Street footie
Monday 30 July 2007
Street football is the term for when you play footie outside – even just kicking a ball about with your friends. n2k finds out how it evolved into more than just a kickabout.
Brazil
The Brazilians play a lot of street football and are infamous for their style, which involves crazy tricks and flicks. They tend to play three-on-three with a tiny goal at either end. They have no goalkeepers and the players get a better rep for the unbelievable things they can do with the ball rather than scoring.
America
In America, the most popular version is called ‘Boston Cage’. This game is usually played on fenced off community basketball courts. Teams of four play each other and the aim is to hit the basketball net pole. Once this is done the losing team leaves and another team takes their place immediately.
At home
Here in the UK, the birthplace of football, there are hundreds of different types of street football; including 'spot’', 'rush goalie', 'headers and volleys' and '60 seconds'. All of which involve pitting each player against another, to knock them out of the game.
Peace through street footie
Recently several schemes have been set embracing football on the street. By far the biggest, The Street Football Foundation was first set up in Columbia in 1996 as an outlet for boys in the violent slums to be able to face each other without weapons and learn, through play, peaceful ways of resolving conflicts. Within a year, there were over 500 teams involved with the scheme. Players are allowed to play no matter if they are homeless, or may have drug problems.
Street competitions
Since then it has also moved to Berlin, and similar programs were set up in many other countries. Street League is the name of the one we have in England.
The first Street Football World Cup was held in Germany last year, and saw five-a-side teams from the whole world! Kenya were the eventual winners.
This World Cup is planned to take place, like its professional counterpart, every four years.
