a while. The most significant jump, in both World and Australian Rankings, came from Zakkhya following his good showing in the League Cup. At the top end, where upward movement is even more difficult, Franck made a significant jump up to #65 in the world, while Adrian got back in to the top 30 in the world and maintained his place at #2 in Australia.

No WSS players were able to compete in FISTF tournaments since September, so movements are based solely on the attrition of their own points and those around them! The club's team sits at #86 in the world. A handful are planning on making their way to Melbourne in early February for the 2025 Australian Grand Prix, so larger movements should follow that tournament.

Breakfast of Champions

Trying to outdrink the Irish!

Australia v Spain

The Opens' Team

FROM TUNBRIDGE WELLS - AN INTERVIEW WITH FRANCK

On September 21 and 22, 2024, Franck Cozzarin made history as the first Western Sydney Subbuteo player to ever represent Australia at a World Cup. He flew over to Tunbridge Wells, England (the birthplace and original manufacturing site of our game) for the week to compete in the Opens' Individual Event on the Saturday and as part of the Australian team in the Opens' Teams Event on the Sunday. We caught up with him bright and early on the Monday to ask him how it all went.

So, how was it playing Subbuteo in the birthplace of the game? Did you get to see any Subbuteo sites around the place?

Playing in the World Cup in Tunbridge Wells was exciting, terrifying and a nerve wracking and enjoyable experience. The town is lovely and the locals are friendly and seemed excited to be hosting the World Cup. I haven’t been to any sites, yet, but am planning on going to the exhibition today.

How do you feel you played, overall?

I had a ball playing in the event and representing Australia even though I personally didn’t play my best due to nerves and adrenaline and better opponents, lol. But I was lucky to have played gracious players who could tell I was a new kid/old man on the block and at the end of the games would give me tips and teach me a few things. Honestly, I was disappointed with myself because I practiced a lot for this and just didn’t perform my best. I did have moments where I outplayed my opponents and created chances but those moments only lasted a minute or so, whereas my opponents were all consistently playing well. Overall, I still learnt a lot and am even more determined to better myself to hopefully play again in another World Cup.

Was there anything that surprised you about the way any of your opponents played the game or was it more a case of they did the kind of things you're used to, just better and more consistently?

Yeah they were just consistent and quicker. Nothing different to how we play - I mean it’s just flicking, right!? But they appeared to be comfortable and calm in playing whereas I was a nervous wreck, lol! I managed to hang in there with my opponents for a little while. It took (Samuel) Bartolo (World No. 6) about 12 minutes to eventually score against me but then he scored 3 goals in 3 minutes which pretty much knocked me out. You know him and (Daniel) Cranston (World No. 87) were clearly better players and more experienced than I. I was just slower in reading the game and my flicks weren’t the best. I did get better when I ignored the nerves.

Did you learn anything new playing these guys that you'd like to introduce into your own game?

Oh yeah, absolutely! Their speed and accuracy was amazing. Their shooting ability was another thing that was impressive. I got tips on how to read the game quicker with blocking flicks. My speed was OK when I didn’t have the shakes and I managed to create chances and have quite a few shots but I, obviously, didn’t score enough, lol!

Did you feel less nervous on the second day, playing in the teams event?

Yeah, definitely. I played a little better and being in a team was encouraging and I had a lot more fun. Tough opponents, but it was played in good spirits. I spoke Spanish to the Spaniards so maybe that helped me to relax and enjoy myself. The whole team was supportive and even though we lost it was still an amazing experience.

I might add I was also a little hung over, lol, for Sunday. Drinking with the Northern Irish the night before got a bit messy, lol!

Who was the toughest opponent you played over the weekend?

Hmm, even tho Cranston beat me 9-1, Bartolo was clinical in his game. The good thing was that every opponent I played was friendly and understanding. The Spaniard Jean Michel (Cuenca) was also very good.

How do you think the experience will help you in your play once you get back to Australia?

I have higher expectations of myself and will continue to practice and play as much as I can and try to implement what I learnt into my game. I watched and reffed some amazing players, too - a kid from Italy was just the coolest player in his game play. So, hopefully I don’t forget what I learnt, lol! I would also like to show our younger players a few things to help them get better. So it was a fantastic experience which I definitely recommend any player to strive to have.

How did you find the refereeing experience?

