Woggabaliri, literally meaning "play", is the name given to a traditional Indigenous Australian "co-operative kicking volley game" similar to the English

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...

 game of Keepie uppie

Keepie uppie

Keepie uppie, or "kick-ups" is the skill of juggling with a football using feet, lower legs, knees, chest, shoulders, and head, without allowing the ball to hit the ground...

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History

Woggabaliri is a non-competitive game played with a ball made of Bulrush roots

Typha domingensis

Typha domingensis Pers., also known as Southern Cattail or Cumbungi, is a perennial herbaceous plant of genus Typha.It is found throughout temperate and tropical regions worldwide...

 wrapped in possum

Possum

A possum is any of about 70 small to medium-sized arboreal marsupial species native to Australia, New Guinea, and Sulawesi .Possums are quadrupedal diprotodont marsupials with long tails...

 fur where the aim is to keep the ball in the air using football (soccer) type skills of teamwork and ball control. Played by the Wiradjuri

Wiradjuri

The Wiradjuri are an Indigenous Australian group of central New South Wales.In the 21st century, major Wiradjuri groups live in Condobolin, Peak Hill, Narrandera and Griffith...

 and surrounding peoples before European arrival, Woggabaliri is the Ngunnawal word

Ngunnawal people

The Ngunnawal people are the Indigenous Australian inhabitants whose traditional lands encompass much of the area now occupied by the city of Canberra, Australia and the surrounding Australian Capital Territory...

 for "play". Author Ken Edwards notes that a similar game with a ball made of grass covered in beeswax

Beeswax

Beeswax is a natural wax produced in the bee hive of honey bees of the genus Apis. It is mainly esters of fatty acids and various long chain alcohols...

 was also played by the Jingili people

Jingili, Northern Territory

Jingili is a northern suburb of the city of Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.-History:Jingili was constructed in the early 1970s. Jingili is named after an Aboriginal tribe who inhabited the area around Elliott in the middle of the Territory....

 of the Northern Territory

Northern Territory

The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...

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Woggabaliri is recognised by the Australian Sports Commission

Australian Sports Commission

The Australian Sports Commission is the governing body responsible for distributing funds and providing strategic guidance for sporting activity in Australia. It is an agency of the Government of Australia within the portfolio of Health and Ageing...

 as one the oldest Indigenous ball games and is the earliest depicted, believed to be the subject of an engraving "never let the ball hit the ground" based on William Blandowski

William Blandowski

Wilhelm Blandowski born Johan Wilhelm Theodor Ludwig von Blandowski January 21, 1822 died December 18, 1878, a German zoologist and mining engineer, was born in Gleiwitz, Upper Silesia, Kingdom of Prussia ....

's observations in 1857 of camp life near Merbein, Victoria

Merbein, Victoria

Merbein is a town outside Mildura, Victoria, in the Sunraysia region of Australia. At the 2006 census, Merbein had a population of 2526.The area was known as White Cliffs until 1909 when the township was established, the Post Office opening on 16 August 1909.The name was intended to be Merebin,...

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In 2010, Football Federation Australia

Football Federation Australia

Football Federation Australia is the governing body for the sport of football in Australia. Before 1 January 2005, it was known as the Australian Soccer Association , which succeeded Soccer Australia in this role in 2003...

 referenced Woggabaliri in its Australian 2022 FIFA World Cup bid

Australian 2022 FIFA World Cup bid

Australia submitted an unsuccessful bid for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. On 2 December 2010 FIFA announced that the event would be held in Qatar. Australia also lodged a bid for the 2018 World Cup, but withdrew the bid on 10 June 2010. The 2018 and 2022 World Cups will be the 21st and 22nd editions of...

 citing its similarity to football (soccer) as part of Australia's national heritage.

Modern Play

In Australia the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation

Laureus Sport for Good Foundation

The Laureus Sport for Good Foundation was founded in 2000 by Daimler and Richemont and is supported by its Global Partners Mercedes-Benz, IWC Schaffhausen and Vodafone...

 promotes Woggabaliri as one of several Indigenous games available as an addition to traditional school sports. The New South Wales Department of the Arts, Sport and Recreation

New South Wales Department of the Arts, Sport and Recreation

The New South Wales Department of the Arts, Sport and Recreation is a former department of the Government of New South Wales and was previously responsible for a number of cultural and sporting institutions...

 promotes Woggabaliri in New South Wales

New South Wales

New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...

 schools. Woggabaliri was also included as an activity in Teacherweb

Archipelago Learning

Archipelago Learning is an American subscription-based, software-as-a-service provider of education studies used by over 14 million students in nearly 38,700 schools throughout the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Their comprehensive digital supplemental product suite uses technology...

s 2010 summer camp schedule in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

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Basic rules

The game is played by groups of four to six players standing in a circle 2 metres apart and uses either a football (soccer) or a volleyball. Using feet and knees only, in no set order but without consecutive touches, the players attempt to keep the ball from touching the ground. The group that has the most touches in a set time wins. If the ball touches the ground the count is restarted.

Team rules

Two teams of four play on a volleyball

Volleyball

Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...

 court sized pitch with football (soccer) goals at each end. A game consists of two halves lasting 10 minutes each. Players may use feet, knees, thighs, chest and head to keep the ball aloft with the team losing possession if the ball touches the ground, is intercepted or an infringement occurs. Tackling is not permitted, and goals can be scored from any part of the pitch.