Town’s first-ever professional foosball league sees ‘big success’

A new sport has officially arrived in town, offering all generations a chance to play professionally while making long-lasting relationships. Newark’s first-ever professional table football league was launched by sports enthusiast Géza Pócsik, who brought the game known as foosball to life at The Castle and Falcon, Newark, earlier this year. Originally from Hungary, where table football is a common entertainment in pubs, Géza felt a lack of opportunities to play competitively in the town when he moved to the area.

He said: “People didn’t even know that it’s a proper game and not just a small wooden toy. “So there was a huge gap here.” A keen supporter of community sport, Géza also sponsors the Newark darts singles league through his carpet cleaning business — Hungaro — and runs a Facebook group promoting sports and activities around the area.



Spotting demand for new ways to socialise, he approached the Castle and Falcon landlords, Rob and Stacey, in January with the idea to host foosball nights at the pub, which the duo supported ‘without hesitation’. The enthusiast invested in a Garlando Champion table and placed it in the venue, and in March, Newark hosted its inaugural tournament — I. Newark Foosball Open —which was considered a big success.

One of the appeals of the game is its accessibility and social nature. Géza added: “It has a huge power to bring people together to meet, socialise and have fun without any age limitation. “It’s much easier to learn to play than other pub games like darts or pool.

“We played against six- and eight-year-old girls for nearly two hours, and they just didn’t want to stop.” He believes that the game can play a key role in tackling isolation and inactivity in Newark, as the idea of bringing the sport also followed several Facebook posts of people saying they were lonely or bored. The Hungarian man believed that Newark needed a game where ‘all generations can play and socialise together’.

Anyone is welcome to join the league, regardless of experience and players can register via the — Foosball Premier League – Newark Table Football Tournaments — Facebook page or by visiting the pub ahead of an event. Competitions are held monthly and typically start with a group stage, followed by semi-finals and a final. A weekly league format is planned for September, with friendly singles and doubles matches also taking place regularly at the pub, which is open to casual practice sessions throughout the week.

Plans are also underway to install an additional table in the pub’s function room to support larger tournaments, and Géza is currently organising a charity event this summer in aid of the Newark Mental Health Project as he believes in giving back to the community. He concluded: “Many say Newark is a ghost town and there’s not much to do. “But this is about bringing people together, young and old, to socialise, play and have fun.

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