It was great! Learnt a lot, too, because I was watching so carefully so as to not make a bad call and most players were gracious in close calls. But to watch game play from good players was definitely a good learning experience. I refereed the Italian under 16 team, I think? Which was intense but great. I met a lot of great people throughout the day through either playing or reffing, which I loved.

I'm guessing your multi-lingual abilities helped a lot over the weekend!

Yeah, it did and I think I surprised a few who assumed I was just some skippy, lol!.

So, did the whole experience make you want to do it all again for Paris in 2026?

Oh yes, absolutely! I’m definitely inspired to get better and compete and represent Australia and hopefully get better results, haha! But spending time with our friends and getting to know them better and meeting new friends was the best experience. I’m eternally grateful for this so hopefully, yeah, I would like to go to Paris in 2026! With my wife this time though - I did miss her badly, lol! So I guess I'd better start teaching her how to play.

A team in the Women's Team Event is definitely a big goal, especially for Beth (Eveleigh). We definitely need to do everything we can to make it happen!

Yeah, that would be great and she did so well, too. The girls that I watched play were great and Beth had a ball, too. So we can definitely try to inspire the girls and the kids to play and get better and to compete because, besides the results, it was still worth it just being there. You know I will discreetly begin to get Vanessa playing, lol!

SEPTEMBER 2024 RANKINGS

A little bit of movement in the WASPA rankings this month, following our hosting of the Sydney Open in August. Our biggest mover was Chris Nevatte, whose appearance pushed him up 90 places in the World rankings, 7 places in the Australian ranking and 5 places within our club.

This was the season end rankings for the official table football calendar (which runs Sept-Aug) and the 28 players who represented us across that time made us the biggest club in the world! An outstanding achievement.

Adrian spent a day heading up to the Sunshine Coast and back on the last weekend of August to compete in the Sunshine Coast Satellite FISTF tournament. His semi-final result earned him a few ranking points, though all our rankings remain similar. Look out for Franck to make a big jump for next month, though, as he heads off for the World Cup in Tunbridge Wells, England, later in September.

AUGUST 2024 RANKINGS

The big news in this month's Power Rankings update is the three new players who played their first competitive games for our club - Melvin, Josiah and Zakkhya. This makes it 37 players who have represented the club in the last 11 months. The biggest mover was Imojjen whose unbeaten run in our June WASPA tournament helped her move up 5 places in the Australian ranking and 2 places in our club ranking (and also maintains her record as the highest draws to games ratio in Australia - she has drawn with 17 of the 33 opponents she has faced this season!).

In the WASPA Rankings, based on standings in all WASPA tournaments, the biggest move came from Tim, up 18 world ranking places and 2 Australian ranking places. Adrian has moved up to number 23 in the world rankings, the highest ever position by a WSS player.

Our club remains in 3rd place in the Clubs Development League, well placed to be promoted to the Top Clubs League for next season.

JULY 2024 RANKINGS

Not too much action this last month means that the Power Rankings won't be updated until next month. So it's just the WASPA Rankings that are getting an update.

WASPA Club Rankings - 3 (Development League)

The biggest mover was Ray, up 72 places in the World Rankings, and 4 places in the Australian Rankings. Also of great note was Josiah, jumping straight in, mid table, following his first ever tournament.

JUNE 2024 RANKINGS

WASPA Club Rankings - 3 (Development League)

With the only real action being a small club WASPA this month, there wasn't a lot of movement on the rankings. Tim was a major story, up 40 places on the World WASPA rankings and breaking into the top 20 in the Australian Power Rankings. John and Ray also made big moves in the WASPA rankings while Adrian managed to creep into the top 30 of the World WASPA rankings. Our club also kept up its push for promotion in the WASPA Development League, maintaining 3rd place there. If we can finish there by the end of the season (end of August) we will earn promotion to the WASPA Top Clubs League for the 2024/25 season.

May 2024 RANKINGS

A little bit of movement in this month's rankings, and it seems to be family affairs! The Phokos and Ridger families all picked up points and places to move up the rankings.

The big movers this month are John Phokos and all the Ridgers, Samuel jumping a huge 338 World Ranking places to be the month's biggest mover.

The only movement comes from Franck who traveled to Melbourne for the recent FISTF Satellite tournament. He picked up some points but not quite enough to jump any positions.

APRIL 2024 RANKINGS

WASPA Club Ranking : No. 6 (Development League) (↑2)
FISTF Team Ranking : No. 82 (↓2 )

Not much movement in the Power Rankings this month with the only real point of note was the appearance of new player, Phil, in the rankings, swelling our number of active players to 33, a new club high.

