The Hobby - A Poem

In the form of an animated short film, “Hobby” is a quirky little love poem, dedicated to the globally popular table top soccer game of Subbuteo. But the film goes beyond the hobby itself, and enters an odd fantasy world where Subbuteo teams feature the most unexpected players and celebrity participants.

By Brian Luff - writer, poet, television producer and digital content specialist.

You use a finger to flick your players towards the ball

to me and millions of other people Subbuteo is nothing short of poetry

the team was red the other team blue

then a third team with vertical stripes in a line

then red stripes sky blue and mustardy yellow

strip seven was Claret like rare old wine with its carefully painted pale blue sleeves

strip seven pleased many a club supporter West Ham Aldershot Burnley and Villa and Gzira who play on a dirt pitch in Malta

a unique reference number for every strip and the fast-changing nature of clubs kits dictated collectors soon had to gain much expertise as the hobby became much more complicated

reference 16 was deemed to be Arsenal at home ref 47 was Arsenal away 28 was the yellow of Norwich City that the colour of their shorts seemed to change every day

ref 16 was also Rotherham United in France it was sold as a team called Reims and Sterling Albion and Lincoln City to add to the general confusion again

Harps are growth and Stenhousemuir all shared reference 27

While Reading, Morton, QPR were all at home with reference 11.

Coventry's first kit pale blue

Coventry's second kit black and green

Celtic white with wide green hoops

Mansfield a yucky tangerine

in the 70s players had heavyweight bases and the colours were lovingly painted by hand

by the 90s the bases were cheaper and lighter and machine printed. Figures were far less grand

for rare heavyweight figures they scoured the world the delighted to capture the thrill of the chase and connoisseurs of planet Subbuteo wouldn't be seen dead with a lightweight base

the teams you bought back in the 60s will now set you back 50 Quid on eBay

you might find a set that's cheaper but look out for teams with a missing keeper

the rare teams like Palace 1967 might set you back 200 pounds or from 77 rarest still 300 quid for Rochdale town

but it's not just the players the collectors were after there was a whole range of figures that you could collect

referees, linesmen, photographers, coppers

there was even a Streaker in the set

goal posts came with real netting ball

boys crouched with eager hands, stadiums lit with miniature floodlights crammed with tiny plastic fans

you could even invite your own royal family to present the trophy on Cup final day the hobby he had now escalated far beyond a game to play

I had a dream about Subbuteo revealing many holies of holy

a football team licensed by George Lucas, 10 Stormtroopers with a diving goalie

a fantastic range existed there

collectors were all going balmy one set was the cast of Friends another the platoon from Dad's Army

The Blues Brothers and Kirk and Spock and Skippy the Bush Kangaroo

and Simon Pegg's Sean of the dead with zombies playing The Beatles, Stones and ZZ Top

Doctor Who and what the heck the Broadway cast of Chorus Line with Judy Garland and Ant & Dec.

the Marx Brothers, Laurel, Hardy, Brucie, Cooper and Ken Dodd

three wise men teamed with three Shepherds Joseph Mary and the son of God

When this strange vision disappeared I'd seen Subbuteo’s Promised Land

I woke up in a clammy sweat clutching Rochdale's goalie in my hand

one team was red the other team blue

then a third team with vertical stripes in a line

little did Peter know what he was starting way back in The Mists of time

when life was finger flicking good and football had a warmer feeling Happy Days upon Green Bays when Netflix had a different meaning

for football on a tabletop from around the world the millions came

a hobby for the generations. PA Adolph’s sub-beautiful game.