Very few people realize that the London inventor who invented foosball did it by playing around with a box of matches. Back in 1923, he was considered a soccer fanatic. He enjoyed the game so much that he felt like there must be some way to play the same game and create the same excitement indoors. One evening, after enjoying an especially intense game of soccer, he started fiddling around with a box of matches. It wasn't long until he figured out how he could make his idea work, and the plans for a foosball table were born.

Even though he patented his idea right away, he never saw the foosball table mass produced before the patent expired. Another inventor saw the idea in 1937, worked on it and came up with a table very similar to the ones we know today.

This isn't really soccer, because there is no running. They changed the name to foosball and created their own terminology. For example, there are the foos or extremists of the game, foosmen and foosball table.
No one ever dreamed that foosball would become such a popular game. Today, you can find one in nearly every bar, and it is not uncommon to find them in private homes, too. Foosball tables are also common in gyms, clubs, dorms, schools and workplaces.

The nature and excitement of the game lends itself to competition. Since the 1940s foosball competitions have been organized by different groups, and in 1975 people began to consider it a sport where you could win "big money". This was a result of the "quarter million dollar tour" where winners won several million dollars. As a result of this event, foosball now has a World Championship title, the FIFA World Cup.

In 2002 the "International Table Soccer Federation" was formed by Frenchmen who were crazy about foosball. This was the first effort to have foosball included in the Olympic games. In the future, those who stay home and play foosball may make it to the Olympics. With every world cup approaching many take the opportunity to push for that to happen.

It really doesn't matter if foosball becomes an Olympic sport, because it has definitely become a part of our culture. Even Hollywood has included it in various movies, and it has become quite prominent on TV. Characters on television programs like "House" and "Friends" are often seen playing foosball. The destruction of the foosball table at the end of "Friends" caused a very emotional scene.

Even though the foosball table had a rocky and uncertain beginning, it has become so popular that it is not uncommon to find it in many homes, college halls, bars and sport bars. What began as cool home entertainment has moved on into serious competition. The big question is how far it will go and can it be financially rewarding in order to get prime time attention. Will it become a part of the Olympic Games in the future? If it does, it will be the first Olympic sport to have its start as a matchbox.