How to make your own table football

With just a few bits of cardboard and some clothes pegs, you could have your very own custom-made table football!

You will need
  • A ping pong ball
  • Some string
  • 6 wooden dowels
  • 12 clothes pegs
  • A large cardboard box
  • A small cardboard box
  • A pencil
  • A large green sheet of paper
  • A white marker pen
  • Double sided sticky tape
  • Sticky tape
  • A football player template
  • Scissors
  • Paper straws

How do you make a football table?

🚨Be careful when using sharp objects, make sure you get a grown-up to help you!🚨

Watch the video above for a step-by-step guide, or follow the instructions below.

Step one: Creating your stadium

  • First, cut the small cardboard box in half using your scissors. This may be difficult so get a grown-up to help you!

  • Cut the top off the box so you are left with three sides and a base. This will make goals for each side of the football table.

  • Hold one goal against the side of your bigger box and trace around it using a pencil.

  • Cut along this guide to create a hole in the big box, this is where you'll attach your goal.

  • Use tape to attach a goal to each side of the bigger box into the holes you have just made. Use enough tape so the are goals firmly attached!

  • Use paper straws to create goal posts. Bend your straws into shape and stick together with glue or double-sided sticky tape, then cut off any excess to make them fit perfectly.

  • To create the football pitch, use a large piece of paper (green if you have it) and draw football markings on it. Stick the paper onto the bottom of your large box and you have just made your pitch.

Step two: Making the mechanism

  • Using a pencil, carefully puncture through six holes on each side of the large box (football stadium) equal distances apart. Later, your dowel sticks will go through the holes, and your players will attach onto the sticks.

  • Grab your dowel sticks and paint them the colours of your teams, e.g. three red, three white.

  • Once dry, poke your sticks through the holes alternating the colours, e.g. red, white, red, white, red, white.

  • To keep the sticks in place, cover the ends with double sided sticky tape or glue and wrap string all around them. Paint the string your team colour and your football table will start to look FOOTBALLtastic ⚽️

Step three: Creating your players

  • You have your stadium, now you need players! Either draw your own players or use the template on this page. Make sure to decorate them in your team colours. You will need to make 12 players for each team, as you need two players per peg.

  • Cut out your players and stick them to either side of each peg.

  • To position your players, attach one peg to the the stick closest to the goal to be your goal keeper, two players on the next stick, and three players on the final stick. Repeat for the other team.

 

Finishing touches and kick off!

  • To get into the spirit of the game why not add a crowd? Get creative and add a crowd to the inside of your stadium, or simply paint it a colour of your choice. Why not try using finger painting to create faces, like Abby, or you could free-hand paint or sketch a crowd, it's up to you!

  • Throw in your ping pong ball and get playing! Challenge your friends and family to a match this summer, game on!

Be inspired by BP fans who had a go...

Georgia made this as a birthday present for her dad! Awesome idea!

Georgia's table football make

Dylan and Lewis made these brilliant mini-stadiums! (Dylan provided a cat for scale – thanks for that.)

Two table football makes

Get sporty with Blue Peter!

Where can I watch Blue Peter? ⛵️

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