Forget “Kick it like Beckham

Austrian players have been increasingly successful in international table football (or “wuzeln”, as it is called in Vienna) in the past few years, winning several world championship titles in single, double and team competitions.

Austria achieved world championship glory in 2006 when the national team beat Germany. Which did not come as much of a surprise to 14-time world champion Lazlo Teke: “We really deserved the title in 2006. We are definitely among the best teams in the world.”

Double world champion

Vienna-born Verena Rohrer even won herself two titles at the 2007 World Championship in Italy: in the women’s single and double. She likes showing men how the game is played: “My aim is to make life hard for the men.” As a woman, the petite player belongs to a minority: less than 10 per cent of table football players are women.



Table football has not yet achieved the status of an internationally recognised sport and so some items on Verena Rohrer’s wish list still remain unfulfilled. One of them: “A sponsor.”

Information:

Where to meet the pros: Café Heumühle Heumühlgasse 14, 1040 Vienna Steppenwolf, Lange Gasse 74, 1080 Vienna Debakel Skodagasse 21, 1080 Vienna Other locations: Down Under Magdalenenstrasse 32, 1060 Vienna Pandoras Box Kurzgasse 6, 1060 Vienna Wuzl’n’Roll Flex Donakanal/Augartenbrücke, 1010 Vienna Shelter Wallensteinplatz 8, 1200 Vienna

 

Links

http://www.table-soccer.org www.tfboe.org

Tip:

Table football goes TV While other TV stations are fighting for broadcasting rights from the 2008 European football championships, Vienna’s community station Okto is holding its own tournament – in table football. Amateur players interested in taking part in the multicultural European championships can apply until 4 May. Who is going to represent which country will be decided by a draw – much like in real life, as the organisers point out. The aspiring ball artists will demonstrate their skills from 7 to 29 June, during the “big” UEFA European championships, on Okto every day at 8 p.m. http://okto.tv/wuzzl-em/