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Pushball is a
game A game is a structured form of play (activity), play, usually undertaken for enjoyment, entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator s ...
played by two sides on a field usually long and wide, with a ball in diameter and in weight. Occasionally, much heavier balls were used. The sides usually number eleven each, there being five forwards, two left-wings, two right-wings and two goal-keepers. The goals consist of two upright posts high and apart with a crossbar from the ground. The game lasts for two periods with an intermission. Pushing the ball under the bar counts 5 points; lifting or throwing it over the bar counts 8. A touchdown behind goal for safety counts 2 to the attacking side. The game was invented by M. G. Crane of
Newton, Massachusetts Newton is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is approximately west of downtown Boston. Newton resembles a patchwork of thirteen villages, without a city center. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, the population of Ne ...
, in 1891, and was taken up at
Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
the next year, but never attained any considerable vogue.
Emory University Emory University is a private research university in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1836 as "Emory College" by the Methodist Episcopal Church and named in honor of Methodist bishop John Emory, Emory is the second-oldest private institution of ...
students played pushball from 1923 to 1955 before the game was retired due to its increasingly rough nature. In the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
the first regular game was played at
The Crystal Palace The Crystal Palace was a cast iron and plate glass structure, originally built in Hyde Park, London, Hyde Park, London, to house the Great Exhibition of 1851. The exhibition took place from 1 May to 15 October 1851, and more than 14,000 exhibit ...
in 1902 by teams of eight. The English rules are somewhat different from those obtaining in the United States. Pushball on horseback was introduced in 1902 at Durlands Riding Academy in New York, and has been played in England at the Military Tournament. "Pushball on horseback" variations continued in Europe, and recently resurfaced as a growing equine activity in the United States, with variations including "horse soccer", "equine soccer", and "hoofball". The various games provide great fun for both horse and rider, while serving as a valuable training tool that can be enjoyed by one or more horsemanship team players. The most important safety factor (aside from basic horsemanship foundation and equine communication skills) requires that the ball be at least as tall as the mount's breastbone. Some play with a durable cageball – a tough bladder caged inside a separate nylon cover, available from sporting goods suppliers. A description of the rules can be found in the Spalding book ''Push Ball: History and Description of the Game, with the Official Playing Rules'' published in 1903 by Spalding's Athletic Library.Spalding, Push Ball, 1903

Retrieved Nov 22, 2020


See also

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Bladderball Bladderball was a game traditionally played by students of Yale University, between 1954 and 1982, until being banned by the administration. The game is a variant of pushball, and has its roots in mob football. It was originally a competition betwe ...


References

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External links


''Pushball: A Strenuous New Game''
C.H. Allison, National Magazine, October, 1905
''Push Ball''
Spalding's Athletic Library, 1903 at babel.hathitrust.org {{DEFAULTSORT:Pushball Ball games Articles containing video clips