Swamp football
Encyclopedia
Swamp football is a form of association football that is played in bog
s or swamp
s. The sport is said to come from Bishop Auckland
in the north east of England
where it initially was used as an exercise activity for athletes and soldiers, since playing on soft bog is physically demanding. However the first organised championship was the 1998 Finnish championship and was the brainchild of Jyrki Väänänen nicknamed "The Swamp Baron" when the creator of swamp football moved there. There are currently an estimated 260 swamp football teams around the world.
The World Championship in swamp football is played annually on Vuorisuo bog in Hyrynsalmi
, Finland
, the first taking place in 2000. At the swamp football world championship games of 2005, some 5,000 players participated. The European Championship in swamp football is held in the town of Newton Aycliffe
.
The Swamp Soccer World Cup in the UK
In 2008 the Dunoon
competition moved to nearby Strachur to become the World Cup. 43 teams entered the tournament, which was contested over 3 days. Top honours went to Team Rambos in the men's competition with Belgium's De Rode Modderduivels winning the mixed competition.
In 2011 the tournament moved to Edinburgh and 2012 will be held in Inverness, the capital city of the Scottish Highlands
Bog
A bog, quagmire or mire is a wetland that accumulates acidic peat, a deposit of dead plant material—often mosses or, in Arctic climates, lichens....
s or swamp
Swamp
A swamp is a wetland with some flooding of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water. A swamp generally has a large number of hammocks, or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation. The two main types of swamp are "true" or swamp...
s. The sport is said to come from Bishop Auckland
Bishop Auckland
Bishop Auckland is a market town and civil parish in County Durham in north east England. It is located about northwest of Darlington and southwest of Durham at the confluence of the River Wear with its tributary the River Gaunless...
in the north east of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
where it initially was used as an exercise activity for athletes and soldiers, since playing on soft bog is physically demanding. However the first organised championship was the 1998 Finnish championship and was the brainchild of Jyrki Väänänen nicknamed "The Swamp Baron" when the creator of swamp football moved there. There are currently an estimated 260 swamp football teams around the world.
The World Championship in swamp football is played annually on Vuorisuo bog in Hyrynsalmi
Hyrynsalmi
Hyrynsalmi is a municipality in Finland and is part of the Kainuu region.The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is .The municipality is unilingually Finnish....
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
, the first taking place in 2000. At the swamp football world championship games of 2005, some 5,000 players participated. The European Championship in swamp football is held in the town of Newton Aycliffe
Newton Aycliffe
Newton Aycliffe is a town in County Durham, England. Founded in 1947 under the New Towns Act of 1946, it is the oldest new town in the north of England.-Geography:...
.
The Swamp Soccer World Cup in the UK
In 2008 the Dunoon
Dunoon
Dunoon is a resort town situated on the Cowal Peninsula in Argyll, Scotland. It sits on the Firth of Clyde to the south of Holy Loch and to the west of Gourock.-Waterfront:...
competition moved to nearby Strachur to become the World Cup. 43 teams entered the tournament, which was contested over 3 days. Top honours went to Team Rambos in the men's competition with Belgium's De Rode Modderduivels winning the mixed competition.
In 2011 the tournament moved to Edinburgh and 2012 will be held in Inverness, the capital city of the Scottish Highlands
Rules
The standard football rules have been modified significantly to suit the demanding sport:- The game is played in two halves of 13 minutes
- Boots can not be changed during the game
- Corner kicks, penalties and throw-ins are made with punts
- There is no off-side rule
- The penalty area is 5 meters deep but the goalkeeper is only allowed to hold the ball in a three metre radius from the goal
- There are 6 players on the field, with maximum of 12 in the squad
- The players can be substituted as often as they want
- For the major tournaments the pitch is simply a dry muddy field which is covered in water, rather than a naturally occurring swamp. The dimensions of the pitch are roughly 60m long and 35 metres wide