In my latest edition of blogging, I’m going to focus on another hobby I’m involved in and that’s Subbuteo.
The tabletop game has been around since the 60’s and I’m sure most, if not all football fans, will know what it is. Most recently I moved house and discovered a number of items that I forgot I possessed, with Subbuteo being one. Upon opening the box and looking to see what I had, it brought back plenty of memories and a ‘want’ to play again.
In the last month I’ve joined a number of groups on Facebook who share a huge passion for the game, as well as networking with a number of players. Upon discussing many things with them, it is clear to see that there is still plenty of interest in the game. At this point, I still hadn’t played a game, but the overwhelming interest was now there.
In this moment of excitement and exploring what was on the market, I discovered that there was numerous leagues running up and down the country. I then took some time to think and plan ahead, which has enabled me to start implementing my own league, here in Berkshire. Observing the different groups on Facebook, it was largely male, with a higher average age. What wasn’t seen at all, we’re children? So, I did some research over the last 2/3 weeks and have found that there isn’t many younger players in this country. I interact with hundreds per week through my job, so that has made my decision quite easy, in the fact that I’ll offer out to these first. A new Subbuteo Club for children (both boys and girls)!
The fun really has started now, as I’m not just purchasing Subbuteo for my own collection, I now need as much as I can get my hands on, to run the club.
Upon approaching a couple of groups on Facebook, I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of generosity there is, in helping a fellow collector. Since I made the decision to progress with the club I’ve managed to secure pitches, players, scoreboards, balls and fencing. There are smaller items like benches too, as well as full limited edition sets.
The short term plan is that, children can attend to learn the game and then play it, in a pressure free environment. With a long term plan being, next year’s World Cup! The competition is taking place here in the UK, so there is surely no better time in starting, as this is the ultimate achievement for any fan?
Having something to strive for, such as this, will give the club context and meaning with a firm focus on what we wish to achieve. Even if weren’t fortunate enough to get a player into the competition, it will be a great experience in definitely trying.
‘Off the pitch’, I’m getting familiar with everything I need to know again, especially what teams I may like to purchase. Being a QPR fan, I’ve been lucky enough to pick up a couple of sets off of eBay, along with many other classic teams. The ‘La Leggenda’ range is superb and this has a firm focus on some of the previous greats. The detail on each player is commendable and there is a true likeness to the strips that the teams wore. Along with having a vast range to pick from, you can pick up some absolute bargains on eBay, so there is no need to pay those large prices. I have recently printed off the full list of teams, so this could be my new project in trying to complete!
There also seems to be a huge interest in the pitch surrounds, with many enthusiasts sharing their own incredible efforts. While this won’t be my immediate priority, I will be looking at purchasing some grandstands in the near future to decorate one of my new Astro pitches (which seem to be a huge upgrade on the ‘old school’ fabric style. They cost more, but look like they could save a lot of hassle).
The next steps will be to launch the children’s club around the 18th April, with an adult only club opening during the summer. While I’m yet to know if there is much interest in the ‘older’ age group, I’m certain there will be an uptake with the youngsters (especially with a World Cup) on the horizon.
For now, I’ll be researching the internet for ideas that I could use for my club and reviewing the rules to ensure I know exactly what I’m doing.
In the meantime, I’d love to connect with any Subbuteo fans or anyone who wishes to get involved with the game. There will be many opportunities coming up in he next month or two and I’d love for you to join us.
In my last blog I highlighted the reasons as to why you may purchase a shirt and if you do really need it. During a break in reflection, I had the opportunity to see what I had in my collection and collated some information. There were a number of shirts that I totally forgot I had (we’ve all done it), including a 1996 away shirt from Juventus. I picked this one specifically, as I saw one online recently and considered the purchase. For whatever reason, I held back and decided not to. Later on in that week, I sorted through my shirts and found the exact same shirt that I saw on twitter. This was a bit of a shock to myself and due to this (near) moment of forgetfulness, I decided to sort everything out properly.
Fast forward to today and we’re in a position to buy another shirt that we’ve identified. This could be on your ‘want’s’ list, or it is something that has really taken your fancy. Either way, we’re now making an approach to the seller.
Before we do this, we previously created a small checklist to specify about the potential purchase and new addition;
Have a collecting philosophy
Does this new shirt fit into the collection?
Does it add value?
