CHASERS - Whatever club you play for, make CHASERS your second favourite club!
The CHASERS are born...
...at 7.30pm on Wednesday 27th April 2022
...in The Cherry Tree pub in Wood Lane, Dagenham, RM8 3LJ
What is it about CHASERS?
All around the UK and Ireland, folks gather in their clubs to enjoy time together flicking little bits of plastic around on a miniature football pitch.
...and since April 2022, so do the CHASERS. Gary Gladwell set about starting up a club, one of several that were set up at lockdown eased, which reflected an unanticipated renewed interest in Subbuteo Table Football. With participants from Chadwell Heath, Romford and South Essex, the CHRSE was nearly born, until some bright spark suggested putting 'and South Essex' in the middle! ??
Chadwell Heath and South Essex, Romford Subbuteo Club
...there is a certain essence that CHASERS bring. The name starts it off. Not one CHASER cares that it's a clumsy anagram. All they care about is that they are a CHASER, and together they are CHASERS!
So what are they chasing?
After finishing bottom of division 2 for the 2nd time in 2 attempts, when there are just 2 divisions, some would say everybody and everything! A little more insight would indicate they might be chasing a dream...
CHASERS in team formation
So what is this dream?
No-one really knows, in fact it appears that no-one really cares. The standard CHASER is just happy to be here!
What happens in this dream?
Anyone who fancies getting involved, gets involved. No question about the standard of play they might be offering.
What is achieved in this dream?
Folks feel accepted, encouraged to play and improve if they want to. A safe place to play a game for enjoyment.
Notable things that have happened
By May 2023, Sam 'The Chasette' Levy had let in 183 goals and lost 77 games, with a constant grace and a smile on her face. ?
In November 2023 Steven Jackson scored his first ever goal. All games stopped immediately, as every player applauded and cheered! ?
Also, in November 2023, Sam won her first game, winning the player of the week award (and not for the first time!). ?
Solent came to play for a inter-club friendly. There's a certain unique kindred spirit between CHASERS and Solent. ?
CHASERS regularly host open WASPA tournaments, where everyone else wins the trophies! ?
CHASERS Westy and Steve buck the trend and accidentally win trophies at the October 2023 WASPA open .?
Sergeant Major Gladwell developed a special knack of getting everyone's attention when communicating the next round of games, with his trademark "SHUT UP!" ?
The rest of the CHASERS have a dawning realisation that are in fact, the rest of the cast from 'It Aint 'Alf Hot Mum!' ? ?"The folks to entertain yooouu!"?
Adz shows admirable sufferance about being mistaken as the CHASERS mascot by all the rest of the CHASERS.... which is a tad ironic as he is currently top of the CHASERS league! ?
CHASERS at Christmas!
The traditional Christmas gathering for 2023, involved many CHASERS, with a few other guests creating an event with a round dozen participating.
The 12 players were put into two groups of 6, Group A or Group B, with each playing 5 games with the other players.
One player from Group A was paired with a player from Group B, to make up 6 Christmas teams. The teams and players are shown below...
The Pitches...
The traditional Christmas pitches were set up for this event, featuring...
The Ibiza pitch was lit by a UV light, and used figures painted with UV paint.
The final pitch for the event was one built by Cayne Matthews, a sturdy normal pitch that could be used by anyone needing a break from the themed pitches that haven't got sturdy barriers to hold onto.
The games...
Other scenes...
...with an unexpected festive romantic encounter!
The results...
Video clips...
Check out rule 7.1 of the FingerFox rules, which states: “Players will try not to do dodgy flicks and won’t really be too bothered if their opponent does one every now and then… if the other player sees a finger foul, they should have a stern word with themselves for actually noticing and not being sufficiently absorbed by the game!”
In fact, this principle also needs to be applied to offsides, and the FingerFox rules will be updated to reflect this. Essentially: "If a player notices their opponent has a figure in an offside position, they will either flag this beforehand, or ignore it!"
Anyone who has experienced playing in the Stadium of Fingers will acknowledge that free-flowing play can be tricky, and this incident is a perfect example of the philosophy of play triumphing over the limitations of competition.
