I ran in to this SPACE thing before. Seems like the Sports Bar's always preferred 1 extra pool table as opposed to 2 foosball tables in the same space. Most places today also want the extra space for the DARTS, which require open space between the throw line and wall board. In addition you are also competing for the space that the higher income producing Golden T/Golf or other video games require. At one place I was able to get 1 table in permanently and kept one in a bad corner until the foosnight came around. We then would move that table out (Jackable wheels option would make this task easier) and take up some of the Dart throwing area, as we had Foosball on a night other than the Darts Tournament, thus utilizing most of the same space for DARTS and Foosball, just on separate nights.
In another Venue with limited space, I placed a table top over a foosball table which allowed this table to be used for NON-Foosball Playing customers to place their drinks and food on, during non-Foosball days. We had the other table set up to play during all hours, but this one was set up as a table to utilize space for non-foosball customers on Fridays and Saturday nights after about 8:00. We would remove the table tops when we had the foosball tournaments or enough foosball players in the place as customers.
The bars seem to really like a game that keeps people up and moving on their feet which produce similar advantages as the dance floor, keeping people moving burning energy and requiring drink & food as fuel
for this movement, as well as burning off some of the effects of Alcohol.
One of the greatest challenge was to convine the bar Owner/Manager
that you could keep the tables maintained, would be willing to stay involved promoting and running the tournaments, and that the activity being utilized in that space (which was foosball) would not be an activity that would bring AGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR MANAGEMENT problems into the bar.
Over the years, owners of places that serve drinks have been schooled in the management of Agressive Behavior and 1 train of thought is to NOT BRING IN AN ACTIVITY THAT PROMOTES agressive behavior, else it ups your security costs and your liability Insurance claims exposure. So in their mindset, if it's not bringing in the bucks, it's not worth taking the risk to deal with all the baggage thats comes along with an activity that brings in agressive behavior.
Maybe this has finally passed but back in the day, there were serious loud arguments in the foosball corner over rules and also with some players that had little tolerance handling trash talking.
I'm sure it's gotten better, but alcohol and agressive behaviors don't mix well, which is why we all have to self police our foosball games in addition to recruiting/teaching/retaining players to play and maintaining the tables on location. A pretty good chore in such a busy society.
But Hey Foosball is a GREAT game, it's worth it, so if we all band tighter together and continue to better maintain control, we can succeed and overcome all these obstacles to allow Foosball to further mature having a larger Quantity of players with more Quality. Somehow we have to bring the "Load the table up with quarters" Table Challenge fun games back, Yet at the same time keep the serious other events. I still think the Time Play Foosball table environment "similar to Pool" is still a viable untapped less agressive less serious type, market.
Foosball and Darts sharing space at Baileys
Foosball and Darts sharing space at Sam's with 2 FoosTop in use - Dartboard above far left table
Pool/Foosball PaperFootball Game Top-Makers getting ready to play Doubles
Econo FoosTop in Use
Luxury FoosTop Maker in action
Pool/FoosTop Football Player
Luxury FoosTop in use
Full House at Sam's using all 4 Tables
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