Do you need it to complete a set or enhance your chances of reaching an objective?
> I’m now a conscious collector and making purchases that I need, which I mentioned in my last blog post. If you are an unconscious buyer, you may default to ‘auto pilot’, where you may just make rash decisions and buy shirts that you don’t really want, or need <
Before making a purchase, ask yourself those 4 questions and see what position it puts you in, as you are then questioning your first decision.
You then need to finally ask yourself a further 2 questions, which require an honest and accurate answer;
Do I NEED the shirt?
Or……
Do I WANT the shirt?
Needing the shirt – Objective
You have specified that you need this certain piece to fulfil a space in your collection and it’s contributing to a larger intention.
Wanting the shirt – Subjective
You see a shirt that you like for whatever reason. You now need to determine if it’s going to fit your philosophy or are you just going to make the purchase, because you like the colour for example. This shirt might not necessarily contribute to your overall intentions.
While there is no consequence for the above actions, this process could again help you understand where your collection is moving and if your purchases are contributing. If you don’t have any objective of what you want to achieve (team X shirts), your individual intentions (purchasing) are some what lost and going into different directions. This could obviously lead you down other paths that you don’t necessarily need to walk, but it was the want that took you there.
These decisions as we know, will have a financial cost, so consider the walk you wish to take, what direction it is going and where it will end up. By doing this, you will finish those collections that you NEEDED!
One point to note with this, is that a philosophy can always evolve as this is simply your how (application) of the original what.
What – I want collect team ‘X’ shirts
How – By purchasing them online
There is nothing wrong in assessing where your collection is going or even expanding it. My advice is, have a plan and save money on stuff you don’t really want.
It’s been a while since I last posted a blog on shirt collecting, due to a number of other things taking priority.
Now that I’m back and have given plenty of time to think of what I could possibly write about next, I want to look at what our intentions are, when we purchase a shirt. To make this easier for everyone to understand, I’m going to use football management as a metaphor, in order for you to think and reflect on if you really need a certain shirt.
The manager of team ‘X’ has 11 players on the field and during a game they apply their ‘how’ (decision making) to execute the intentions of the team. Before the match the manager highlighted to the team that they need to apply explosive pressing, high up the pitch, in an attempt to win back ball possession. For this to be successful, he will need certain players to ‘fit’ this style of play. There is a problem though…he has a superstar in his ranks who doesn’t like pressing, so now he looks out of place and this doesn’t work for the team.
The manager then has a decision to make. Does he keep this superstar in the team, but by doing this, he doesn’t contribute to the overall intention? Or, does he sell him and look for a replacement?
Hopefully you are now understanding the picture and the correlation between football as the game and shirt collecting.
Let’s now look at the shirt side of things.
Even before looking for that new shirt or old classic, you have to have a certain idea that you wish to progress with. This idea could be known as your ‘philosophy’ and what you stick to when collecting. For example, you could have a philosophy of only buying Inter Milan shirts. This is ‘what’ you want to do. Now, you have to determine ‘how’ you will achieve this objective of collecting Inter Milan shirts. You could use Twitter, eBay or Facebook for example, to achieve your how.
One evening you’re scrolling through social media and a classic River Plate shirt is for sale at a very reasonable price. What do you do now? Do you stick to your philosophy and scroll on, or do you make a commitment to buy the shirt? After all, it’s a lovely shirt at a great price, so why wouldn’t you make the purchase?
The problem now could possibly be that this new shirt (like a football player), doesn’t fit your ‘style’ or ‘intentions’ as highlighted above.
If you then use this type of behaviour and your application in purchasing shirts (which is fine by the way), you may never have any clear direction of what you want your collection to look like. Only you will know exactly what you want, as this is your own decision. It could be that you have an emotional attachment from the ‘good old days’, hence seeing a certain shirt provokes that stimulus and then you want to purchase. Maybe the colour scheme or template attracted you and now you can’t see yourself not purchasing the shirt?
After a number of purchases we are still hungry and looking for that next shirt. Why do want to continually purchase you ask??…because of the dopamine hits we get each time. The more we feed it, the more we want. This can be extremely dangerous with a hobby that can be expensive, so my advice would be as follows;
Sit down and write what your shirt collecting philosophy is
Then explore how you will go about your business to achieve your objective
Consider external factors such as finance, space, how many shirts you have and if you do really need it (understanding the difference between wanting and needing is an interesting topic, that will be discussed in the future)
Does that next shirt ‘fit’ in your collection, just like that player in a certain style of play (would Chris Woods fit into the style of play that Pep implements, at Man City)
If a team has 6 centre forwards, would they pay another £80 million to have one sat on the bench or not even in the squad?
