Speedaway is a game composed of 11 players on each team that combines
soccer
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
,
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
, and
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
. Originally created by
physical education
Physical education, often abbreviated to Phys Ed. or P.E., is a subject taught in schools around the world. It is usually taught during primary and secondary education, and encourages psychomotor learning by using a play and movement explorati ...
teacher Marjorie A. Larsen. Although there is no official league, Speedaway is played in physical education classes 6th-12th grade worldwide. When players are well versed in the game, there is a constant movement of the ball between feet and hands on a huge pitch either indoor or outdoor. Only a
soccer ball
A football (also known as football ball, soccer ball, or association football ball specifically in the United Kingdom) is the ball used in the sport of association football. The name of the ball varies according to whether the sport is called " ...
is needed to play the game.
The game is fast, challenging and should make a significant contribution to any player’s physical fitness.
History
Speedaway originated as a game for girls by Marjorie Larsen in
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
and the first rule book was published in 1950. It’s a field team game and is a combination of soccer, basketball, and
field hockey
Field hockey is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with ten outfield players and a goalkeeper. Teams must drive a round hockey ball by hitting it with a hockey stick towards the rival team's shooting ci ...
, with an opportunity to run with the ball. At its peak, Speedaway has grown in popularity throughout the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, and
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
and is now being played by both boys and girls, with thousands of school children playing the game. Speedaway was developed out of a need for a lead-up sport to field hockey and for a game that could bring enjoyment and satisfaction to participants without a great deal of time spent in learning complicated rules and special techniques.
Gameplay
The objective of Speedaway is to take the ball from one side of the field to the other in order to score points. Active players must implement a soft touch rule to make game play fair amongst various sizes and ages. No rough play is permitted.
Speedaway is played on a normal American Football field shown to the right or soccer field. A full adult (size 5) soccer ball is used as the ball since its flexible to kick, dribble, and throw. If played on a soccer field, cones can be set up on designated areas to decrease the size of the field.
Teams
Each team consists of 11 players as in soccer. They are further broken down into 5 forwards, 3 midfielders, 2 defenders, and 1 goalie. The forwards job is primarily to score points, the midfielder’s job is to assist the forwards as well as the defenders.
The goalie’s job is to protect the goal against scoring, while the defenders protect his or her respective side as well as aiding the goalie in protecting the home side.
Rules
The game starts off with a coin toss. When a team is kicking off they must be on their side of the midline, the opposing team must be on the opposite side of the midline and outside the circle. Whichever team wins the toss will start with the ball in the middle of the field. Speedaway uses a soccer ball which may be moved down the field on the ground as in soccer, or by passing through the air similar to football. When an offensive player has possession of the ball and an opponent tags or simply touches him or her, the player must instantly drop the ball and give possession to the defending team. The team that gains possession must now kick the ball from where it was dropped. To pass the ball to a teammate, one may kick, throw, or bounce pass accordingly. When bounce passing to another teammate the ball can only hit the ground once.
If the ball bounces more than one time the team with possession cannot pick the ball back up. When the ball is kicked or thrown out of bounds, the team that last touched the ball loses possession and the opposite team may throw or kick the ball into the field. Only the goalie can pick up the ball with his or her hands at any give time. All players, beside the goalie, have to kick the ball up to themselves from the ground in order to run with the ball or make aerial passes. Each team has three time-outs they may use during the game. Any player with possession of the ball may call time-out when the ball is dead or when someone is injured. The game is broken down into four quarters and two halves each quarter being ten minutes long, making the game forty minutes. Speedaway ball is officiated by two referees, each official is responsible for each half of the field. Their responsibilities include: stopping the game after each quarter, calling fouls, and out of bounds plays. Officials must place the ball before kick offs and have the authority to remove players from play who are being too aggressive, in their own judgement.
Scoring
There are three different ways to score in Speedaway ball. The first is by a field goal worth 3 points, which is when a player kicks the ball through the opponent's two uprights. The second way a player can score is by kicking the ball into the goal below the crossbar, which is worth 2 points. The final way to score is when a player runs the ball through the opponent’s goal line, similar to a
Touchdown
A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Ameri ...
, worth 1 point.
Penalties
A team is penalized when one or more of the following occur:
1) A player with the ball is tagged by the defense and does not immediately drop the ball.
2) The ball is illegally picked up from the ground following a change of possession.
3) A player fouls an opponent, by hitting, shoving, or by performing any sort of roughness.
When any of the following penalties takes place, a
free kick
A free kick is an action used in several codes of football to restart play with the kicking of a ball into the field of play.
Association football
In association football, the free kick is a method of restarting the game following an offence ...
is placed 10 yards in front of the goal with the goalie defending. A player has one shot to score one point with a free kick.
References
{{Reflist
Team sports