Chemnitz (dpa/sn) – While the best footballers in the world are playing in Qatar, a new exhibition in Chemnitz is presenting the variety of football games in the living room and children’s room at home. The State Museum of Archeology is showing around 50 exhibits, including around 40 games, in its foyer exhibition “Home game. Table football in the pre-digital age”, which opens to visitors on Wednesday. However, you will look in vain for the pub table football or the game console. Instead, the focus is on the once popular games in which the ball is flicked across the field with a finger or set in motion with a blowpipe.
The first such table football games came onto the market in England in 1884, after the First World War they became more affordable and finally prevailed as a family game for the home, as the museum announced on Tuesday. In Germany, the “Tipp-Kick” variant was widely used. In other countries such as England and Italy, “Subbuteo” has achieved cult status. The game impresses with a realistic appearance of the figures, many accessories and playing according to the generally applicable football rules, including throw-ins, corner kicks and offside.
The games on display come from the collection of sports historian Hans-Peter Hock. The aim is to present the diversity of the table football game. Admission to the exhibition is free and can be seen until January 8th.