New Years Greetings

Dear friends, members, and partners,

At the beginning of this year 2025, we extend our best wishes for health and success. May this new year be a symbol of achievements, both personally and collectively.

In our discipline, teamwork is a core value. Leading a club or federation is a demanding task, far beyond mere words. It requires clear vision, constant action, and unwavering commitment. Thanks to your dedication, you are building solid foundations for the development and recognition of our sport.

The development of clubs remains and will always be a top priority for the ITSF. Clubs are the pillars upon which true federations are built, capable of structuring and growing our discipline. The World Champions League, launched this year, embodies this vision: it supports local development while providing global access and visibility. Table football, though individual, is never selfish. It brings people together; it unites.

The year 2025 will be a decisive turning point for the ITSF. After years of preparation and investment, our first digital projects will finally be accessible to the public. These modern initiatives will strengthen the presence of our discipline on the global sports stage. They will provide valuable data, offer an immersive experience, and simplify interactions between players of all levels.

These digital advancements are also a unique opportunity for companies that believe in our sport. They will offer economically realistic reasons to support local, national, or international projects. Corporate engagement will be crucial to support the development of the sport, whether it’s in schools or local clubs.

This long-term work is also part of our approach for recognition by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). It’s not about participating in the Games, but about having table football recognized as a full-fledged sport. We have already completed half of the journey. The challenge now is to demonstrate that our 60 member federations are organized democratically, sportingly and on a non-profit basis. We will continue to support them and provide them with the necessary tools, particularly through CORAL, which will be a key lever to facilitate their daily work.

Our projects must always be fair and sustainable. The change in the affiliation model, endorsed at our last general assembly, is a concrete example of this approach. From now on, federations themselves will no longer pay any membership fees to the ITSF, and neither will recreational and domestic-level players, nor juniors or people with disabilities. Only those players participating in international competitions and thus using CORAL services will contribute, at a rate of €10 per year. While symbolic, this amount reflects an act of membership from those who directly benefit from technical infrastructure. Additionally, thanks to the ITSF support fund, players and federations for whom this amount might be a barrier can receive exemptions or reductions based on their development projects.

We would also like to warmly thank our partners, especially the table manufacturers, without whom our discipline could not have survived. Their commitment is invaluable, and our destinies are closely linked. Thank you to Bonzini, Garlando, Leonhart, Roberto Sport, and Tornado, our official partners, for their unwavering support over the years. We also thank Infinity, Jiuxing Sports, Rosengart, and Ullrich for their key role in their respective regions.

A big thank you to philoro, our new partner, who is investing both in amateur and school-based practice through the "100 table football for schools" project, as well as in high-level sport with events such as the World Series and the first Gold Finals.

Finally, the 2025 World Cup will be a highlight of the year. This event reflects everything we stand for: a discipline that is increasingly inclusive, where anyone, regardless of origin or background, can shine. It is both a human and logistical challenge, driven by hundreds of volunteers serving our community, but also a grand celebration where we honor the unity and diversity of global table football.

Together, let’s build a sustainable future for our sport. Thank you for your passion, your commitment, and your determination to make table football grow.

Wishing you all a fantastic 2025!

The ITSF Team

Farid Lounas

Executive Committee : Francesco Bonnano, Nicola Colacicco, Kenneth Dale, Tomas Fernandez, Klaus Gottesleben, Will Hawkes, Dr Rashila Pradhan, Joe Ueno

Working Team: Abbas Babapour, Wolfgang Breuer, Gonçalo Dos Santos, Nolwenn Grivet, Sylvain Guillet, Franco Lupusella, Iulian Naicu, Ludovic Neri, Arthur Phelippeau, Alexandru Preda, Ecaterina Sarbulescu

Commissions members : Dan Barber, Umesh Ghimire, Jackie Han, Michaela Klass, René Kurtz, Lea Kvistgaard, Daniela Langthaler, Rich Marsh, Sara Rezmann, Julian Timnev, Jerry Todd, Tom Yore, Yuri Zhuk, Dave Ziemann

Thanks to: Julien Calvas, Martin Douet, Nicole Gabriel, Ulf Gabriel, Gurvan Heuzé, Laurent Lacombe, Ludovic Legret, Giuseppe Messina, Stephan Peter, Jean-Christophe Rineau, InsideFoos (Maryam & Mark & Jim)

Special thanks to: Ingrid Bergaglia, Paola & Alessandro Borretaz, Rudolf Brenner, Enzo Casadidio, Christian Fiedler, Giuseppe Garlando, Helmut Hanekamp, Steve Murray, Janos Nemeth, Juan Isidro Gotor Nonay, Rui Li, Keyle & Trey Stites