Motoball is like a real-life version of 'Rocket League'

• Motoball, or motorcycle polo, is a sport that traces back to Europe in the 1930s.
• It's essentially soccer on motorcycles, or a real-life version of the video game "Rocket League."
• The game is still played today, even as the current war delays another European Championship.

Narrator: Some call it a real-life version of the popular video game "Rocket League." Others explain it as soccer, but on motorcycles. No matter how you describe the sport known as motoball, there's no doubt that it takes plenty of skill and guts to be successful at. Competitors use 250-cc motorbikes to race around a dirt-covered soccer pitch at up to 40 miles per hour chasing after an enlarged soccer ball. And while crashing into other players is prohibited, the matches can get far too chaotic and competitive for collisions to be avoided.

Motoball, also known as motorcycle polo, can be traced back to the 1930s. Although its specific origins are debated, at its peak in the mid-century, there were teams all across Europe, Russia, and North Africa. Popularity waned in the 1990s, and today motoball remains a niche motorsport. Still, it maintains a loyal following, particularly in Europe, where multiple countries have their own club championships and compete in the annual European Championship. Unfortunately, due to both the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing war involving three of eight regular competitors, Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus, the European Championship hasn't been held since 2019. But club leagues in Germany, the Netherlands, and France remain active and provide plenty of exciting matches and tournaments for motoball enthusiasts.

So, how do you play? Two teams of five compete against one another with four players from each team equipped with motorcycles customized to their height and weight. The fifth player is bikeless and has the daunting task of defending a goal that's the same size as a soccer net. Games take place in four periods of 20 minutes each, with 10-minute breaks between each period. Each motorcycle features a special frame mounted to its side, so riders can pinch the leather ball, about twice the size of a soccer ball, between their bike and their leg as they drive. From there, it's essentially a game of soccer. The only player able to touch the ball with their hands is the goalkeeper, and free kicks are awarded when players commit penalties. And, like we mentioned, intentionally ramming another player with one's bike is against the rules.

But just like in any sport, especially one involving motor vehicles, when the competition heats up, crashes do happen, and bikes start hitting the ground. Luckily, due to the amount of padding and protective gear players are required to wear, the sport remains largely safe. But even in a sport filled with the most skilled dirt-bike riders, from former motocross competitors to enduro racers, injuries happen, whether they're scrapes and bruises or broken bones and torn ligaments.

There's still no other game like motoball. It's a test of players' riding ability, physical agility, and strength all at the same time. For those who don't get enough thrill from a sport like soccer, this added element of horsepower may be what they're looking for.

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Contributer : Business Insider https://ift.tt/hJGgOwk

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