A Weekend of Table Football Excellence
The weekend of February 8-9 saw the 2025 Australian Grand Prix held at the iconic Ultra Football venue in Abbotsford, Melbourne. This pinnacle event of the domestic Subbuteo scene was even more thrilling this year with the participation of world #5 Wolfgang Haas from Austria.
The Draw and Group Stage Drama
The draw was conducted on Friday, February 7, in a night that showcased the camaraderie and passion of the Subbuteo community in Australia. As one keen observer noted, “it is like a reunion.” Indeed, it was, with players from across Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore attending the dinner draw, sharing drinks, and rekindling old friendships.
Twenty-eight players were split across seven groups. While every draw at this level is challenging, Group 4 was widely viewed as the “Group of Death,” featuring 4th seed Luke Radziminski, Paul Mercer, Adrian Elmer, and Chris Bowen from the UK.
Group Stage Highlights
The group phase delivered some fascinating results. Highlights included:
- Adrian Connolly’s Comeback: Connolly’s come-from-behind win over 3rd seed Eliot Kennedy to top Group 3. Although Daniel Lombard was eliminated in the group phase, he took out silverware on Sunday, winning the ATFA President’s Cup.
- Steve Dettre’s Upset: Dettre upset 7th seed Nick Brill to win Group 7 with three straight wins.
- Franck Cozzarin’s Narrow Escape: Australian World Cup representative Franck Cozzarin narrowly escaped Group 5 on goal difference after a scoreless draw with Christos Garagounis, who later became the runner-up in the Consolation Event.
- Peter Thomas’s Goal Fest: Thomas scored an impressive 20 goals without reply.
- Tasmanian Triumph: Yago Dzelalija progressed from Group 6, making it two Tasmanians in the next phase.
- Kiwi Progress: New Zealanders Conrad Mudge and Richard Edeson showed significant improvement, both finishing 3rd in their groups, nearly becoming the first Kiwis to progress to the next phase of a Grand Prix.
Knockout Stage Excitement
In the Barrage, all seeds progressed, though Benji Batten needed sudden death extra time to overcome Paul Mercer. Adrian Connolly couldn’t maintain his group form and bowed out to a goal from Franck Cozzarin in the dying seconds.
The quarter-finals saw the top seeds advance, though Eliot Kennedy’s relegation to 2nd place in his group meant he faced Wolfgang Haas. Despite drawing level 1-1 in the first half, Haas ultimately proved too strong. Luke Radziminski needed penalties to overcome Singapore’s Vikas Chandiramani after a scoreless draw, a surprising outcome given both players’ attacking prowess.
Semi-Finals and the Grand Finale
The semi-finals featured three Melbourne TFC players. Peter Thomas triumphed over clubmate Benji Batten 2-1 after Batten had equalized. Wolfgang Haas worked hard to defeat Luke Radziminski 2-0.
The final pitted Austrian champion Wolfgang Haas against top-ranked Australian Peter Thomas. The game was tight until a fantastic goal from Haas broke the deadlock. Despite Thomas’s valiant efforts, Haas deservedly claimed the 2025 Australian Grand Prix title, adding to his collection of silverware.
Teams Event Showdown
The Teams event on Sunday, February 9, featured two Victorian clubs (Melbourne TFC and Northern Phoenix TFC) and two clubs from New South Wales (Northern Falcons TFC and the newly formed Tumbleweeds). Given their players’ performances in the individual event, Melbourne TFC were hot favorites and lived up to expectations, winning all three of their games to take the title.
Northern Phoenix took the opportunity to introduce two new players, Nathan Heard and George Theocharis, providing them with valuable experience. The margin between Northern Falcons TFC and the Tumbleweeds was extremely tight, with the Falcons edging out on goal difference. To emphasis how tight this was, the clash between the two finished 1-1, but the Tumbleweeds had a better goal difference across the individual matches of that head-to-head clash.
A Memorable Event
The 2025 Australian Grand Prix was a resounding success, filled with thrilling matches, renewed friendships, and new connections. Special thanks to Louis Dettre and Steve Dettre for their hard work on the streaming, and to the many voices that contributed to the commentary, including 2024 FISTF World Cup commentary star Hugh Best.
We eagerly anticipate the Asian Cup in October, which will be held at the UltraFootball venue in Sydney. Bring it on!
