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FOCAL
FOCAL is the voluntary organisation responsible for organising the vast majority of unofficial Countdown tournaments since 2016. The organisation's name is an acronym for Finals Of the Co-event Annual League. Perhaps coincidentally, "focal" also means "word" in the Irish language.
Players compete in events across the British Isles throughout the year, with the 8 highest-ranked players after the final qualifying tournament receiving free entry into the season finals (formerly held in Birmingham; at present, in Milton Keynes), held concurrently with a standard tournament open to everyone else. To date, all but one of the FOCAL season winners have been a series champion on Countdown. The winner of the first FOCAL season was Series 66 champion Jack Worsley. 2017's was Rob Foster, followed by Series 73 champion Jonathan Wynn in 2018, and Series 69 champion Callum Todd in 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the events from 2020–2022 being merged into a single season; this was won by Series 63 champion Jack Hurst, who defended the title in 2023
The organisation was the brainchild of Series 78 champion and former Countdown in Milton Keynes organiser Zarte Siempre in mid-2015. Darren Godfrey is the current chairman. Former occupiers of this role were Callum Todd from 2021 to 2023, Siempre in early 2016 and 2017, Mark Murray in late 2016, and Jeff Clayton from 2016 to 2021.
Full standings for the year, details about events, a FAQs section for newcomers, and pictures from previous tournaments can be found at the FOCAL website with events list in the calendar.
Winners
| Season | Events | Points leader | Winner | Runner-up | Finals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 12 | Jack Worsley | Jack Worsley | Giles Hutchings | 2016 FOCAL finals |
| 2017 | 12 | Stephen Read | Rob Foster | Jen Steadman | 2017 FOCAL finals |
| 2018 | 13 | James Robinson | Jonathan Wynn | Tom Cappleman | 2018 FOCAL finals |
| 2019 | 14 | Callum Todd | Callum Todd | Bradley Horrocks | 2019 FOCAL finals |
| 2020–22 | 19 | Bradley Horrocks | Jack Hurst | Tom Cappleman | 2020–22 FOCAL finals |
| 2023 | 16 | Jack Hurst | Jack Hurst | George Armstrong | 2023 FOCAL finals |
Committee members
- Darren Godfrey — chairman
- Chris Marshall — treasurer
- Adam Beach — social media and production
- Matthew S Rutherford — safeguarding
- George Armstrong, Fiona Titcombe and Callum Todd — various
