What Makes a Foosball table, the Official Foosball Table

Many people who enjoy playing foosball would like to find out how they can find out if a particular foosball table is an Official Foosball Table. Just like players of other games who play the game well, participate in competitions to win prize money, those who are good at playing foosball, would like to play in competitions and win some money. While there are a large number of foosball tables listed for sale online and offline, for tournaments and championship where prize money or a title is at stake, only an official table is used. This ensures that all players are playing on similar tables to get a fair chance.

Soccer Federation

The regulatory body for foosball in a country and internationally determine the Official Foosball-Table. There is an official table soccer federation in each country and it is the regulatory body which determines the official table for the national level tournaments. Similarly there an international federation for table soccer, which determines which table will be used for international tournaments like the world championship. In addition to ensuring that the tables are of a particular dimension, the regulatory body will also ensure that the table meets their quality specifications in terms of design, component quality.

Dimensions

One of the most important criteria for determining if a table is a Official-Foosball Table are the dimensions of the table. Typically the standard table is 56 inches in length, 30 inches in width and 36 inches in height. The thickness of the table in terms of width is 1.5 inches on each side, so the inner dimensions of the table are 27 inches, which is the playing area. Similarly the inner length of the table, corresponding to the length of the play field is 47 inches, with a space of width 4.5 inches at either end used for installing the scoring system, which is usually bead type. Other dimensions are also specified.

Design

The regulatory body will also check the design before certifying a Official Foosball Table. The table has a large number of components like the foosball players, levellers, foosballs, metal rods, foosball handles, foosball bearings and these should conform to the official guidelines. The design of the foosball players on the table is important, and they should have wide cross hatched legs so that they can hold the ball, and also play complicated shots. The rods should be well designed and move smoothly so that players can control them quickly. The handle should be designed for proper grip, and the ball dimensions should be as specified.

Quality

The quality of a table is also checked before it is certified as a Official Foosball Table. The table should be sturdy, so that it does not bend or move when high power shots are played. The table surfaced should also not get warped. The foosball players should be made from high quality ABS or other plastic, so that they do not crack or break when shots are played. The rods should also not get bent or warped when pressure is applied to them. The foosball table will undergo several quality tests, to ensure that it meets the criteria for the official table, and gets the necessary certification.

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