By answering the above questions, it should give you clearer direction and guidance in shirt collecting. While you can still purchase what you like, narrowing down the possibilities of your intentions, should give you a clearer path in reaching your objective.
In my next blog, I’ll explore the situations you may find yourself in when making a purchase and when the process could possibly end!
Last week saw the start of the first Retro Football Week at Park to Pro, with players attending, to take a step back in time.
First up was a visit to the 1970’s and specifically to the World Cup final, where we looked at the outstanding performances of many previous greats, such as Pele, Carlos Alberto and Rivelino. Next was a visit to the 1980’s where we looked at a UEFA Cup final between AC Milan and Steaua Bucharest. There were so many past greats involved with this game, it would be unfair to single out players! If you haven’t already done so, check out the line ups for this game…..
The long awaited visit to the 90’s took place on Wednesday, with the focus on past greats such as Gazza, Maldini, Kluivert, plus many, many more. The attention for the games shifted to the Champions League final of 1999 and the all time classic of France vs Brazil at France 98’!! The players loved looking at all of these past players and games, with lots of love for the ‘original’ Ronaldo!
Finally, we looked at many famous games and players from 2000 onwards, including the 2005 Champions League final between AC Milan vs Liverpool, and Man Utd vs Barcelona (both occasions!)
While the above got lots of attention, there was additional focus on memorabilia and kits from the mentioned eras. This gave some real substance to what we were talking about and there was also an opportunity to look at shirts, from the greats that were mentioned.
With over 150 shirts (originals, match worn and match issue), there was plenty for the players to look at and a good opportunity to educate them on different areas, such as fakes vs originals, culture, colour and style.
The next instalment of the Retro Football events is taking place in a few weeks time, Monday 22nd August – Friday 26th August. The theme is staying the same, but the focus will be on other tournaments, players and games.
Adam said; “The purpose of these courses is to educate children about the past moments of the game we all love and alongside this, have some original memorabilia that can align with what our focus was. The conversations and interactions were excellent throughout the week, with many contributing in more ways than one. As the week progressed you naturally saw children coming armed with even more facts/stats, which pushed the level of interest even higher.
My personal highlights throughout the week, were looking and talking about some classic shirts, which then drew plenty of interest for the players to explore further.
Seeing interest grow in some all time greats was lovely to see and I’m glad the participants all took something away. I’m very much looking forward to the August edition and what the children bring to the table”.
Looking at ways to build my business has always been a tricky challenge. My background is in football coaching and being in this market is quite liquidated. Thankfully, my previous experiences and qualities I offer, pay dividends and there is enough interest in my services.
Off of the field I have always collected memorabilia and shirts for some time, so my next venture made complete sense. Working for yourself requires a lot of time and hard work, in thinking of new ideas and then putting them into action.
Earlier on in the year, I hosted a football course for young children and it was apparent that they didn’t know many of the ‘older’ players, with all the focus on the usual suspects. Ronaldo and Messi are frequently spoken about, as well the obvious Premier League stars.
My thoughts were then fuelled by curiosity, as I was intrigued to know how many knew of Del Piero, Cruyff or Gascoigne? The answer was, barely any. I needed to educate these kids, as they are missing out on so much and some unbelievable past events.
With all of the items I have at my disposal, plus a community and platform that I can use to expand, it made sense to me to take the opportunity in growing my business.
First up, was the formulation of the ‘Retro Football Week’, which is taking place over 2 separate weeks in the summer holidays. In the month of July and August, we’ll be taking a trip down memory lane and visiting some of the greatest players, games, matches and tournaments in a variety of different ways. After we have learnt about one of the respective past times listed above, we’ll take to the field and reenact these historical events. This is something I’ve never seen on the market and something that I feel can educate players.
The next pop up I had was, if the children can benefit from all this amazing past glory in shirts, boots and medals…why can’t the adults?!
I have now made an addition to the ‘retro theme’ and included this under the new events package that I’m offering, under the umbrella of, ‘For the Fan’.
