Days are officially getting shorter and the nights are drawing in, the weather is getting worse and a bitter cold is upon us, making opportunities to be outside few and far between. When you have kids this is bad news as you’re left with the daily dilemma of what to do to keep them occupied (and, in my case, not bickering with each other all day long!). Cooped up kids with bags of energy can be a nightmare, so I was absolutely THRILLED when my husband invested in a little toy for himself that has proved a fabulous investment for our whole family…
Last weekend he bought a Minigols Foosball table, complete with caricature players based on real footballers!
Apparently, he couldn’t resist it.
The Foosball Table and Players
The only experience of foosball I’ve ever had until now has been watching Joey and Chandler play on Friends, and I didn’t get the appeal from that. Now, having played it over this last week, I LOVE it!
Jack bought the table and players online as a bit of a gift to himself with the idea of playing with his mates – over a few beers, no doubt. He’s a massive football fan (seriously, the TV is dominated with Sky Sports and Match of the Day every weekend!) and couldn’t resist swapping the original foosball players for caricatures of the real Manchester United squad! But why stop there, hey, when you can re-enact your own version of Man Utd versus Real Madrid?
The figurines look quirky but do resemble the real players pretty convincingly – although I reckon Wayne Rooney would be pretty pleased with the amount of hair on his figurine’s head. Definitely must have been designed post-implants!
The level of detail gone into each squad of 11 figurines is impressive, and being able to choose a whole team to use in the game adds a new level of fun for football fanatics (and big kids!) like my husband and his friends. It looks as well like I’ll be buying the Barcelona squad as his Christmas present this year!
Fun For Kids
I think, in all honestly, my husband is a little gutted the kids love the Foosball about as much as he does – I may need to resort to reminding him about the importance of sharing soon! Obviously it takes a little getting used to, but they’re getting the hang of it now, and we’re able to have winner-stays-on competitions now; a great way to spend a rainy, cold afternoon as a family in the toasty warmth of our own home.
One great thing about the table is that it sits at a good height for kids, but the legs can be removed and the Foosball table can sit on top of a higher surface if there are only adults using it, or even a lower one if it’s still a little high for younger players. Of course, when it’s lowered for the kids, Jack does complain about being at a disadvantage – to which I tell him to get a life.
Fun For Adults
Our love of Foosball has gone so far we’re now in the process of organising a Foosball Night for us and our friends! Jack’s trying to convince some of his male mates to buy a different team each to make the competition “more realistic”, as he says, but even if they don’t it’ll be really fun playing with the teams we’ve got. And, no doubt, there will be plenty of beer and wine involved as well – at half time, anyway!
This article is provided by A Lonely Road Blog.