Most of the movement in this month's WASPA rankings has been downward, a result of old points either halving (after 12 months) or disappearing completely (after 24 months. The big move of note, though, was from Ray who, as a regular host of WASPA tournaments now, has found his star rising. This month he jumped up 173 world ranking places (up 11 in Australia and 6 in WSS) on the back of a reasonable result in our most recent WASPA tournament. Phil, who made his debut in the same tournament, also makes his first appearance on the world rankings. For reference, there are currently 1257 players across the world in the WASPA world rankings.

MARCH 2024 POWER RANKINGS

A little bit of movement in the upper end of our Power Rankings (points awarded based on results against any other Aus or NZ player, modified by each opponent's relative strength) for this month. Dave R made the biggest climb, up 5 places nationally after some good results in our February WASPA tournament. Adrian regains his place at the top with Franck right on his heels.

MARCH 2024 WASPA RANKINGS

Access to regular WASPA tournaments around Sydney has meant for a fair bit of movement on the WASPA rankings (points awarded based on final placings in each WASPA tournament). The biggest movers all come from the one household, with Tim jumping a huge 208 world ranking places (17 Nationally) to move to 4th place in the club rankings, based on an excellent placing in our club's February WASPA tournament. Meanwhile, his dad, John, jumped a full 176 world ranking places himself (11 places nationally), to climb to number 12 in WSS. Meanwhile, Gabriel joined his family, straight in at number 23 for WSS, following results in January and February tournaments.

MARCH 2024 FISTF RANKINGS

Finally, following the first FISTF Tournament in 2 years which was easily accessible to WSS players, 7 players found their way to the rankings (though we are still waiting on Women's and U16's updates).

FEBRUARY 2024 RANKINGS

The Australian Subbuteo Player Power Ranking and World Amateur Subbuteo Players Association rankings have been released for the end of January 2024.

WASPA Club Ranking : No. 8 (Development League)

With the final Spring League Games, a couple of different WSS WASPA tournaments, and the Australian Grand Prix all taking place since the last Power Rankings update, there's been a lot of movement! Combined with the fact that all games prior to September 1 have also been removed, so that only the 2023/24 Season games are included and things have shifted dramatically. These are the rankings where points are awarded for wins and losses, but these are then moderated by the strength of each opponent, so beating better or drawings with better opponents earns you more ranking points.

For the first time since the introduction of the Power Rankings system, Adrian has been knocked off the No. 1 spot in Western Sydney. Following his triumphant Spring League campaign and strong showings in recent WASPA tournaments and the AGP, Paul has claimed the top spot, while Franck has also slipped past Adrian.

Further down the list, Tim has leapt up 10 places nationally, while Æowyn, with her record of 6 draws in 7 matches, has jumped up a club high of 32 places nationally.

On the club front, a record high of 32 players have competed officially for our club since September 1 - Brilliant!!!

A couple of our own WASPA tournaments plus a few thrown in as part of AGP proceedings has meant there's been a bit of movement in the WASPA rankings as well. Adrian holds his place as our club's best performer but Paul has jumped 65 world ranking places with his recent performances. Best of all is the entry of 5 players who had not played a WASPA tournament in the last 2 years, 4 of those competing in their first ever tournaments.

Again, another club record with 30 players having competed in WASPA tournaments over the last 2 years.

Meanwhile, our club has jumped to No. 8 in the WASPA Development League of clubs.

JANUARY 2024 WASPA RANKINGS

The Christmas Binge WASPA Tournament right at the end of the year allowed a bunch of WSS players to improve on their rankings. The biggest mover was Æowyn, up nearly 400 places in the world rankings and up 13 places in the club rankings, due to her undefeated run in the Christmas Binge. A new name on the list in the way of Tom, playing his first WASPA tournament, returning to the game after a 3 year hiatus, having learned to play in high school, which brings the number of WSS players in the world ranking up to 26, a record high.

2023 SEASON POWER RANKINGS

The Final rankings for the Australian Subbuteo Players Power Rankings system have been released. These rankings give players points winning and drawing games, but then modifies this based on the strength of their opponent, creating a balance between the number of opponents each player plays against, with the quality of those opponents and their results.

There were 85 active competitive players in Australia during 2023. 27 of these represented Western Sydney Subbuteo - almost one third of all active players in the country! A great effort by all.

