A new female Bonzini player for an INCLUSIVE game!

Foosball as a model of diversity and gender equality that was Nicole Abar’s* idea when she presented us with her project: creating a babyfoot table with mixed-gender teams for a total of 11 male and 11 female players to promote diversity and gender equality in honour of the Women’s Football World Cup in France (7 june – 17 july 2019).

Nicole Abar, a former international footballer and founder of the non-profit Liberté Aux Joueuses, contacted us last year about the idea of creating a babyfoot table featuring mixed-gender teams with a total of 11 male and 11 female players to promote inclusion and gender equality. These new models will promote gender equality and raise awareness of gender equality and inclusiveness among players and spectators alike, supported by the fun and togetherness that are such a big part of foosball.

Ingrid Bergaglia – Chair of Bonzini for the past 2 years – and her colleagues immediately adopted the idea, which is a natural fit for the Bonzini brand’s trajectory, values and ethics.

In 2006, Bonzini was the 1st manufacturer

to include female players on its babyfoot tables

In 2006, Bonzini became the 1st manufacturer to include female players on its babyfoot tables. At the time, they were represented by figurines clad in skorts that looked more like tennis skirts than football uniforms.  For the past few years, we had been thinking about modernizing them with a new look that more closely resembles the original players, whose shapes and colours have become emblematic of foosball, and that more accurately reflects the image of modern women, especially footballers.

Diversity and gender equality are issues

we regularly promote through our business

That’s why Nicole Abar’s idea seemed so natural. It was particularly meaningful in light of our own aspirations, since along with the environment and accessibility, diversity and gender equality are issues that are near and dear to us and that we regularly promote through our business.

We tasked Fred Dumur, an artistic director, photographer and multimedia designer who has been our creative partner for many years, with designing the new player. After numerous paper sketches, several photo-montages and a series of 3D digital models, our new player made her first appearance in February in the form of a full-sized 3D printed figurine. That triggered the start of the industrial process, and the first of the new players should emerge from their moulds at the end of April.

Liberté Aux Joueuses and Egal Sport launched e

a crowdfunding campaign to finance their project

Liberté Aux Joueuses, the non-profit founded by Nicole Abar, contributed by launching a crowdfunding campaign on KissKissBankBank in partnership with the Egal Sport collective, which works to increase gender equality in sports. The goal was to fund the purchase of ten of these inclusive foosball tables, as well as travel to the women’s football world cup host cities to hold events focused on diversity and gender equality.

The foosball tables will be customized by graphic designers and auctioned after the event to raise money for charity.

A great initiative that deserves support, not least because the foosball tables will be auctioned off for charity at the end of the World Cup.

As for our new player, in just a few months she will become a standard feature on all our Bonzini models, on an equal footing with our male players, reminding everyone that equality, diversity and inclusiveness are the future.

Related links:

>  KissKissBankBank       >  Liberté Aux Joueuses       >  Egal Sport collective

Media buzz:

>  20 minutes         >  Foot d’Elles         >  Dis-leur !

* Nicole Abar is a retired football player, an eight-time French champion in the 1980s, and top scorer of the 1983 championship. She has been actively working for gender equality in sports since her retirement. In 1997, she founded the non-profit Liberté aux Joueuses to further that commitment. The organisation is active in several areas: promoting initiatives to raise awareness of gender equality, raising awareness of the importance of physical activity, helping women achieve management positions in federations and clubs, and a wide range of other initiatives.