John O'Brien
Beginnings - Foosball Clubs USA has grown out of the organizational efforts and successes of John O'Brien, a Technology Education instructor with the North Rose-Wolcott School District in Wayne County, New York.
What started as only a hopeful idea in the Spring of 2011, forming a local school Foosball Club in small school district in upstate New York, has now grown into a fully incorporated non-profit organization dedicated to the formation of school-based foosball clubs throughout the country.
Foosball Clubs USA, is actively seeking other educators, particularly those who also play foosball, to partner with in developing foosball clubs in their school and community.
Below is a timeline of the events that have brought Foosball Clubs USA to where they are today.
Summer 2011 – Initial contact is made with table manufacturers, in an attempt to secure support for a school-based foosball program. Dave Courington assisted the North Rose-Wolcott (NRW) district in purchasing two Tornado Classic tables for the middle school, After-School Program.
Spring 2011- An After-School Program is started at the middle school, which meets twice per week. To date, this program has introduced over two hundred middle school students to the game of competitive foosball.
Spring 2012 - Two foosball tournaments are held at the middle school, through the After-School Program.
Fall 2013 – Brendan Flaherty and Evan Stachelek assist the NRW high school in the purchase of a Warrior table, which, at the request of the school principal, is made available to students prior to school, during lunch periods, and after school.
The North Rose-Wolcott school district establishes an officially sanctioned Foosball Club at the high school, with sixteen members. The NRW High School Principal creates a foosball program where students are able to play on two tables throughout their lunch period, and after school.
Nov. 2013 - Eight middle school / high school Foosball Club members compete in the Northeast Foosball Tournament in Syracuse, NY, with NRW students taking second in doubles, and third in singles.
During the NE Tournament, the NRW student players were exposed to and witnessed an extremely high level of foosball competition, and had the opportunity to meet some of the leading players in the game, both new and established, including veteran player, Charles Mackintosh.
As a result of their participation in the NE Foosball tournament, a Tornado Cyclone II table was donated to the NRW Foosball Club, by Joseph and Liam Fisher. This table was delivered by Kevin Westcott, then USTSF State and Regional Director, and placed in the lobby of the NRW high school, for use by the general student population, and the high school Foosball Club.
Feb. 2014 – With the help of Kevin Westcott, the NRW Foosball Club sponsored its first local foosball tournament, open to any area middle school and high school players.
Aug. 2014 – Made contact with the major foosball table manufacturers, vendors, and promoters, such as Tornado (Valley-Dynamo), Warrior, Shelti, IFP (Mary Moore), Tornadofoosball.com, Inc. (Charles MacKintosh) to communicate the goals of Foosball Clubs USA.
Sept. 2014 – A four month series of local foosball tournaments is organized for December, January, February, and March, as ‘warm up’ to the large New York statewide tournament, scheduled for April / May 2015.
Oct. 2014 – A lunch time Foosball Program is launched at the NRW Middle School, where 12 - 14, 7th & 8th grade students get to play on three tables each day.
Dec. 2014 - A school Administrator expresses recognition that the school foosball activities are having a positive impact upon many students, who otherwise don’t seem to be involved in other school sports and clubs. A commitment is made to share the benefits of a school-based foosball program to administrators in other school districts, in hopes of establishing interscholastic competition.
Feb. 2015 – Foosball Clubs USA, incorporated as a non-profit organization, dedicated to the promotion of school-based Foosball Clubs & Teams.
Local Foosball Tournament Series in upstate NY.
December 6, 2014 – NRW Middle School Foosball Tourny
January 17, 2015 – NRW HS/MS Foosball Tourny
February 21, 2015 - NRW HS/MS Foosball Tourny – Staff/Student Doubles
Feb. 27, 2015 – Met with Newark Afterschool Program, and put on mini foosball clinic for students.
March 2015 – Contacts made with the National Federation of High school Sport (NFHS), and New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA), requesting information about having a new sport sanctioned with their organization.
March 7, 2015 – Foosball Clinic at Mexico MS. Three groups, 35 students total. Staff - MS Principal, Assist. Principal, Program Director, HS Assist. Principal.
March 28, 2015 – Foosball Workshop for schools in Wayne County, interested in starting their own foosball club.
May 2, 2015 – New York State Foosball Championship – We took eight (8) students from the NRW Foosball Club to compete in this event in Albany, NY. Our students were the only Junior players competing at this event.
The larger foosball community received our club with open arms and celebrated their participation.
During this event, conversations were had with teachers who expressed an interest and desire in starting a foosball program at their school, but could not due to finances and lack of a table. Some even expressed how their school administrator had already given approval for the formation of a program, yet finances prevented the plan from moving forward.
