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Video: Forget the Eurocup and go to MotoBall: football matches with motocross bikes for the best sport in history
2024 Author: Nicholas Abramson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-10 16:34
Do you like motorcycles and still like soccer? Leaving aside the alleged incompatibilities between such different sports, it turns out that there are those who have been disputing a curious sports discipline that fuses both and the result looks so much fun that we are dying to try it.
Its about MotoBall And as its name suggests, it is nothing more than playing soccer by teams mounted on motorcycles and kicking a ball over 1 meter in diameter and 1 kg in weight, which would be comically large if it weren't for the fact that with a normal ball it would be practically impossible..
Motorcycles, soccer and many fouls
This competition that is sponsored by the International Motorcycle Federation dates back to 1923 in England and it is played on motorcycles derived from 250 cc two-stroke dirt bikes adapted for this sport with specific protected exhausts, engine fenders and a conventional front suspension with a short travel distance to a minimum.
The weight of the motorcycles will have a minimum of 70 kg and a maximum of 120 kg without fuel and electric motorcycles are allowed. The loudness limit is set at 98 dB. The protections also extend to the brake and chain / crown discs to avoid damaging other motorcycles or players, while the rear wheels can only be Speedway or Trial; the front ones are free.
Well, not all players actually ride motorcycles. The only one who has to play on foot as if he were another soccer player is the goalie, that in addition to having to move on his own foot, he has to do so with all the equipment, helmet included. The boots are at least sporty to use and no motorcycle can enter the area.
It is also allowed to use levers to control the pedals from the handlebar if you control the ball with your feet.
Of course you cannot miss the best of both worlds with the speed and the spectacle of the motorcycles, the soccer strategies and also the fouls. Cascoporro fouls in the four 20-minute parts that each game consists of.
The rules of MotoBall
The rules of MotoBall are quite similar to those of football, although seeing the final result it could be more similar to a rugby 7 tournament due to the intensity of the plays and the lack of fear of contact contesting (or not) each ball.
The fields on which the matches are played can be dirt or directly asphalt or even cobblestones if the clubs playing the match reach a prior agreement. Measurements can vary between 85 and 110 meters in length by 45 to 75 meters wide.
Around the perimeter and as a security measure there must be a fixed protection 2 meters from the sidelines and 5 meters behind the goal line where the motorcycles can stop and pass. In the event that these 5 meters cannot be met, additional protection measures will have to be established for riders and spectators.
MotoBall is a contact sport without modesty. Times are only 20 minutes due to its constant interruptions.
Penalty spots are 16.45 meters from the goal line and each goal It has to be 7.32 meters wide by 2.44 meters high with cylindrical posts between 10 and 12 cm in diameter. Around each goal there is an area in the shape of a half-circumference of 5.75 meters in diameter where motorcycles cannot enter at the risk of being called a foul against.
As for the people who will make up the whole show, two referees and two linesmen are included. Each of the teams will consist of 10 players, two mechanics and a coach. There will only be five players on the field at the same time per team during the game: four drivers and a goalkeeper.
The rest of the rules are quite similar to football, including fouls when hindering or knocking down another player, offside, penalties, fouls if the ball is touched with the hand (head, body and motorcycle are allowed, penalties with yellow and red cards …)
There is even a MotoBall European Championship held since 1982 and in which Russia rules with an iron fist with 17 titles against four from Germany and three from France. The Soviet Union also adds three championships, although they would still have to be validated against Russia.
And now that we know how it works, what? Do you have a match?
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