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Peter Upton's

Subbuteo Tribute Website.

The Team Colours Project.

References 1 - 55 (Card and Celluloid).

These are the teams produced for the original version of Subbuteo before the OO scale sides that so many of us played with as kids. (If you played with card sides as a kid then I'm afraid that you are showing your age just a little bit). The card figures were much loved by players for the delightful style of play they could produce (they are better than heavyweights at spinning, swerving and chipping). For this reason, they continued to be sold alongside the OO scale teams until the early 1970s, and had a devoted following amongst serious players until comparatively recently.

The colours here are understandably simple with no fancy trim. The socks on nearly all flat teams are a plain black with white hooped tops. Because of this, I've been able to crop the bottoms of the players in this list to keep the pictures at my standard 120 pixel team list height. As with all Subbuteo, this black socks rule has exceptions. Coloured socks appear on a few card sides of late date, and a couple (refs 19 and 49) are shown in here.

The earliest Subbuteo price list, that I'm aware of, had sixteen team colours listed, but did not assign clubs to them. The black and white version of ref 5 seems restricted to this list which would be dated to 1947 or 1948. By the time of the 1949-50 catalogue the list had expanded to 24 teams, and Peter Adolph states that this covered "all the English League Clubs", "the majority of Scottish clubs" and "Amateur and School Colours too numerous to mention". This catalogue had descriptions of the colours and the sides they represented in a box format that continued to be used until well into the 1970s.

For this page, I've duplicated the 1949/50 catalogue with regard to team names for kits up to ref 24. After that point, I've included the date that each new kit was introduced, as well as the teams they represented on their introduction (as far as I am aware). Whilst it is great to see sides like New Brighton, Gateshead, Accrington Stanley and New Lanark in this early range, it is a shame that they all wore basic kits that were also used by other teams. This leaves the original Bradford (Park Avenue) at reference 19 as the big rarity of the period.

Card or Celluloid. 

Originally, I did not make a distinction between the two types of figure on this list. This is partly because I did not have illustrations for all the figures in both types anyway, but the main reason was simply that most of the sides looked similar whichever format they were in. 

However, like the majority of Subbuteo items, there seem to be slight differences between teams on the same reference number, and between some of the card/celluloid alternatives. The best and most frequent example is with the striped teams. Whereas the card versions have five stripes of the darkest colour, the celluloid teams generally only have four, as shown on these two shirts from reference 35.

As my knowledge (and collection) of this era has grown, so I have illustrated more of the teams in both types. The original groups of ten players are now mostly celluloid, simply because I, and those who have helped with this page, have better celluloid collections than card ones. However, I've added pictures of a number of card figures under the main illustrations, mainly to give a a feel for both types.

You can tell which teams I have illustrated with card sides, because they are all press-out versions, and these invariably leave an ugly thick black line around the player. For example, in the above illustration, the card team is on the left. The original card teams were cut-out, but these were being replaced even by 1950, and are difficult to come by. My Player Types page does show a cut-out figure, and an early version of the celluloid player (also seen at reference 17 on this page).

April 2003: A big thank you to Gordon Findlay, who sent me a colour photocopy of a sheet showing the card figures from 1-50, which enabled me to complete this illustrations on this page. The sheet included the near legendary Bradford Park Avenue ref 19, but the shorts were black. I've since been sent a picture of a proper ref 19, and it is a much less fussy design. Gordon doesn't  know the history of this sheet, and it does pose as many questions as it answers. As well as the Bradford PA shorts conundrum, Norwich (28) is shown with green trim, which the un-punched and referenced version I own does not have. Bishop Auckland are also different to previously seen versions, and so is 49 Wolves. In addition, most of the teams on the sheet have white collars, whereas on the card strips I have previously scanned (23, 26, 30, 35, 44 etc.) the collars match the collar of the shirt. It could mean that the whole sheet was simply mocked up, but Subbuteo is renowned for variations, and without it this page would not have served its main purpose (to help identify old Subbuteo). I've since managed to replace nearly all the pictures from this sheet with my preferred option of scans of real teams (the exception is ref 37), but I've also left a couple of pairs on here for now - 23/28 and 32/33. I'm still intrigued by them.
June 2003: Very grateful thanks go to Bob Varney, Blackjack, and Dixie Sauntson, who responded to my pleas for missing teams and provided refs 19 (old), 19 (new), 40 (new), and both versions of 55.
October 2007: A further update thanks chiefly to James Herrera and Pete Everett.
April 2008: Nice pictures of the Bradford PA celluloids (19 and 36) from Pete Everett have further improved the list.

It must be remembered that the early sides in this range were in production for over twenty years, which is longer than the heavyweight figures managed. So variations are likely.

