History
History of BUSL95
Founding member of BUSL95, Jonathan Smith, received his first Subbuteo set the summer of 1994, while the FIFA World Cup was being playing across the USA. Smith worked at a soccer store in Boise and showed the game to his cohorts. Shortly thereafter, coworkers such as Chris Siegenthaler began playing Subbuteo with Smith. This lead to Smith and other colleagues joining the American Subbuteo Association and forming Boise Subbuteo.
In June 1995, Boise Subbuteo hosted the first ASA tournament in the Northwest, the aptly named Northwest Open. In attendance was Lenny Foster from the Seattle area. Foster had also received his first Subbuteo set during the 1994 World Cup. The inaugural Northwest Open was won by Smith, but this established the legitimate foundation of Subbuteo in Boise.
Boise Subbuteo began new traditions and tournaments after the 1995 Northwest Open. These include tournaments such as the Jerry Garcia Memorial (est 1995) and the Copa de La Rocha (est 1997). Smith began traveling to ASA National Championships and eventually Foster settled in the Boise area while the club continued to host muliple events a year.
As the new millennium came, so did growth for Boise Subbuteo. First was an official name change from Boise Subbuteo to Boise Unemployed Subbuteo League in 2002. Smith and Foster also traveled to their first international competition together, the 2003 FISTF GP/IO in Washington, DC.
After a trip to the 2004 ASA National Championships in St Louis, Foster and Smith started a youth club, Caldwell High Subbuteo League (CHSL). CHSL breathed new life into the club along with new players such as Eddy McLane, and new regional players from Salt Lake City. BUSL began to host bigger events, improve equipment, and enhance their level of play. CHSL members eventually graduated to the full club, including Eric Garza and Armando de Leon.
By 2005, BUSL had organically included "95" to their moniker, creating the BUSL95 name that is now known worldwide. In the last 27+ years, BUSL95 has had players compete in National Championship finals, the FISTF World Cup, and in various tournaments across all 4 timezones in the continental US. BUSL95 is one of the oldest and most recognized clubs in the United States.
Currently, BUSL95 primarily plays at the Champagne Room at the Foster residence in Caldwell, ID. The club is in the midst of a seeing a new generation of players come through it's ranks, including current U16 National Champion, Eric Foster.
