Are You Ready for Some Electric Football?
“Go, go, go, GOOO! NOOO!” That’s my most vivid recollection from my days as an armchair football coach when I was a kid. I can still picture it today, the lineman ready to protect our quarterback. The running back lined up to take a hand-off. Wide receivers flung wide ready to run their routes. And the defense, looking confident but not realizing just what was about to hit them. And the buzz…
What? The buzz? Don’t you remember the buzz while watching football? Oh, you thought I was talking about REAL football? No, I’m talking about the old-fashioned home game with miniature players moving down a vibrating field (hopefully in the right direction)! Sorry for the confusion!
I only call it “old-fashioned” because it has been around so long, but electric football is enjoying a resurgence in popularity among all ages. Today you have the luxury of different sizes of field, the ability to customize your players and thanks to the internet, a plethora of forums and sites that tailor to this hobby. There are even national organizations such as the National Miniature Electric Football League and the Miniature Football Coaches Association, as well as annual tournaments like TudorCon. You’re probably asking, “What is Tudor?” Keep reading.
In 1947, Norman Sas, owner of Tudor Metal Products and Tudor Games, created electric football. He used a vibrating car race game made by Tudor as the base and added small players which moved down the field as they vibrated. It was an immediate hit and more than 40 million of the games have been sold since its creation.
Their latest version, Red Zone Electric Football, is an entry-level offering suitable for all ages. But don’t let “entry-level” fool you, it has all the difficulty and nuances of their more expensive offerings. Enough to keep you challenged for many quarters.
By attaching small plastic ‘cleats’ to each base, the vibration of the field causes the player to move. The positioning of each cleat dictates the movement speed and direction of the piece and gives you ultimate control over every position.
Just like in NFL football, you position the offense and the defense into their starting positions. The object is to move the ball forward towards the end zone by running or passing. First down lines are marked with plastic flags on one side of the field, while the scrimmage line is monitored by a flag on the opposite side. You have four downs to move the ball 10 yards (again, same as NFL rules) or lose possession.
Running the ball is straightforward – you simply dictate which player has the ball and he runs until he is either touched by an opposing player, falls over or turns around. You then reset all the players and begin your next down. Passing is a little more complicated, requiring interaction from you to pass the ball with the flick of a finger.
Still don’t remember the buzz? Here’s an example of one running play – once you hear the sound it will all come back to you.
Red Zone Electric Football comes with unpainted players, allowing you to customize them in your favorite team colors. They also include sticker numbers so you can identify each one. I can see the hobby of customizing them being as fulfilling as actually playing the game!
Fortunately for those of us that are paintbrush-challenged, Tudor Games is launching an officially-licensed NFL version that will be available direct from Tudor as well as at your favorite retailers. We’ll be picking up a set of Chicago Bears to play with since they can’t seem to pull off a real win at Soldier Field…
Check out all the current offerings from Tudor Games by visiting their website and following them on Twitter and Facebook. American-style football not your thing? They also have you covered with baseball and soccer!
After you have picked up one of the electric football games for the big and little kids in your house, impress them with your knowledge of the history of the sport by grabbing a copy of The Unforgettable Buzz: The History of Electric Football and Tudor Games. You’ll be an armchair coach in no time!
But wait, this post has now gone into overtime! Tudor Games has graciously offered to give away one copy of Red Zone Electric Football to one lucky SahmReviews reader! Entry is easy using the form below and there are daily options for entry so be sure to come back tomorrow!
Tudor Electric Football Game
I’m a huge Tudor fan & this new board technology looks awesome!
Tudor is back in the game with the NFL backing them! This new board technology looks awesome!
So goofy, I’d love to play this!
GREAT
I was just checking out the Tudor online store and see they have Steelers VS Ravens. GO STEELERS!! Great video by the way.
This is totally fun. Gotta try it with my nephews when they visit again,
Now that is very cool.I can definitely see my teens getting into playing this!
That is so cool! This would be a great addition to our family game night!
This looks like so much fun! My father had a board like this when he was a young boy and I have seen it in the attic all these years later! Maybe I’ll have to invest in Red Zone and bring back some memories!
This game looks awesome. My husband and boys would love this!
What a fun game for football fans like my son and my husband. They would love playing this together.
This game looks like great fun for football fans … action packed and exciting
This looks like such a fun old-school style game. I bet my hubby would get a kick out if it.
This would be another way for my husband to torture me with football at home. My husband and sons would love this. They love anything that has to do with football.
You find the neatest games! I have seen table hockey but don’t think I have ever seen electronic football!
Oh so cool. I wonder who would like it better, the kids or my hubby.
I’ll admit–football isn’t really my thing. But with a family full of sports fans, I try to find activities that will keep everyone engaged (myself included) during the game. This would be a lot of fun during half-time.
Oh my goodness, my hubby would love this! I can totally see him and my oldest daughter playing this game together. How fun!
Darn.. are you sure that Gatorade is NOT included? That would make this game the BEST ever… 😉 It already looks like a fun game and my guys love Football so I think I know what would be a fun game for them… thanks for a GREAT review and looked like you guys had a blast….
I know a few guys that would love this. I’m passing it on.
This so reminds me of some of the games my brother and I had as a kid!
Awesome thing I noticed about this game is that you don’t have to be a die hard football fan to enjoy playing the game. This definitely looks like the perfect game to pass the time away.
This looks like a great game for any football fan. Love how the game is going on the TV in the background.
For the gamers who love football–a two for one deal. Not bad.
Looks like a fun game, I am sure the teens at my church would love it.
I root for the Detroit Lions — they were pathetic yesterday but I’m still a fan.
Clemson University, Carolina Panthers, Cowboys
the dallas cowboys
My grandson would love this, we are Carolina Panthers fans
I would love a new board, I have been an avid player for over 30 years. This board will definitely be used in my league play here in KY.
In our house we have Browns, Steelers, and Bengals fans- but we all agree on Ohio State!
We root for the Steelers in this household!
The teams we usually root for are LSU and New Orleans Saints.
I like the 49ers.
We hoot and holler for the Cleveland Browns here. I secretly cheer for the Rams too.
what a fun giveaway great for any football fan
We root for the Carolina Panthers.
jweezie43[at]gmail[dot]com
I always root for the Pats!
I like the Panthers
I haven’t heard of this game. Then again, I am not a big football fan. BUT my boys are and they would LOVE this!! 🙂
I root for the New York Giants!
Oh my hubby and daughter would be all over this one!
That’s a pretty neat game. My little brother plays football and I’m sure he would like it.
This looks like an awesome game to play with my sons. I just started watching football a couple of years ago. Thanks for sharing.
Hubby would love this game. He talks about something similar when he was a kid.
The cool thing is that you can also custom paint your own teams and we now have facemasks and chin straps. I have been playing since 1997 and there are leagues all over the country. I was even on ESPN with the game during our Electric Football Super Bowl in Jacksonville, FL. Good stuff!!
Were you paid for this review?
Not at all. As the disclosure at the top of the post describes, we receive a copy of the game to test out, but there is no monetary compensation.
Check out the progression of Electric Football.
https://youtu.be/ICQsmQq4V14
Visually, it’s a knockout!!!
It’s still virtually unplayable. Just like in the old days.
I have to agree. Technology has allowed for much better things to play (video games, etc.), but there’s still something soothing about breaking out some old technology.
aa great game. you meet great people. makes you use your mind like playing chess.