Arena Rockerball
Highest governing bodyAustralian Rockerball Association
First playedApril 10 2002, Couran Cove Resort, South Stradbroke Island, Australia
Characteristics
ContactYes
Team members5 per side
Mixed-sexYes, no rule prohibiting
TypeTeam sport, ball sport
EquipmentFootball (or soccer ball)
VenueFootball pitch (also known as football field, football ground, soccer field, soccer pitch or simply "pitch")
Presence
Country or regionAustralia
OlympicNo
ParalympicNo

Rockerball is a competitive team sport played between two teams of four players with a shereical ball. It is known for encompassing aspects of Rugby Union and Soccer. The object of the game is to score points by kicking the round ball into the goals or placing it over the opposing teams goal line. The first game of Rockerball was played at Couran Cove Resort on April 10, 2002.[official 1]

Rockerball was created by Patrick Gillett[1].

History

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The origins of Rockerball can be traced back to an early version of the sport which had few rules. This early form of Rockerball had a field that was not split into thirds and allowed players to use thier hands to advance the ball.

The first event was the April Championships in 2002. It was held from April 10 to April 13 at Couran Cove Resort[official 1] on South Stradbroke Island. The Stingrays drew with the Blues in the Final 12-12.

Only social matches have been played since.

Scoring

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A team can score in the following ways;

  • a Goal (worth two points): It is scored when a player kicks the ball from either of their defensive thirds into the goals without being touched by another player.
  • a Try (worth one point): It is scored when a player places the ball on or over the opposing teams goal line.

Competitions

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A number of competitions have been held over the years. The first was the April Championships in 2002.

April Championships 2002

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April Championship 2002
Details
Tournament April Championship
Date April 10-13, 2002
Venue Couran Cove Resort
City Gold Coast, Queensland

The 2002 April Champonships was the original Rockerball event. It was held from April 10 to April 13, 2002 at Couran Cove Resort[official 1] on South Stradbroke Island. The Stingrays drew with the Blues in the Final 12-12.

History

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The April Championship used a three team single elimination tournament.

The rules for the event split the field into zones (roughly similar to the current field design), put the goals at the front of the in-goal areas, and introduce an umpire who sat at an elevated position near the sideline. The start of the games strted with the umpire would throw the ball in to a contest at centre field.

Results

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  • Semi Final 1st game: Reds 6 defeated Stingrays 4
  • Semi Final 2nd game: Stingrays 6 defeated Reds 0

The Stingrays won the semi final series 10 to 6.

Sunshine Coast Grammar rules

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Sunshine Coast Grammar rules Rockerball, also known as Grammar rules Rockerball, is a non-contact version of Rockerball. It was first played in June 2008 at Sunshine Coast Grammar School. Due to its non-contact nature, Grammar rules is a mixed gender game.

First XV News notes that Grammar rules have very little resemblence to the original sport.[2]

References

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  1. ^ Gillett, Patrick (11 June 2017). "The return of Rockerball". Pattman News and Blog. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  2. ^ "Australian Rockerball acknowledges a second Rockerball" (PDF). 25 November 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 12, 2011. Retrieved 27 April 2011.

Official sources

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  1. ^ a b c Gillett, Patrick (2002). Rockerball Coaching Kit. p. 4.
  2. ^ Patrick Gillett (2006). The Rockerball Documentary.