It’s a goal! Father and son find success with creation of football board game

For Jon and Mason Sloneem, creating a football-themed board game was a labour of love — a project that combined their passions for football, board games, and family time.

What began as a casual hobby during the pandemic has now blossomed into a fully-fledged success story that has captured the attention of families, game enthusiasts, and even global distributors.

Jon Sloneem, a branding agency professional, had always been a fan of board games. Growing up surrounded by them, he and his son Mason, now 11, developed a shared interest in creating their own. "We’ve been into board games for years,” Jon explains. “It was something we always did, and during lockdown, we started dabbling in making our own games. It was a chance to get creative, so we thought: ‘Why not make something original?'"

Their first attempts led to the creation of a game, and while they were proud of it, decided not to take it further.

A couple of years ago, Jon and Mason decided to focus on a project that included their other shared love: football.

“We both love football and board games, so it just made sense to try and create something that merged those two worlds.”

Mason, who is a passionate Spurs fan, was (quite literally) fully on board from the beginning. "I’ve always loved football, and I’ve always loved board games. The idea of making one with my dad was exciting. I got to help build the game board and learn a lot along the way."

With a working prototype in hand, Jon and Mason began testing it with family and friends. The positive feedback made them realise they had something special on their hands. "They really enjoyed it," Jon recalls. "So, we decided: 'Let’s give it a go.’ No harm in dreaming. If you don’t try, you don’t get.'"

The final product is The Game of Two Halves, designed for two players or two teams, enabling participants to experience the thrill of a football match, but all from the comfort of their home. There are chances to score goals or be tackled, and there are action cards that introduce special rules and VAR decisions.

While sales are doing well, the journey to bringing The Game of Two Halves to life was not without its hurdles, says Jon.

After family and friends gave it the thumbs-up, the next step was finding a publisher to help with the development, marketing and distribution.

Jon recalls how the process felt at times like running into a brick wall. "The big challenge was when we started reaching out to publishers, there was this prevailing belief in the industry that sports games, especially football games, just didn’t sell."

Determined to prove the doubters wrong, they explored multiple avenues, and it was a chance encounter with The Fantastic Factory, a games publisher based in China, that helped turn their dream into reality. “It was a long shot,” Jon admits, “but the publisher understood our vision and saw the potential in what we were trying to do.”

"We faced a lot of rejection," Jon reflects. "It was disheartening at times, especially when you believe in something and get positive feedback, but still hear: 'This isn’t for us.' It made us question whether we should keep going. But we kept playtesting, kept refining and kept hoping the right opportunity would come along."

Today, the game has moved beyond just a family project to a business venture and is now available through a number of websites. Their dream has even expanded to international markets, with deals having been signed in Scandinavia, New Zealand, and soon, Australia. Negotiations are also underway in the US and Brazil.

"We’re just getting started," Jon says with a smile. "It’s been a huge journey, but it’s also been incredibly rewarding to see the game take off in ways we never imagined."