We were very fortunate to get the involvement of Jamal Allalou, a world champion table football player, to demonstrate the table’s performance.

For many of us, table football is a game that is close to our hearts, holding cherished memories of our childhood and youth. Its popularity also reflects the passion and love that millions of people around the world share for the ‘beautiful game’ of football.

The inspiration for this design was the grandeur and beauty of modern football stadiums. We wanted the design of our football table to be equally spectacular and memorable, enriching the interior space where it will be placed. Our goal was simple, to design the most beautiful football table ever made.

The flowing, sweeping lines of the football table are designed to express the energy of the game.

We wanted both the players and spectators to be drawn into the game. The introduction of light to the pitch, goals and ball return echoes the atmosphere of a real football game, in a real stadium.

As with the real game of football, it is the players who are the heroes. Our players are made in one fluid, flowing form and finished in bright chrome to reflect the status and value of modern-day football stars.

We tried many alternative ways to differentiate the teams. We finally settled on ink-filled dots on the player’s backs to indicate their number and team. This simple, graphic approach was then used to create the distinctive logo for the project.

Naming and logo
11 refers to the number of players in a football team, and the phrase ‘the beautiful game’ originated from Pele’s autobiography – ‘My life and the beautiful game’.

Milan 2008
The Milan furniture fair in 2008 was our first opportunity to present the prototype model and we were supported by Brainport Eindhoven who invited us to participate in their exhibition.

The exhibition was a great success. ‘11’ received phenomenal attention from the design community, press and general public. The response was so positive it convinced us to invest in the project and turn it into an independent company dedicated to manufacturing and selling this exceptional piece.

‘11 the beautiful game’ received Red Dot and GIO design awards for excellence and we were honoured that it was chosen for the cover of the red dot design concept yearbook in 2009.

Luxury, lifestyle and design magazines covered ‘11 the beautiful game’ extensively and were unanimously enthusiastic.

Louis Vuitton
11’s first customer was Louis Vuitton, the renowned French fashion brand.

They ordered a special version of 11 to grace the refurbished menswear department in their flagship store in Tokyo.

Louis Vuitton was interested in making the football table unique to their brand. We integrated the Louis Vuitton flower motifs on the players and the end of the handles.

The handles were made by Louis Vuitton’s craftsmen in Paris and were covered in their trademark leather, with the name of the Tokyo flagship store embossed in the leather.

Pierre Berge auction
GRO design was invited to participate with 11 the beautiful game in an auction of contemporary design curated by Lidewij Edelkoort at Pierre Berge in Brussels.

The collection included pieces from esteemed designers such as; Ross Lovegrove, Marcel Wanders, Tom Dixon, Issey Miyake, Richard Hutton, Tord Bontje and the Campana brothers.

‘11 the beautiful game’ was the highest price lot sold at this auction.

In consultation with Pierre Berge we decided to make an all white version (The first of a limited edition of 11 all white versions). The exterior is satin ivory white with the interior being a high gloss bright white. The result was a very sophisticated and elegant piece.

PSV football stadium
PSV is one of the most successful clubs in Dutch football. We were invited to install the football table in their VIP area for an important match between PSV and Feyenoord. The ‘football involved’ audience fell in love with the table and it nearly upstaged the historic 10 – 0 victory for PSV.

design process
Early sketches showed the opportunity to develop a strong and distinctive design.

One of the early design decisions was to develop a more mono-form object, unlike traditional football tables with four legs.

A more fluid and organic form began to take shape.

This early CAD image illustrates the flowing, energetic lines of the body. This got us very excited about the potential of the design direction.

We set up a football table in our studio to test various aspects of the game. In this picture we have covered all the players with tape to make them the same and see if it made a significant difference to the playing experience (incidentally it didn’t).

Scale models of the body were made to support the decision making process.

model making and prototyping
Our model making partner for many years, TIM model makers, began the process of making a working prototype.

Great care and attention was given to achieve the highest possible quality.

The player rods were extensively polished before chrome plating.

gro design vs. tim model makers
The party at the model shop before leaving for Milan. After all the hard work from both GRO design and TIM model makers there was good reason to celebrate.

For information regarding sales please visit www.11thegame.com