Please note, in spite of it taking place in December, these rankings do not include the results from WSS' Christmas Binge tournament, results which would further improve the standings of a number of players.

Well done to all players!

DECEMBER 2023 RANKINGS

WASPA rankings have come in for the beginning of December. Just a few players competed in tournaments around Sydney (with our Spring League in full swing, WSS was unable to host its own tournament), meaning just a few minor adjustments in the rankings. Imojjen Elmer was the biggest mover, up 26 places in the World Rankings and up 3 places in the Australian Rankings. Meanwhile, Adrian Elmer went up 15 places in the World Rankings to number 35, and up to number 2 in Australia.

NOVEMBER 2023 RANKINGS

WASPA rankings have come in for the beginning of November. With a few tournaments being played over the last couple of months, including a New Players' tournament, we've had a bit of ranking movement and a bunch of new players added. Our club now has 25 players in the WASPA rankings, an all time high which we can, hopefully, continue adding to.

Playing in WASPA tournaments more regularly, Dave Rudd moved into the club's top 5 for the first time, while Ethan Gallardo was the biggest mover.

AUGUST 2023 RANKINGS

With barely any WASPA action in Australia during July, and only Franck Cozzarin from Western Sydney Subbuteo taking part in one, the August WASPA rankings remain largely stagnant. Things will begin to take off again over the next few months, though, so watch this space!

JULY 2023 RANKINGS

The Australian Subbuteo Player Power Ranking and World Amateur Subbuteo Players Association rankings have been released for the end of June 2023

This is the first update since the end of March, and Imojjen Elmer has been the big mover with some good results during Autumn.

Our club currently has 22 players in the Power Rankings, more than twice as many as the next largest club. This also means that well over a quarter of all active, competitive players in the last 12 months have been members of Western Sydney Subbuteo, an excellent achievement.

WASPA (World Amateur Subbuteo Players' Association) points are allocated to players based on their final ranking postions in any WASPA tournaments they enter in the previous 24 months.

Tim Phokos is the big mover this month, shooting up 122 places in the world rankings, 11 places in the Australian rankings and 4 places in our club rankings.

Meanwhile, our club currently sits in 16th position in the WASPA World Club ranking, maintaining its place in the Top Clubs category (based both on the achievement of players as well as the club's activity in organising tournaments).

APRIL 2023 RANKINGS

The Australian Subbuteo Player Power Ranking and World Amateur Subbuteo Players Association rankings have been released for the end of March 2023

Four new players entered the Power Rankings for Western Sydney Subbuteo. The big mover, overall, though, was Dave Rudd, up 10 places in the Australian ranking.

Our club now has 22 players in the Power Rankings, twice as many as the next largest club. This also means that well over a quarter of all active, competitive players in the last 12 months have been members of Western Sydney Subbuteo, an excellent achievement.

WASPA (World Amateur Subbuteo Players' Association) points are allocated to players based on their final ranking postions in any WASPA tournaments they enter in the previous 24 months.

Again, Dave Rudd is our big mover, up 14 places in the Australian rankings, while John Phokos was the biggest mover in terms of his World ranking, up 192 places on the global scale.

Meanwhile, our club currently sits in 15th position in the WASPA World Club ranking, maintaining its place in the Top Clubs category (based both on the achievement of players as well as the club's activity in organising tournaments).

MARCH 2023 RANKINGS

No Australian Subbuteo Players' Power Rankings update this month, and only a minimal amount of movement in the WASPA Rankings, but it's good to keep up to date. With only a handful of players competing, the big mover this month is Greg Adams - learning fast and moving up on the back of consistent participation over the last few months.

FEBRUARY 2023 RANKINGS

The Australian Subbuteo Player Power Ranking and World Amateur Subbuteo Players Association rankings have been released for the end of the year.

January was a fairly static month for the club with no in-club competitions and Franck Cozzarin being the only one to venture out into the big wide world of Sydney Subbuteo tournaments.

Of Australia's 13 clubs, Western Sydney Subbuteo has held its spot of 2nd in the Club Rankings.

WASPA (World Amateur Subbuteo Players' Association) points are allocated to players based on their final ranking postions in any WASPA tournaments they enter.

Franck Cozzarin was the only real mover, up one place in the club but up 22 places in the world rankings, our only player to improve his world ranking during January.

