Motoball

A little bit of history

The first mention of a motoball match is made in England in September 1923. This meeting took place during a charity gala and took place on a football field. These motorcycle football games were immediately a considerable success, then a year later they flourished throughout the island "In 1924 each match was played with six players par team, all on motorcycles and lasted twice 15 min with a stop of 5 min between the two parts. From 1930, play time was increased to 50 mins, i.e. two separate 25 min periods par a half-time of 10 min”. It should be noted that this British sport did not remain confined to its island and quickly moved to Europe. “He had his hours of glory in France in the 1930s with big teams like Dijon, Saint-Étienne, Nice, Sochaux, Aigle, CMB Paris, Nevers, Avignon, Carpentras”.

The ball is 40 centimeters in diameter and weighs 900 grams.

Until 1970, the goalkeepers still played on motorcycles. Their horse should not weigh more than fifty kilos, they used a moped without pedals and they had to remain in the saddle until the start of the kick aimed at their cage. At the start of the match, the goals did a lap of honor to prove the working order of their machine, but they could then shut down the engine for the rest of the game. As during a shot on goal, the players cannot enter the penalty area, some goals did not hesitate, in order to block their cage as much as possible, to dive from one side and push their motorcycle to the other. Motoball motorcycles are lowered and surrounded by a ball push bar at the front of the lower engine which prevents the ball from passing under the machine

How is Motoball played?

Motoball is a sport which requires many qualities for high-level practice: athleticism for shooting power and endurance, dexterity for progress with the ball and passing, balance for the handling of the motorcycle and intelligence for the development of the many existing tactics.

This sport is played on a field comparable to that of football. The rules are almost similar.

Field : length from 85 m to 110 m, width from 45 m to 75 m, like football fields.

The equipment and the ball:

- The equipment: helmet, jersey, pants, gloves, boots and leg warmers.

- The Ball: diameter 40 cm, weight from 900 to 1200 gr.

The teams : four motorbike players, a goalkeeper and five substitutes.

The cages: height 2,44 m, width 7,32 m. The goalkeeper evolves in a protection zone of 5,50m called "outside zone" which is reserved for him. He cannot leave it, and the other players are not allowed to enter it.

The motorcycles: displacement must not exceed 250cc, 3 horsepower to 50 horsepower, and 60 decibels maximum. Each motorcycle is equipped with a balloon guide to prevent it from getting stuck in the front wheel or the engine.

The game : 4 periods of 20 minutes, separated par stoppages of 10 mn, change of camp after the second quarter. The teams present themselves to the public before and after the match.