Soccer without rules: 5 most exotic derbies

Everyone’s used to soccer being a sport where 22 players run around on a green turf chasing a ball, but there are at least five versions of soccer that will shatter the conventional wisdom.

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Soccer with a human head

Every February, life in the English town of Ashbourne comes to a complete halt for two days. Schools and offices don’t work, car owners try to hide their vehicles from the streets, stores barricade themselves and block the windows with wooden shields. This has been going on for over 800 years, and it’s not a natural disaster – it’s how the town celebrates the equivalent of Shrovetide. Ashbourne divides into northern and southern teams and begins to play its own, very peculiar soccer.

The match lasts two days – “Fat Tuesday” and “Ash Wednesday”, each day is one half, which lasts 8 hours, from 14 to 22 hours, the soccer field in such matches is the whole city, there is no marking, of course, the number of players is not limited, and the few rules prohibit only to hide the ball in clothes or bags and transport it on any transport, also the game should not affect cemeteries, churches and memorial buildings, and during the match is forbidden to kill. You will not see classic soccer gates during such matches either. To score a goal, you must hit it three times on a pole near the mill, there are two such mills – one on the northern edge, the second on the southern edge, the distance between them is about five kilometers. The central circle is a large parking lot in the city center, the ball is thrown in by the mayor of the city, and then the game goes until the goal is scored, if the goal was scored before 17:30, the game will resume again in the parking lot, otherwise the half is over.

It is worth noting that for the game every year sew a special leather ball and stuff it with sawdust, after the game on it is written the name of the author of the scored goal, such a ball is considered a valuable trophy. The most popular version of the origin of the game – after the execution in the crowd threw a severed head, many years have passed, people have become much more humane, so instead of severed heads use balls, but broken noses, bruises, bumps, sprains remain a common thing. The amusement is called “Royal Shrovetide soccer”, because in 1929 Prince Edward took part in it. Incidentally, his nose was smashed during the game.

If you want to refresh yourself

Also in England in the village of Burton-on-the-Water is held river soccer. This tradition has not been around that long – more than 70 years. The match takes place on the river Windrush, the gates are set under the bridges, and the teams play 6 people, the match lasts about 30-40 minutes. And this tradition appeared thanks to the fans who came out of the bar to refresh themselves.

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More fire

For those who don’t like long distances, Indonesia has a tradition of playing soccer with a burning coconut for Ramadan. The most common name for this ceremonial game is fireball. There are not so many differences from the classic soccer, there are also 2 teams of 11 players, but they play barefoot, so the players probably do not want to hold the ball for long. Before the game, milk is drained from the coconut, and instead of it the shell is filled with a flammable liquid, most often kerosene, in half an hour the coconut is soaked, and everything is ready for the game.

Soccer on a motorcycle

This sport is younger than the previous ones, but it is known all over the world. Motorcycle soccer already has an international status, and this year’s European Championship was held in the Russian city of Kovrov. Matches are held on a field similar in size to a soccer field, but it is covered with asphalt, the markings are also different from the traditional, there is no center circle, and the goalkeeper’s area is semi-circular. The ball is larger than a soccer ball, and the teams consist of five people – a foot goalkeeper and four field players on motorcycles. This sport has existed since 1931, in the USSR this sport appeared in 1965, in 1975 the USSR national team took part in the European Championship for the first time.

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When one ball is not enough

In 2007, futdablball, or Ukrainian soccer, was invented in Kiev. There are few differences from traditional soccer, or rather, there is only one difference – there are always two balls on the field, so teams have to simultaneously keep an eye on both their own and other people’s goals. Once one ball is in the goal, the game continues until the second ball is out of play.