Story

The story starts

In 2008, Jarno Saarinen was on holiday in Spain with his wife and daughter. Being a soccer fan, Saarinen wanted to watch the Euro 2008 matches on TV, but his four-year-old daughter, Emma, wanted some attention.

Saarinen suggested they kick a ball between two chairs, with the hidden goal of keeping his daughter occupied while he continued watching the game. However, something happened that would change Saarinen’s life.

Early success

Emma kicked the ball between the legs of her father’s chair and wildly celebrated the goal. It happened again. The challenge quickly became keeping the ball from escaping in unwanted directions.

Saarinen stretched swim trunks behind the chair legs and hung towels between the chairs to keep the ball more controlled. The play became more organized, and soon the TV was turned off. Bench soccer had been born.

Teenagers from the neighboring apartment balcony noticed the game and built their own version with the same equipment. The game became a local phenomenon.

Turning point

Saarinen shared his invention at work and even approached the Finnish Invention Foundation. Neither showed any interest, dismissing the idea as poor, with no appeal in the sports industry.

Despite the lack of support, Saarinen didn’t give up and continued to develop the game in his spare time.

2018 became a turning point. The first real prototype saw the light of day, and an important match was played between Finland’s greatest goalkeeper of all time, Antti Niemi, and the captain of Finland’s futsal national team, Panu Autio. The match stirred strong emotions, and Saarinen had an epiphany: this was not just a children’s toy but a real sport.

The next morning, Saarinen resigned from his job and founded a company focused on bench soccer, called Subsoccer.