CHENNAI : Table football or foosball is a common sight in several cafes and indoor game clubs. The table-top game is played by controlling the knobs to move the ball into the opponent’s goalpost. Now, imagine a human version of foosball, with the knobs replaced by physical players.
This is no longer a hypothesis, but a reality, with one-of-a-kind tournament that will be held in the city. The tournament is an initiative by the indoor sports facility in Broadway called Play ball. Run by Mustafa Basuwala, along with a team of friends, the sports facility was opened in 2017. The team has come up with a human foosball tournament for women. Around eight to 10 teams have registered.
Each team will have eight women. Two teams will face against each other at a time. A trampoline like a set-up will be used as a foosball ground to compete against each other. The indoor space also has a 50-seater capacity for the audience. They hope to have throwball, foot snooker, and futsal in the future. The 1,000 sq ft space has posters of legends from different sports — cricket, football, tennis, and more. “Our team members are active sports players. Youngsters these days are not active in outdoor sports due to lack of playgrounds in the city, and hence they get addicted to ‘PlayStations’ and ‘PUBGs’.
We are not profit-driven. Our motive is to encourage sports. Ours is probably one of the very few indoor sports spaces in the northern part of the city,” said Mustafa, who has set up this space on the terrace of his house. Play ball is said to have started the trend of indoor cricket. The indoor facility has games like badminton, football, volleyball, tennis, and more. Approximate cost for a session varies from Rs 800 - Rs 1,800, depending on time of the day. Students can avail special discounts. Play Ball is open from 10 am - 10 pm.
Tournament details
Human foosball for women will be held on April 6. Each team has eight players. Registration fee is Rs 2,400 per team or Rs 300 per person.