Motoball: The Sport You Never Knew You Needed

Motoball is Soccer on Motorcycles, what more needs to be said

Yes you read that right. Soccer on motorbikes. It exists, and much to my dismay not in North America.

It's not that recent of an invention either

The first ever recorded game of Motoball was played in Dijon, France in 1929 and the first official match was played in 1963 in what was the Soviet Union. There's a surprisingly large following for the game in Europe, namely in Russia, England, Germany and France, and matches get pretty decent turnouts. Beyond that though it's played in Belgium, Spain, Belarus and the Netherlands.

There's multiple tournaments played every year such as the European Nations Championship, the Coupe de France and the European Champion Clubs Cup. The best teams in the world typically come from Russia, although France isn't far behind them.

The rules of Motoball are very similar to regular soccer with a couple of tweaks

Players can't use their hands or arms, when fouled free kicks are awarded and the goalkeeper can use their hands. The main difference of course is the 250cc dirt bikes both teams are playing on. Games are 5 on 5, with four players on bikes and a goalkeeper. There's no ramming allowed, so it's safer than you might think.

The bikes can do up to 65 km/h and are custom made in Spain for each player's height and weight. Matches are played on a regulation soccer pitch with a heavier and larger ball than is used in normal soccer. For a full rule set for those who are really interested, the full book is on the official European Motorcycle Sport Federation’s website. It's a very intriguing sport to say the very least and I personally love it.

Motocross meets traditional sports

Motoball is the poetic and chaotic amalgamation of soccer and motocross and it's absolutely awesome. A real show of skill on a bike that tests not only the player's riding ability but their own agility and strength as well. Sadly there are almost no videos in english but you don't need to hear to understand what's happening here. It speaks for itself.