Through these conversations the Loaner Table Program was conceived. When we returned home the Go Fund Me Campaign was modified to be a Foos in the Schools – Table Loaner Program.
May 2015 – Mass promotional email sent to all Middle and High School building administrators (3600) in New York State, promoting Foos in the Schools programs.
May 2015 – Launch of Loaner Table Program.
June 2015
- Put on a foosball clinic in Oswego for community youth.
- Contacted by a school Superintendent in upstate NY, in response to mass school mailer. Interest in starting a foosball program, once they can afford a table.
- Middle School teacher in upstate NY, got approval to start a foosball program in school, but needs some tables. Arrangements were made to provide a loaner table.
- Contacted by business owner in upstate NY who is picking up used coin-op tables and wants to start a school or community based foosball program for youth.
July 2015
- Placed foosball table in a local youth center in Oswego, NY.
- Secured first donated foosball tables from Craig List seller, to be used in our Loaner Table Program.
August 2015 – Met with the Principal of the Oswego Middle School to discuss the formation of a foosball program in her building. The principal has already canvassed her staff and is making plans to visit an existing school program to see how it runs.
September 4-6, 2015 - John O'Brien was invited to speak and set up a booth at the IFP - Tornado World Championships in Lexington, Ky.
Three students from the North Rose-Wolcott Foosball Club, attended this event to compete and speak with foosball players about their school club / team.
September 2015
- New Foosball Program slated to begin in Maryland at the Stevensville MS, using used tables.
- Lyons NY, After School Program Coordinator contacted us, seeking help in securing a quality new table and designing their program.
NOTE: The Lyons After School Program is connected with five other programs, covered by the same grant. Getting a program established here will most likely lead to similar programs at the other sites.
- Principal / Athletic Director of the Aurora MS, contacted us to purchase a quality foosball table for use in their lunch program.
NOTE: Having an Athletic Director seek us our for help starting a program fits well with our goals of seeing foosball established as a school sport. This Athletic Director expressed a desire to see her program grow into a school team, that would compete with other school teams.
- Jim Langdon, a player in S. Carolina, came to the IFP Tornado World Championship event in Lexington, specifically to meet with us and discuss plans for establishing foosball programs in area schools. So far, he has made contact with three (3) schools that are interested in establishing programs.
- A delegation from the Oswego MS will be visiting to check out the NRW Lunch Time Foosball Program, and the After School Foosball Program.
Contact Info: John O’Brien, 315-430-2179, foosballclubsusa@gmail.com, foosballclubsusa.org.
What started as only a hopeful idea in the Spring of 2011, forming a local school Foosball Club in small school district in upstate New York, has now grown into a fully incorporated non-profit organization dedicated to the formation of school-based foosball clubs throughout the country.
Foosball Clubs USA, is actively seeking other educators, particularly those who also play foosball, to partner with in developing foosball clubs in their school and community.
Below is a timeline of the events that have brought Foosball Clubs USA to where they are today.
Summer 2011 – Initial contact is made with table manufacturers, in an attempt to secure support for a school-based foosball program. Dave Courington assisted the North Rose-Wolcott (NRW) district in purchasing two Tornado Classic tables for the middle school, After-School Program.
Spring 2011- An After-School Program is started at the middle school, which meets twice per week. To date, this program has introduced over two hundred middle school students to the game of competitive foosball.
Spring 2012 - Two foosball tournaments are held at the middle school, through the After-School Program.
Fall 2013 – Brendan Flaherty and Evan Stachelek assist the NRW high school in the purchase of a Warrior table, which, at the request of the school principal, is made available to students prior to school, during lunch periods, and after school.
The North Rose-Wolcott school district establishes an officially sanctioned Foosball Club at the high school, with sixteen members. The NRW High School Principal creates a foosball program where students are able to play on two tables throughout their lunch period, and after school.
Nov. 2013 - Eight middle school / high school Foosball Club members compete in the Northeast Foosball Tournament in Syracuse, NY, with NRW students taking second in doubles, and third in singles.
During the NE Tournament, the NRW student players were exposed to and witnessed an extremely high level of foosball competition, and had the opportunity to meet some of the leading players in the game, both new and established, including veteran player, Charles Mackintosh.
As a result of their participation in the NE Foosball tournament, a Tornado Cyclone II table was donated to the NRW Foosball Club, by Joseph and Liam Fisher. This table was delivered by Kevin Westcott, then USTSF State and Regional Director, and placed in the lobby of the NRW high school, for use by the general student population, and the high school Foosball Club.
Feb. 2014 – With the help of Kevin Westcott, the NRW Foosball Club sponsored its first local foosball tournament, open to any area middle school and high school players.
