Jorkyball
| Characteristics | |
|---|---|
| Team members | 2 per side |
| Mixed gender | male and female |
| Type | Indoor |
| Equipment | Jorkyball |
| Venue | Jorkyball court |
| Presence | |
| Olympic | No |
| Paralympic | No |
Jorkyball is a modified form of 2 on 2 Association football taking influence from squash and soccer. It is played in a 10m x 5m cage on artificial turf with the possibility of using the walls to pass, dribble and score. As in football it is played only with the feet and use of hands is forbidden. The objective is to score goals into a net. As in squash the sport is played in a four-walled court and all of them can be used including the net above, i.e. there is no outside.
History
3 on 2 Jorkyball was invented by the French Gilles Paniez in 1987. It started in a garage in Lyon, France. Jorkyball is now a registered trademark. Jorkyball was first played in front of a large audience at the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy as an exhibition. Since then, the number of Jorkyball players has been increasing.
Jorkyball is currently played in 9 countries and expanding: France, Italy, Portugal, Canada, Hungary, Poland, Belgium, Switzerland and Israel.
Rules
A Jorkyball game is played in 2 sets out of 3 of 7 goals each. The first team to reach 2 sets wins. Each team is made up of 1 striker and 1 defender. The striker is not allowed to play in the kickoff areas. The defender is not allowed to play in the opponent's side of the court.
Game elements
The pitch of 2x2 Jorkyball is a parallelepiped. Dimensions are:
- Length: 9,80 m
- Width: 4,80 m
- Height: 2,70 m
- Goal size: 110 x 110 cm
The ball is in hand-sewn felt. It weighs 200 grams. It is roughly the size of a handball.
References
- Jorkyball starts to catch on in Israel, Josh Nason, 14 March 2007, The Jerusalem Post
- Italians exporting Fair play with two-a-side soccer, Paul Virgo, 25 March 2003, ANSA - English News Service
- Having a Ball, Liz Krieger, 24 March 2003, Newsweek International - Atlantic Edition