Foosball can be so much fun to play – it’s a fantastically fun game for people of all ages! Based on soccer, it’s a game that’s popular with kids and adults all across the world.
You’ll find them all over the world, from kids activity centers to bars, and of course in home garages and play rooms all over the planet.
Anyone can enjoy a game of foosball – and if you want to play this amazingly fun game at home, you can buy your own table. Of course, before you do, you need to think about just what size table you want, and how much room you’ll need!
After all, you wouldn’t want to try to set your table up only to find out that it’s taking up too much room for player 2 to actually get to their side of the table!
This is why it’s so important to know the dimensions of a foosball table – and how much room you’ll need around it, of course!
Well, you’ll find out what you need to know in this handy guide! You’ll find out how big a regulation foosball table is, how much room you need around your table (including accounting for the rods!), and whether you need a regulation table in the first place. So, read on to find out the answers to these questions and more!
What Is Foosball?
If you’ve never heard of foosball – well, that’s a little surprising, as it’s an extremely popular tabletop game that’s been around for over a century!
Since 1921, people have enjoyed playing this simple facsimile of soccer for hours on end. It’s known as many other names, and played all across the world – you might have heard of it by the name table soccer or table football (although this name still refers to soccer).
It’s a game played on a special table designed to look like a soccer pitch. 2 players oppose each other – each player standing on one lengthways side of the board.
They each control the players on the pitch – which are in reality plastic models of soccer players attached to rods – by manipulating these rods with their hands, pulling them inwards and outwards, rotating, and spinning them to control the football in play.
That aside, the rules are much the same as soccer. Each player has their own goal, which they must defend while attempting to score in the opponent’s goal. If the ball enters a team’s goal, the opposing team scores – no matter which side kicked the ball in.
Casual games are typically played to a score limit – first to 10, for example – as it makes for short, entertaining games with a clear goal.
This can be a lot more fun for a quick game than playing to a time limit, as in real soccer, as each game will have a definite conclusion that’s based on goals scored, rather than a game being able to end after scoreless play due to the clock running down.
However, you can of course play to a time limit instead of a score limit if you want to take things a little more “seriously” – it’s up to you entirely!
What Are The Dimensions Of A Foosball Table?
There many different sizes that you can purchase foosball tables in -large and small! Some are in what’s known as regulation dimensions, but those aren’t the only sizes available.
Depending on the space you have available, who’ll be using the table, and how much use it’ll get, you might find that a smaller sized table is a better option for you.
Of course, if you’re going for a foosball table that meets regulation dimensions, then you of course need to know what they are.
A regulation foosball table is 56 inches long, 30 inches wide, and 36 inches high. You should be able to find foosball tables with these exact measurements (or measurements very close) to purchase, if you’re looking to get a table that’s the same size as used in tournament play.
A regulation foosball table will be the same size as those used in tournaments – which means that if you’ve got one, you’ll be used to playing on the exact setup as used in tournaments. If you’re serious about your foosball, this is what you’ll want!
You don’t need to worry if you don’t have quite this much space, however – as you can of course get smaller tables than this! You’ll be able to get thousands of fun games on a smaller table with your friends and family, just as you would with a bigger table.
What About The Rods?
Of course, you can’t forget about the rods when it comes to thinking about the size of your foosball table. After all, without them, you’d have to flick the ball around with your fingers!
They’re of course an essential part of the table, and something that you’ll have to take into account when considering the size of the table you want, and the space you’ll have available.
Rods, like the tables they’re part of, can come in different sizes. They’ll typically be a standard width of 5/8 of an inch, but there of course could be some variation between tables. And, depending on the design of your table, and the rods that you have, rods on the same table can be of differing lengths too.
Typically, the rods on a foosball table will add something in the region of 12 to 18 inches to the overall width of the average foosball table, including the handles. So, remember to take this into account when you’re thinking about the space you need!
Do I Need Regulation Dimensions?
Not if you’re just after a fun game to play with family and friends! While there’s nothing wrong at all with getting a regulation table if you want to take things a little more seriously, you can have a lot of fun with any sized table.
You can have a lot of fun games of foosball no matter what size table you’re using, so if space is an issue, or you don’t want to pay the price of a larger table, then you don’t need to worry about getting a regulation sized table at all. You can definitely have endless fun on a much smaller table – after all, it’s the same game!
However, if you’re after a table that’s the same size as used in tournaments, then maybe a regulation table is the one for you.
Whether you’re intending to compete in tournaments or not, it can be a lot of fun to have the most “serious” equipment for any hobby or pastime that you enjoy – so if knowing that you’re playing on a “real” foosball table makes the game a little more fun for you, there’s definitely no harm in it!
And, of course, it’s fair to say that it actually is probably a little bit more fun to play on a big table, all things considered. It doesn’t mean that smaller tables aren’t fun, of course – they really are! But there is something a little more special about playing on a big table. You have to have the room for it, of course!
And, of course, if you want to practice for a tournament, there’s no better way than to use the same size table that tournaments use!
Practicing on a regulation full-sized table is the best way to develop the muscle memory for playing your best – and to get used to moving around and manipulating a larger table, of course!
How Much Space Do I Need Around The Table?
No matter how big or small your table is, you’ll need to allow at least a few feet around it from at least three sides – but four sides if putting it next to a wall makes it awkward to play, or difficult to reach the ball when it goes in the goal.
If you can’t comfortably walk around the table, then it’ll be difficult for you to play without being cramped in. It’s a lot more fun when you can actually play and move about freely!
SO, make sure there’s at least three feet of space around the table. This will let you play comfortably, and move around the table with ease.
Make sure that there aren’t any objects around that you could bump into or knock over – elbows tend to move wildly during a heated game of foosball.
This is another reason why you don’t want to be too close to a wall – you might hurt yourself banging your elbows into it!
Of course, this is a minimum – for really comfortable play, you’ll want as much free space around your table as possible, so that players can move as freely as they want, and get into whatever crazy positions they feel like.
What If I Haven’t Got Enough Room?
Well, as long as it’s physically possible for you to get around the table and play, you can of course have a fun game of foosball with limited space.
It’s just a lot easier to have fun when you’ve got more room. And, of course, you won’t have to worry at all about bumping into things and knocking them over while you’re playing.
If you’re lacking in space, a smaller foosball table is a good idea – as they (rather obviously) take up less space than a larger one.
So, if space is a bit of a concern for you, then by all means get a foosball table that actually fits your space, rather than worrying about whether it’s regulation size or anything like that.
After all, if you just want something fun to play with your friends and family, regulations don’t matter one bit – you’ll just want a foosball table that you can actually use!
Conclusion
Hopefully this simple guide has given you the information you need about the size of a foosball table, and helped you to make an informed decision!
Whether you’re going for a full size foosball table, or a smaller option, as long as you’re paying attention to the dimensions and making sure that you’ve given yourself enough space around the table to play with comfort and ease, you’ll have many a fun game!
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