There are many incredible sports in the world today. Sports that capture the attention of millions of people who will cry, cheer, and hold their breath at every gripping moment of a game. To love a team and a sport is a joy that many people now and it is a passion that can’t be felt in any other way. The most famous sport in the world is football (also called soccer depending on where you live). It is played by the most people in the world and the World Cup is watched by more people than anything else in the world. As an example, the 2020 Superbowl was watched by 99.9 million people – incredible numbers and something that is watched by people all over the world. Yet FIFA says that 3.5 billion people watched some part of the last world cup with 1.1 billion people watching some of the final game. Clearly, football is a sport that is loved around the world. Could it be improved? It is such a simple sport could we alter it somehow and make it better? Redball says yes.
Radball is not a new idea but it is an adaption of football. It was invented more than 90 years ago and the first Radball tournament took place in 1929. Radball has the same rules as soccer with one key difference. You must remain on a bike at all times and you can not use your feet to kick the ball – you must use the bike (or head) to hit it. The goalkeeper is allowed to use his hands but he must also remain on his bike at all times. Now, this does not just mean standing with your bike between your legs, your feet must be on the pedals at all times, if you don’t keep that bike moving you will fall over.
It is a pretty radical sport so you would be forgiven for thinking that the term rad comes from there however no. Rad is actually the German word for ‘wheel’ and Radball was invented by the Germans. Germany still dominates the sport having won 80% of the world cups that have taken place (there is one every year) and the last ten in a row. Switzerland is the second-best nation but has not won since 1985. The most successful players however were two men named Pospisil, brothers from Czechoslovakia who won the cup 20 times between 1965 and 1988.
The incredible level of skill shown by these athletes will really blow you away. While there are many sports that take inspiration from other games and try to alter it somehow they often don’t reach the same level of athleticism. This is because the dedication that football players have to the sport and the discipline required means they are at the top of the athletic pyramid. However, the skill that is shown by those who play cycle ball (as it is also known) is astonishing. The balance that they show to be able to stay on their bikes for the entire game and the control they exhibit to magically whip the ball across the pitch or into the goal is at an incredibly high level.
Radball is a sport that will likely never garner an audience of 3.5 billion people or even the 99.9 million that watch the Superbowl. Yet it is a sport with a devout following and with athletes that are incredible to watch. We highly recommend you check out the highlight reel from the latest world cup so that you can marvel at the incredible level of skill and passion that is part of this sport that you didn’t even know existed.
