Motoball (also known as motorcycle polo) is a motorsport similar to

association football 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 ...

, with the main differences being that all players (except

goalkeeper In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...

s) are riding

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising ...

s, and the ball is much bigger. Motorcycle polo first began as an officially organized sport in the mid-1930s. In France, there are organized motoball competitions, and the sport was included in the inaugural Goodwill Games.

Rules and regulations

Motoball is played in a 5v5 format. There are four players on motorcycles, and one on their feet as the goalkeeper. The matches are split up into four 20-minute periods. There is only one spot on the field the motorcycles are not allowed to go, which is the semicircle in front of the goal. The game is played with a ball nearly in diameter. The playing field is long, and at the start each team is waiting at the back line Shin guards and helmets are used for protection against collisions initiated by the riders. The riders use special prepared GasGas two-stroke 250 cc motorcycles for the game. At the sides of the bike, special frames are mounted, so riders can pinch the ball between their bike and their leg. Motul is supporting the Mettalurg team in terms of lubricants for the bikes, busses and the vans. Referees are in place to control the game and make sure penalties are called.

Commission of French Motoball

Pascale Reschko Jacquot has been president of the French Motoball Commission since 2012. In the latest FIM Europe Management Council, which was held in

Fiumicino Fiumicino () is a town and comune in the Metropolitan City of Rome, Lazio, central Italy, with a population of 80,500 (2019). It is known for being the site of Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport, the busiest airport in Italy and the eleventh-bu ...

, Italy, she was appointed as president of the FIM Europe Motoball Commission. It was the first time in FIM Europe history that a woman was elected president of a European Commission. The commission of French Motoball is in charge of setting rule changes and hiring referees to officiate the games.

References

{{sport-stub 1986 Goodwill Games Motorcycle sport Association football variants Team sports Games and sports introduced in the 1930s