The UK’s newest Subbuteo Fair of 2022 has been hailed a success as visitors packed out the event on Sunday (29 May).
The Subbuteo Collector’s Fair by Subbuteo Passion opened its doors in the picturesque village of Farthinghoe in Northampton and the hall was packed out with visitors for hours as buyers and sellers flocked to the event.
Alan Crampton, of Subbuteo Passion, first announced the fair two years ago but has had to postpone a number of times due to Covid and the subsequent lockdown restrictions in the UK. After a long wait, Subbuteo collectors across the country have praised the organisation and vast choice of items for buyers on the day.
The fair featured thousands of Subbuteo teams, box sets, accessories and merchandise for sale from tens of sellers. Unofficial items including Santiago, Argo and Top Spin painted teams, painted and unpainted fans and stadium figures, as well as Subbuteo sculptures featuring famous football moments from Subbuteo Legends were also on sale on the day.
The Subbuteo Fair saw large numbers of people shelling out for rare teams and accessories, with a number of visitors praising the Fair on social media after the event.
In a Facebook post after the event Alan said: “When the Subbuteo Community get together in a hall it’s one of the greatest moments isn’t it. When it’s at an event that you’ve organised and you see everyone having a great time and at the same time raising money for charity it’s emotional. You guys are special people. Thank you so much for your support today. It really means everything.”
The hall also housed an incredible Villa Park stadium build to Subbuteo scale by Alan Crampton. The part-finished stadium is one of the biggest and most ambitious Subbuteo-style stadium builds in the world and was the centre piece of the event.
Donations from buyers and sellers were donated towards Brackley-based Do It For Defib, a charity campaigning to install life-saving defibrillators into the local community and fund important training on their use.
The Subbuteo Fair, the first to be held at Farthinghoe Village Hall, is the successor to the long-running Renishaw Fair held for several years near Sheffield and is the first major Subbuteo Fair to be held since lockdown in the UK in 2020.
The good news is that Alan has already confirmed the Fair will be back for 2023. More details will be available on Subbuteo Passion.