Underwater football is no sweat

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 20/08/2003 (8077 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

THERE aren’t many similarities between underwater football and its gridiron namesake, except that both are team sports.

“It consists of two teams of five swimmers, each wearing masks, fins and snorkels,” says Garth Bradley, a director of the Manitoba Underwater Council, a non-profit sports body under the umbrella of Sport Manitoba.

“The object of the game is to advance a round ball filled with salt water to the opposing team’s side of the pool. You score a goal by muscling the ball onto the side gutter of the pool. It’s played entirely underwater with the exception of a scoring attempt.”

Besides being strong swimmers, players must also be able to hold their breath underwater for a longer than average period of time, adds Bradley, co-ordinator of the organization’s underwater football program.

“A player can be in possession of the ball until he runs out of breath, at which point you pass the ball to a teammate who swims farther ahead,” explains Bradley, adding that the sport is like football because there is a form of underwater tackling in which a defensive player attempts to strip the ball from the ball carrier.

The sport originated over 30 years ago at the University of Manitoba pool when scuba diving instructors were looking for a recreational way to improve the skills of snorkel divers and to bring some recreation into actual snorkel instruction.

“Then, we created a set of rules involving penalties for various offenses, like rough play and interference. The games, generally, last one hour and the team with the most goals at the end is declared the winner,” says Bradley, noting that a typical score might be something like 12-10.

Currently in Winnipeg there are two active teams: the U of M SCUBA Club and the MUC’s Independent Underwater Football Club, which plays out of the Seven Oaks pool. The season runs from October to June.

“We get enough players out each week to form two teams of five players each,” says Bradley, a retired school teacher who’s presently working full-time as a security guard.

He adds that the positions are defence, backstabbers and centre.

“The role of the backstabbers is to essentially be on defence and intercept the play before it can reach their side of the pool. The defensive player is generally near the side of the pool as the last line of defence.”

“Referees aren’t needed because we call our own penalties. The sport is a cardiovascular challenge. It’s a way of keeping your skills sharp during the winter when you’re not out diving.”

For further information, call 488-3076.