Further Reading.
By its very nature, this page skims the surface of celluloid and card collecting. I've not focused on the different versions of the figures, or on the variety of bases. If you are a collector, and require a more in-depth look at this era, then luckily two websites have launched in 2008 to fill this gap.
Subbuteoflats - Paul Woozley's site concentrates on the celluloid teams, and is dedicated to Stan Russell, a much missed member of the Subbuteo community. Paul also looks at the new photo-real flat players, which make for an interesting contrast.
Flick Me! Subbuteo - Subbuteoarchive seems an apt address for this one. Mike Hyatt's site looks set to be the final word on the early years of Subbuteo. Mike has accumulated a wealth of information about Subbuteo pre-1950, and this is laid out in a clear and concise fashion. Especially worth checking for the wealth of early Subbuteo advertisements, base types prior to the embossed standard versions, and full details on the different versions of card and celluloid sides.

The Team Colours.

   

  1. Barnsley, Bristol City, Charlton, Crewe, Liverpool, Man Utd, Middlesboro, Northampton, Notts Forest, Swindon Town, Wrexham, York City, Walsall. Scottish sides: Aberdeen, Arbroath, Hearts, Stenhousemuir, Third Lanark. International Colours: Wales
  2. Barrow, Birmingham, Carlisle, Chesterfield, Chelsea, Everton, Leyton Orient, Leicester, Millwall, Portsmouth, Rochdale, Southend Utd, Tranmere Rovers, Watford Scottish Sides: Albion Rovers, Cowdenbeath, Dundee, Glasgow Rangers, Raith Rovers, St. Johnstone, Queen of the South. International Colours: Scotland
  3. Coventry City, Halifax Town, Hartlepool , Huddesfield, Oldham Athletic, West Bromwich.
  4. New Brighton, Stoke City. 
    • The card figure illustrated has faded to orange.
  5. Original version - Black and white striped shirts, white shorts.
    Second Version (as illustrated) - Manchester City. 
    • The light blue version is in the 1949-50 catalogue, so perhaps only a cut out card version existed of the black/white one. Those colours return in 1958 as team reference 34.
  6. Hull City, Newport County, Norwich, Wolves.
    • Note the dark colour of the shirt on the above example. Advertised as "old gold (or yellow) (or amber)", so variations might exist. (but see also 28)
  7. Aldershot, Aston Villa, Burnley, West Ham Utd.
    • Shown on the far right is an early cut-out West Ham, photographed at the Subbuteo Exhibition at Tunbridge Wells museum. Note the sensible way the legs have not been cut around.
    • This cut-out side is also the proper claret colour. The common celluloid is more "red and blue" than "claret and light blue".
  8. Grimsby Town, Newcastle Utd, Queens Park, St. Mirren
  9. Brentford, Lincoln City, Sheffield Utd, Sunderland, Southampton.
  10. Crystal Palace, Derby County, Fulham, Gatehead, Luton Town, Notts County, Port Vale, Stockport, Torquay, Airdrie, Ayr Utd, Clyde, England.

  1. Reading, Queen's Park Rangers. Scottish Sides: Kilmarnock, Morton.

  2. Blackburn Rovers, Leeds Utd, Mansfield Town, Bristol Rovers

  3. Blackpool. International Colours: Holland. 

  4. International Colours: Belgium 

  5. Plymouth Argyle, Southport, Scottish Sides: Hibernian. International Colours: Eire

  6. Accrington Stanley, Arsenal, Bournemouth, Rotherham Utd.

  7. Brighton & Hove, Cardiff City, Ipswich Town

    • Illustrated with an early square shouldered celluloid figure.

  8. Bolton W, Bury, Tottenham H, Preston N.E.

  9. Original Version: Bradford (Park Avenue).

    • This version had red, Amber and black hooped shirts, and white shorts. A lovely bold colour scheme.

    • I've removed the black shorts version, as it seemed certain to be a mock-up, and deflected from genuine variants elsewhere on this page.

    • Second Version: Introduced 1963 - Barcelona. Now illustrated, it is worth noting the attractive and unusual stripe pattern, the round collar and the badge.

    • Note that the card version can have coloured socks. See also reference 49.

  10. Exeter City, Doncaster Rovers. Scottish Sides: Hamilton Academicals. 

    • Check out "Flick to Kick" (page 34!) for a card version of this team with white shorts.

      These final two are from the photocopy. A 28 with green trim does exist though.

  1. Swansea Town

  2. Chester, Sheffield Wednesday

  3. Bradford City. Scottish Sides: Motherwell.

    • The celluloid version is clearly yellow with red stripes, whereas the usual card one is more a tangerine colour.

    • The "colour photocopy" version shown here is clearly yellow, although this has not yet been seen in the wild.

  4. Darlington Scottish Sides: East Stirling.

  5. Introduced 1952 - Scottish Sides: Celtic. 

  6. Introduced 1952 - Leeds Utd 

  7. Introduced 1953 - Scottish Sides: Hearts, Arbroath, and Stenhousemuir. 

    • The team was originally described as Maroon shirts, but a later description is "Maroon (or claret)"

  8. Introduced 1953 - Norwich City.

    • This side was originally described as having canary yellow shirts, and black shorts. This version lacks any green trim, and is the most common version in both celluloid and card.

    • The mysterious photocopy has green trim to the shirt of this team, and this version has been seen in collecting circles.

    • Norwich switched to green shorts in the Subbuteo catalogues in 1969, and a version of that kit appeared in the final range of celluloids. These are recognisable by their long sleeves and round collars. I've yet to see this kit in card form.

