Fumberu

Fumberu is a ball sport originating in Soptemia. It is played on a rectangular grass pitch, and was originally based off of Football. Players compete in teams to get the most points. Points are awarded to teams who get their ball into the net or over the bar.

Terminology

A game of Fumberu is made up of eight periods of play. There is no time limit on the length of a period. A period ends when both teams are no longer able to score. The game score does not reset after each period.

The line of forwardness is about five meters away from the end of the field. The U-shaped hoop is just behind it.

History

It is believed that Fumberu was first developed by a group of people in Education Academy around 1810.

General Rules

Fumberu is played on a rectangular pitch, 39.6 by 66.0 meters. At the near end of the field, there are two nets, each approximately 2.1 meters in size. At the other end, there is a U-Shaped hoop, 3.3 meters off of the ground. two identical spherical pneumatic balls, each about 19cm in diameter are used. Each team may have five players in the area of play, and an additional sixth player who may not enter the area of play, but is to stand outside of the area of play to put the ball into play.

The rules of Fumberu specify only two special positions played by players. There is the person who many not enter the field of play, as well as the goalkeeper.

When a period of play begins, the ball is thrown in from off the field towards the net. The goalkeeper attempts to block this. If a ball enters a net, the team that threw it is awarded one point. Additionally, the goalkeeper is required to climb into the net to retrieve the ball. If, at any point after the attempt for one point through the net, a ball touches the ground, that ball may not be scored with.

The goalkeeper is the only player that is permitted to attempt to put the ball through the U-shaped hoop. Additionally, a team may only score with its own ball, and not the other team's ball. The goalkeeper is not allowed to possess the ball if he is not either in front of the nets, or behind the line of forwardness. Therefore, he passes the ball to his teammates, who pass it down the field. Once the goalkeeper makes it to the line of forwardness, he attempts to throw it through the U-shaped hoop. Any team to do this is awarded four points. Another player attempts to catch it on the other side. There is no limit to the number of points a team may attempt to score in a period. The other team, however, will try to prevent scoring, while also trying to score themselves.

International Competitions

Soptemia is headquarters of the World Fumberu Competitive Association, which hosts over 1000 teams, both Amateur and professional. It is divided into many smaller conferences based on skill-level and location. Each year, a tournament of all of its teams is held. In the past couple of years, the championship game has been held internationally.