‘A Retro Football Event’, will be taking place once per month and will encourage fans of the beautiful game to meet, discuss and enjoy the previous moments that we have all loved. To add some real nostalgia to the evening, there will be a previous game shown on a big screen, a quiz, plenty of memorabilia and lots of shirts!!!
From my initial research, this has had positive feedback in my local area and is something that could be well attended.
These events will be officially opened to the public in September, with tickets available from August.
Lastly, I’ll be operating a ‘Design a Kit’ competition for local primary schools in my area, in preparation for the World Cup this winter. To build the interest and create some ideas, I’ll be taking my full shirt collection into a school and giving a workshop on key areas. Manufacturing, counterfeit vs original and the story behind a number of famous strips will be covered. There will of course some interesting facts that the children will appreciate, to build an understanding in the history of football shirts.
From participating in this workshop, the children will then be invited to take part in a kit designing competition. All entrants will be sent onto a neutral panel, where the best kit from each year group will be picked and then rewarded with a prize.
Using the football kits as a tool to educate, will cover many areas of the school curriculum, with fun as a consequence.
Details for the school workshops, will be released in September.
With a busy few months ahead, I’m really looking forward to seeing what will happen with these new projects and visiting so many memorable moments. I’ll be updating the blog more regularly, from the end of July and feeding back on what my learning’s have been.
So, your collection is growing and new shirts have been identified. As easy as it is to identify what you want next, there is the small factor of applying a cost, in securing your next target. Some shirts will be deemed by some as smaller purchases, where as older, more vintage items can incur a very large cost.
Independent of your budget, you’re contributing to your own collection, with everyone having completely different reasons. Some of these could be;
Starting off – You are new to collecting and are enjoying the anticipation of the journey you’re about to embark on. There are huge opportunities out there, where you could be reunited with some shirts or encounter brand new ones.
Going through growth – The collection is well underway and you’re collecting further shirts. These could be new finds, a certain collection evolving or the start of a new club/era/size etc etc.
Finishing a collection – I’ve seen some fabulous collections on social media and there must be a sense of excitement, when you’re near the end of a certain journey. If you are only 3 or 4 short and these became available, then this could be a reason to make an exception on breaking your budget.
Selling – Some collectors purchase the shirts, to then sell in the future. From researching, a lot of shirts hold their value and also increase over time. While this method incurs a cost, the money could be made back quite quickly or generate a profit.
While this list isn’t exclusive to every collector, it’s important to recognise that all of the reasons above will require a financial commitment.
Now, the question is, how much do I budget each month?
While this again will be different for every person, it’s important to set a budget, so you can control your spending. While a spend cap won’t force you to stop spending money, having a boundary in place can act as a deterrent for your brain. If you go against what you told yourself, no one will call the police (hopefully), but you will provoke a negative brain state, as you have broken your own agreement. This could then lead to the negative questioning that you could ask yourself, which could then in turn, provoke you into wondering why you purchased the shirt in the first place.
At the beginning of the month, I sit and plan a number of things. Work, appointments and anything socially based that needs to take priority. After this, finances are (roughly) broken down and considerations are sought.
Focusing closely on the kit collecting, I’ll ask myself 3 questions;
Can I afford it? (How much of my budget will be gone if I make this purchase?)
Do I need it? (Where does it fit within the collection?)
Does it fit me? (I try to buy all of my shirts in my size, just in case I do actually want to wear them. There are a couple of shirts that I have made an exception on and won’t fit me)
If the answers to all of those questions are objective as possible, then I can make a fairly quick decision. The problems sometimes arise towards the end of the working month, when purchases have already been made and the budget has been significantly reduced.
When I’ve identified some shirts that I really do like, I have been fortunate enough to have a number of sellers, who were patient enough to wait until I had available funds. While this habit isn’t one that would sustain the long term, it is useful if the other party is happy to agree. One thing I made sure of here, was that I regularly communicate and stick to my word. We all know what happens, once someone goes back on their word…..
To finish, once I’ve spent my money on a shirt or a number of shirts, it is a nice feeling when what you expected comes through the door. As mentioned in a previous post, I do regret a couple of my purchases, but on the whole I know exactly what I want.
Next week, I’m going to start detailing a number of new avenues, that I’m going to start venturing down and I’ll be taking my shirts with me!
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