Aug. 2014 – Made contact with the major foosball table manufacturers, vendors, and promoters, such as Tornado (Valley-Dynamo), Warrior, Shelti, IFP (Mary Moore), Tornadofoosball.com, Inc. (Charles MacKintosh) to communicate the goals of Foosball Clubs USA.
Sept. 2014 – A four month series of local foosball tournaments is organized for December, January, February, and March, as ‘warm up’ to the large New York statewide tournament, scheduled for April / May 2015.
Oct. 2014 – A lunch time Foosball Program is launched at the NRW Middle School, where 12 - 14, 7th & 8th grade students get to play on three tables each day.
Dec. 2014 - A school Administrator expresses recognition that the school foosball activities are having a positive impact upon many students, who otherwise don’t seem to be involved in other school sports and clubs. A commitment is made to share the benefits of a school-based foosball program to administrators in other school districts, in hopes of establishing interscholastic competition.
Feb. 2015 – Foosball Clubs USA, incorporated as a non-profit organization, dedicated to the promotion of school-based Foosball Clubs & Teams.
Local Foosball Tournament Series in upstate NY.
December 6, 2014 – NRW Middle School Foosball Tourny
January 17, 2015 – NRW HS/MS Foosball Tourny
February 21, 2015 - NRW HS/MS Foosball Tourny – Staff/Student Doubles
Feb. 27, 2015 – Met with Newark Afterschool Program, and put on mini foosball clinic for students.
March 2015 – Contacts made with the National Federation of High school Sport (NFHS), and New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA), requesting information about having a new sport sanctioned with their organization.
March 7, 2015 – Foosball Clinic at Mexico MS. Three groups, 35 students total. Staff - MS Principal, Assist. Principal, Program Director, HS Assist. Principal.
March 28, 2015 – Foosball Workshop for schools in Wayne County, interested in starting their own foosball club.
May 2, 2015 – New York State Foosball Championship – We took eight (8) students from the NRW Foosball Club to compete in this event in Albany, NY. Our students were the only Junior players competing at this event.
The larger foosball community received our club with open arms and celebrated their participation.
During this event, conversations were had with teachers who expressed an interest and desire in starting a foosball program at their school, but could not due to finances and lack of a table. Some even expressed how their school administrator had already given approval for the formation of a program, yet finances prevented the plan from moving forward.
Through these conversations the Loaner Table Program was conceived. When we returned home the Go Fund Me Campaign was modified to be a Foos in the Schools – Table Loaner Program.
May 2015 – Mass promotional email sent to all Middle and High School building administrators (3600) in New York State, promoting Foos in the Schools programs.
May 2015 – Launch of Loaner Table Program.
June 2015
- Put on a foosball clinic in Oswego for community youth.
- Contacted by a school Superintendent in upstate NY, in response to mass school mailer. Interest in starting a foosball program, once they can afford a table.
- Middle School teacher in upstate NY, got approval to start a foosball program in school, but needs some tables. Arrangements were made to provide a loaner table.
- Contacted by business owner in upstate NY who is picking up used coin-op tables and wants to start a school or community based foosball program for youth.
July 2015
- Placed foosball table in a local youth center in Oswego, NY.
- Secured first donated foosball tables from Craig List seller, to be used in our Loaner Table Program.
August 2015 – Met with the Principal of the Oswego Middle School to discuss the formation of a foosball program in her building. The principal has already canvassed her staff and is making plans to visit an existing school program to see how it runs.
September 4-6, 2015 - John O'Brien was invited to speak and set up a booth at the IFP - Tornado World Championships in Lexington, Ky.
Three students from the North Rose-Wolcott Foosball Club, attended this event to compete and speak with foosball players about their school club / team.
September 2015
- New Foosball Program slated to begin in Maryland at the Stevensville MS, using used tables.
- Lyons NY, After School Program Coordinator contacted us, seeking help in securing a quality new table and designing their program.
NOTE: The Lyons After School Program is connected with five other programs, covered by the same grant. Getting a program established here will most likely lead to similar programs at the other sites.
- Principal / Athletic Director of the Aurora MS, contacted us to purchase a quality foosball table for use in their lunch program.
NOTE: Having an Athletic Director seek us our for help starting a program fits well with our goals of seeing foosball established as a school sport. This Athletic Director expressed a desire to see her program grow into a school team, that would compete with other school teams.
- Jim Langdon, a player in S. Carolina, came to the IFP Tornado World Championship event in Lexington, specifically to meet with us and discuss plans for establishing foosball programs in area schools. So far, he has made contact with three (3) schools that are interested in establishing programs.
- A delegation from the Oswego MS will be visiting to check out the NRW Lunch Time Foosball Program, and the After School Foosball Program.
Contact Info: John O’Brien, 315-430-2179, foosballclubsusa@gmail.com, foosballclubsusa.org.
