Netcam secured the rights to create Subbuteo products, with Paul Lamond handling distribution in the UK. While often referred to as Paul Lamond in the UK when discussing Subbuteo, it’s important to note the involvement of Netcam in the background.

Netcam’s advantage lay in their prior experience with table soccer, having developed their own Subbuteo clone, Total Soccer. This track record and market experience set them apart from the current holders of the Subbuteo brand.

Subbuteo had been absent from UK shelves for five years, following the brief stint of the Dream Team range between 2005-2007, which failed to leave a lasting impression before fading away again.

A key innovation in the Subbuteo Netcam range (Innovation for the Subbuteo Series it had been done successfully already with Netcam’s Total Soccer) was the use of rubbery plastic for players, making them flexible and more childproof compared to older Subbuteo figures. Throughout the range, there were two distinct figures, with a redesigned, more cartoony figure introduced in 2018, particularly in the Spanish range distributed by Eleven Force (what Netcam Became During there this era). Personal preference often leaned towards the original figure design.

The original range launched in 2012 and gradually expanded throughout the year, especially in Spain and Italy. In the UK, it gained a lttile traction at launch. I can remember shops with teams on display initially but eventually faded away, with only a few box sets remaining on store shelves. Nevertheless, it provided a lifeline for Subbuteo, keeping the brand alive thanks to Netcam’s willingness to take a chance. What must be said Netcam who became Eleven Force Really Tried in there own country and showed with a bit love it can be done you can make Subbuteo somewhat successful in the modern era why else would they retain distribution rights when Longshore took over as Global Partner…

The Modern Subbuteo range of teams is somewhat complex, with separate ranges for the UK, Spain, and Italy all going there own way. While there may be some overlap between them, I’ll do my best to not miss anything…
(I MUST STRESS THIS TASK ISN’T SIMPLE TO MANY COOKS AND ALL THAT SOME DISTRIBUTORS STAYED ON AND CONTINUED THERE RANGE AS IF NOTHING CHANGED IN REGARDS TO LONG SHORE TAKING OVER SO BASICALLY THIS IS ALL 2012-2020 THEN IN THE LONGSHORE SECTION IS 2020 ONWARDS… THIS MODERN RANGE IS SO HARD TO PIN DOWN…so some anything missing an or in the wrong section let me know!! also some teams may overlap)