A Wangaratta father and son are working on creating a tabletop football game they hope will be a hit with families, in Australia and potentially across the world.
Local primary school teacher Craig Kerlin was recalling all the fun he and his brother had with a marble footy game his dad developed for them in the 1990s, when he decided to reproduce the concept for his son, Jimmy.
Craig, a father of three, made a game for Jimmy (8) and another for his neighbour, Ryan (11), and watched the boys lap up the experience, even commentating each other's games via walkie-talkie.
"I thought, 'There might be something in this'," he said.
Just like the game his own dad had made, the initial idea was based on AFL, but it has since evolved to soccer - which has the potential to capture a whole new market internationally.
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The Kerlins have been fine-tuning Marble Football since November last year.
Now - after much testing to find just the right surface and backing for the field mat, the perfect roll with the marbles, and amid decisions about the size of the net - Craig and Jimmy are gearing up for their launch on crowdfunding platform Kickstarter in January.
They hope to attract $20,000 to $30,000 to get their game out into the world.
"We're getting the word out on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, and just trying to build followers before the Kickstarter release," Craig said.
"It's been a rollercoaster, and I'm learning all about things like safety testing and barcodes.
"We don't expect to make much money from it - the aim is just to get it out there for people to enjoy."
For Jimmy's part, he's been busy ensuring the game is not too easy or too hard, and playing it with mates like Ryan to offer feedback to his dad.
Craig said his family loved board games which - as well as ensuring time away from screens in a screen-focused world - encouraged communication, reading and following rules, and collaboration with others.
Locals are encouraged to follow the progress of the game's production via Marble Football on Facebook, marblefootballofficial on Instagram, and marblefootball.official on TikTok, and to visit the Kerlins' Kickstart pre-launch page.