  9. Introduced 1954 - Scottish Sides: Partick Thistle. 

  10. Introduced 1954 - Scottish Sides: East Fife.

 

     These final two are from the photocopied sheet, and might be inaccurate.

  1. Introduced 1955 - Blackburn Rovers. 
    • There is a card version with simple blue and white halves without contrasting sleeves.
    • Whereas the common celluloid version has the more familiar sleeves. Both are now illustrated.
  2. Introduced 1957 - Scottish Sides: Alloa, Dumbarton.
    • The common version in collecting circles is a celluloid with thin hoops.
    • However, Gordon's sheet shows a card version matching the thick hoops of the other sides.
      • This hasn't been seen in real life, and could be guesswork.
  3. Introduced 1957 - Bishop Auckland.
    • Like Blackburn, the more familiar card version of this team has simple dark and light blue halves....
    • whereas the celluloid has contrasting sleeves (as painted on the later 3D versions). A contrasting sleeved card team may also exist.
  4. Introduced 1958 - Scottish sides: St Mirren, Queens Park. International side: Juventus
  5. Introduced 1958 - Barnet. International side: Milano
  6. Introduced 1958 - Bradford (Park Avenue). A switch to green stripes left reference 19 without a team until replaced in 1963.
  7. Introduced 1963 - Oldham Athletic. 
  8. Introduced 1963 - Grimsby Town.
  9. Introduced 1963 - International Side - Germany. My picture is a mock-up. 
  10. First Version. Introduced 1963 - Crystal Palace. Claret and blue hoop. Black Shorts.
     Second Version. Introduced 1965 - Crystal Palace. Claret and blue hoop. White shorts.
    Third Version. Introduced 1968 - Crystal Palace. Claret and light blue stripes. White shorts. 
    • The first version has been seen in both card and celluloid (it was in Waddingtons unsold stock).
    • White Shorts. No illustration, and I've not seen this one.
    • The final version of reference 40 was also produced. Thanks to Bob Varney for the Celluloid illustration here.
    • Note that the round collar and long sleeves design of this final version comes from the last batch of celluloids.
       

  1. Introduced 1965 - Liverpool, Bristol City, Workington, Crewe. Card version seen with and without the white cuffs.
  2. Introduced 1965 - Chelsea, Carlisle Utd, Cardiff, Shrewsbury, Bristol Rovers, Ipswich, Stockport, Birmingham. Like 41, the card version does not always have white cuffs.
  3. Introduced 1965 - Coventry City, Reading. 
  4. Introduced 1965 - Scottish Sides: Dundee. International colours: Scotland.
  5. Introduced 1965 - Scottish Sides: Hibernian
  6. Introduced 1965 - Scottish Sides: Motherwell
  7. Introduced 1965 - Mansfield Town. International Colours: Sweden. 
    This picture is another mock-up. The real thing looks much like this, but the picture I have is unusable.
  8. Introduced 1965 - International Colours: Spain.
  9. First Version. Introduced 1966 - Wolves, Southport. Old Gold version.
    Second Version: Introduced 1970 - Scottish Sides: Dundee Utd. Tangerine version.
    • The tangerine celluloid comes with the long sleeves/round collar of the final celluloids.
    • The old gold card version has been seen with an distinct V-neck and coloured socks (see illustration).
    • Gordon's sheet suggests an orange/tangerine card figure with short sleeves to match the later celluloid. It's not been seen though.
  10. Introduced 1966 International Colours - Brazil. Now shown in celluloid.

Teams 51-55 are more common in celluloid than in card, and it is worth noting that all the celluloids have the round collar/long sleeved look. In contrast, the card team Anderlecht still has short sleeves, and it is likely that the long sleeved look did not make its way onto the card figure.

  1. Introduced 1967 - Millwall, Chester.

  2. Introduced 1967 - Lincoln 

  3. Introduced 1968 - Portsmouth

  4. First Version. Introduced 1968 - Plymouth
    Second Version. Introduced 1970 - Plymouth.

    • Judging from the date the white version arrived in the catalogues, this must be the final celluloid team produced. (along with the tangerine version of 49).

  5. Introduced 1969 - Anderlecht.

    • Both the celluloid and card side are illustrated, with very different shirt colours - the celluloid being a dark purple, and the card being a sexy pink. (the subtle flesh tones are Bob's own addition to his much loved and well used team). This difference tallies nicely with the colour differences in the heavyweight versions. SSG were obviously unsure on the real colour!

Unknown teams.

I must reference in this hooped team from the "odds and ends" page. This was snapped at the Tunbridge Wells Museum display in 2005, and another copy features in the "Flick to Kick" book alongside the red hoops/white shorts kit. Were these sides prior to the 1949-50 catalogue?

That's as far as the card and celluloid team lists go. I have been told that the Swiss, English and German table football federations all manufactured flats after Subbuteo production halted in the early 1970s. However, I believe that these were only produced in black and white for players to colour themselves. In fact this type of figure is still sold as "professional" equipment if you want to give them a go. Visit the World Table Soccer website for details.

It's time to pick another destination.

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