JANUARY 2023 RANKINGS

The Australian Subbuteo Player Power Ranking and World Amateur Subbuteo Players Association rankings have been released for the end of the year.

The Australian Subbuteo Players' Power Rankings are based on any competitive games between Australian players over the last 12 months. Wins, draws and losses are factored in, with results moderated by the strength of each opponent. 3 new players joined the Western Sydney Subbuteo list, taking the club to 19 active players - almost double the next biggest club in Australia.

The biggest movers since the last update in October are Dave Rudd, up 29 places in the national rankings to 27, and 8 places in our club to be standing 6th. Costa Kamarados has also benefited from good results across more consistent competitions, moving up 3 places to 5th in our club, and up to 22nd in Australia. Franck Cozzarin also continues his gradual climb upwards, sliding to 4th in the club.

WASPA (World Amateur Subbuteo Players' Association) points are allocated to players based on their final ranking postions in any WASPA tournaments they enter.

Costa Kamarados was, again, the big mover, the only player in the club to move upwards on the World list, following some excellent results in recent WASPA tournaments.

OCTOBER 2022 RANKINGS

WASPA and Subbuteo Player Power Rankings have been released for this month. Subbuteo Player Power Rankings are based on results against Australian players in any competitive match over the last 12 months and is weighted to balance the amount of competitive games played, results, and the relative quality of each opponent. WASPA Rankings are based on final standings in each WASPA tournament a player competes in over the last 2 years.

In the Australian Subbuteo Player Power Rankings, Adrian finds himself at the top of the national list, a mix of good results and playing against lots of players (he has played against 32 other Australian players in the last 12 months, more than any other Australian player). Paul jumps into the Australian top ten while Imojjen is the highest ranked female player in the country.

The rankings also show that Western Sydney Subbuteo has the highest number of active members in Australia. Our 16 players who have played competitively in the last 12 months is 6 more than the nearest club. A further 3 have also played in WASPA tournaments in the 12 months before that.

In the WASPA Rankings, Imojjen's recent results have shifted her up to 2nd in the club, while Costa makes the biggest move on the global scale, up 191 places in the world rankings.

On the club front, Western Sydney Subbuteo has moved up to number 5 in the world in WASPA club Top Clubs ranking.

SEPTEMBER 2022 WASPA RANKINGS

The World Amateur Subbuteo Players' Association has recently released its monthly player rankings. The big movers are Franck and Imojjen, both benefiting from being involved in regular tournaments. Likewise, Adrian has improved his Australian and World ranking on the back of lots of tournament play with some decent results.

On the club side of things, Western Sydney Subbuteo is up to No. 16.

MARCH 2022 WASPA AND POWER RANKINGS

The World Amateur Subbuteo Players Association (WASPA) ranking points are awarded for participation and achievement in any WASPA tournament a player plays in. Points last for 12 months, with the previous 12 months' points worth half their original value. The Australian Subbuteo Players Power Ranking Points are based on head to head results between any Australian players in any competitive match (FISTF & WASPA tournaments, club leagues, etc) over the last 12 months.

The Subbuteo Players Power Rankings is a system devised by former Western Sydney Subbuteo member, Richard Wilson. While seemingly complex, we believe it's the best ranking system available as it takes a number of factors into consideration in order to give players ranking points. Players are, of course, awarded for wins and draws but, crucially, the quality of the opponent is factored in, with a result against a stronger opponent earning more points. The larger number of opponents played against, the more points are also able to be accumulated, meaning that it is the only points system which strikes a balance between the sheer number of games played, the quality of those opponents, and the results in those games.

Results from all competitive games are used, whether that is in FISTF or WASPA tournaments, club leagues, etc. Results from the previous 12 months are used but only the most recent result against any opponent is used.

With barely any WASPA tournaments held in Sydney over the last 2 years, it has been difficult for players to add to their WASPA world rankings. However, a couple held by the club, and the slow opening up of COVID restrictions with tournaments elsewhere has meant that a few have been played and the official rankings can be updated again.

WASPA rankings are based solely on participation in WASPA tournaments, so do not include results from our own Spring League. Points are awarded to players based on their results in those tournaments. All points from the last 12 months are included, as well as 50% of points from the previous 12 months.

September 2019 WASPA Rankings

World Amateur Subbuteo Players' Association Rankings

August 2019 WASPA Rankings

Our club's current rankings on the World Amateur Subbuteo Players' Association rankings.

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse