Unexpected twist on the soccer game has rolled its way to DC
- Alanté Millow
- Dec 13, 2015
- 3 min read
You’re on the sidelines at a soccer game, watching the players run up and down the field trying to score a goal. The players start getting a little rowdy and as they collide into each other, fighting for the ball, they both bounce back and land on the ground in their plastic, round suit. This isn’t an ordinary soccer game—this is bubble soccer.
An unusual twist to the game of soccer, players run around in giant, see-through inflatable balls—which cover the entire top half of their bodies—while their legs are free to run and kick as they please.
Bubble soccer was created as a joke back in 2011 by two Norwegian comedians. Henrik Elvestad and Johan Golden used the sport as a bit for their sports entertainment show, Golden Goal. Not too long after, people from all over were playing bubble soccer as a real sport.
The National Association of Bubble Soccer [NABS] was established as the governing body for the sport in early 2014. They are now approaching almost 50 affiliate operations throughout Northern America.
“We don't view bubble soccer as "opposed’ to regular soccer,” John Radosta, league commissioner and a founder of NABS, said, “its just a fun new twist on a traditional sport that requires a unique set of skills, in addition to having a fantastic spectator draw and being a ton of fun!”
Nathan Chan, with Bubble Bump Soccer, thinks bubble soccer is a “cray new sport for all ages and fitness levels with no previous ‘soccer’ experience necessary.”
“It's a very, very different type of game from anything out there," Radosta said. He explained that just like any other contact sport, you run towards opponents at full speed and brace for impact. However, instead of being greeted by a world of pain, you just "kind of roll over. It's a bit of a psych-out. It's actually quite an adrenaline rush.”
Some argue that due to the bubble barrier players wear, the game of bubble soccer is much safer than many other sports. The notion of protecting someone or something with "bubble wrap" is shown through this up and coming sport.
“Actually, [bubble soccer is] safer than traditional soccer according to the data,” Radosta said. This July, CNN did a story on the rising risk of concussions among youth soccer players and found that there were 627 concussions across the U.S. between 2005 and 2014. Most of these concussions were caused by physical contact with another player.
“In our entire two years of operating, we've never had any concussive related injuries occur in any of our affiliate operations. Just one of the benefits of being encased in a giant inflatable bubble, leaves very little room for bone-to-bone impact,” Radosta said.
William Brangham at PBS wrote a piece on the dangers of youth sports, specifically soccer: "Believe me, I get it: soccer's a contact sport. Kids can get hurt. I'm not looking to bubble-wrap my kids, but I'd be lying if I said my wife and I weren't increasingly uneasy while watching from the sidelines."
Parents now have an option were their children are essentially “bubble wrapped.” Children as young as 4 years old participate in the sport of bubble soccer and NABS manufactures youth sized balls specifically for them.
“It is often times more safe for kids to play then adults,” Bubble Soccer DC representative said. “Kids cannot deliver such big hits and there is more space inside the bubble with them which absorbs the blows.”
In a market that is highly saturated with the typical game of soccer, the introduction of bubble soccer gives a unique and exciting experience for the community to engage in. There are now several resources for members of the D.C. community to explore this new sport.
Check out the different associations, leagues and rental companies available below:
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