Football tennis
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Football tennis, also known as futnet (in Czech and Slovak nohejbal and Soccer Tennis USA), is a sport played with a football. The sport is played indoors or outdoors in a court divided by a low net with two opposing teams (one, two or three players) who try to score a point hitting the ball with any part of their body except for the hands and making it bounce in the opponent's area in a way that makes it difficult or impossible for the other team to return it over the net.
Description[edit]
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Futnet is a ball game with a 100-years of tradition which combines speed, precision, technical skill and strategy. It is a sport with its own identity, rules, and body of governance. It is played indoors and outdoors from the recreational to competitive level.
Futnet is very popular in Europe and is gaining reputation and popularity in the US, with the US Futnet Federation leading professional programs, from clubs and associations to National Team and International competitions.
At the recreational level, Futnet is a fantastic sport in regards to safety and well-being of the participants, fun to play and easy to set up.
At the competing level, Futnet has the reputation of being a spectacular sport, with players showing virtuosity and amazing skills in the courts, making the games fun to watch and enjoy.
The World Championship is the ultimate goal for all Futnet National Teams, with over 25 countries participating.
History[edit]
In 1922 the members of the football club Slavia Prague started playing a game which they called football over the rope, because it was initially played over a horizontally suspended rope, which was later replaced by a net. Usually two or three players on each side could touch the ball three times (though a single player could not touch the ball twice consecutively) with all parts of the body except for the arms. Players could let the ball bounce once between the touches up to three times before passing it to the other side.
In 1940 the first official rules were written. The first futnet cup was played in 1940, and between 1953–1961 the first league, called Trampská Liga, was played. In 1961, futnet was recognised as an official sport by Czechoslovak Sports Organisation (ČSTV) and the Prague Futnet Commission was established. In 1971 the "Český nohejbalový svaz" (Czech Futnet Association) was founded,[1] followed in 1974 by the "Výbor nohejbalového zväzu SÚV ČSTV" (Slovak Futnet Association).[2]
Official international competitions have been organized for decades. European championships have been held since 1991 and world championships since 1994.
Rules[edit]
There are three futnet disciplines:
- Single: one player, two touches, one bounce in all categories, court dimensions 9 m × 12.8 m.
- Double: two players, three touches (but not two consecutive touches by the same player), one bounce allowed for men and two bounces for women and juniors, court dimensions 9 m × 12.8 m. However, per backyard rules, established in 2018 at Jeremy’s house[where?], the length of the court for a two on two game shall be 1.5x the net width per side. If the net is 10 feet wide, the court shall be a total of 30 feet long.
- Triple: three players, three touches (but not two consecutive touches by the same player), one bounce allowed for men and two for women and juniors, court dimensions 9 m × 18 m.
In all the disciplines, a set finishes once a side gains 11 points with a two-point difference between the sides; the maximum score is 15:14. To win a match, a team has to win 2 sets. The height of the net is 1.10 m. The players may not touch the net during the game; otherwise, it is a point for the opponent. The futnet ball is similar to a football in size, but is glued, made of 32 panels of synthetic (natural) leather, and when properly inflated, should bounce more than half a meter.
If the ball hits the net and comes back to the side of the team that attempted to hit it over, it cannot be hit back, unlike in volleyball.
International associations[edit]
In 1987, the International Footballtennis Association (IFTA, later renamed to FIFTA, the Federation International de Footballtennis Association) was founded. In 2010, Union Internationale de Futnet (UNIF) was founded by some former FIFTA members, later joined by other nations, to govern, regulate and promote the sport of futnet.[3] In December 2012, UNIF had 17 member countries.[4]
In April 2010 European Futnet Association (EFTA) was founded in Marseille, France, to reactivate the sport in Europe where it had been stagnating under FIFTA. Current EFTA members include Switzerland, France, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, Ireland, Basque Country, Denmark, England, Poland, Ukraine and Austria.[5] EFTA is the continental association of UNIF in Europe.
International name[edit]
While football tennis is still commonly used, the word futnet is being used more as the new international name to reflect the independent nature of this sport which has around 100 years of history and which has its own rules and regulations, governing structures and regular competitions.[citation needed]
World Championships[edit]
- Single 1.
Hungary 2. 
Slovakia 3. 
Romania - Double 1.
Czech Republic 2. Slovakia 3. Romania - Triple 1. Slovakia 2. Czech Republic 3. Romania
- Single 1. Romania 2. Slovakia 3. Czech Republic
- Double 1. Slovakia 2. Czech Republic 3. Romania
- Triple 1. Czech Republic 2. Slovakia 3. Romania
- Single 1. Slovakia 2. Czech Republic 3. Romania
- Double 1. Czech Republic 2. Slovakia 3. Romania
- Triple 1. Czech Republic 2. Slovakia 3. Romania
- 4th World Championship 2000, Prostejov, Czech Republic
- Single 1. Czech Republic 2. Slovakia 3. Romania
- Double 1. Slovakia 2. Czech Republic 3. Romania
- Triple 1. Slovakia 2. Czech Republic 3. Romania
- 5th World Championship 2002, Szombathely, Hungary
- Single 1. Czech Republic 2. Slovakia 3. Romania
- Double 1. Czech Republic B 2. Slovakia 3. Romania
- Triple 1. Slovakia 2. Czech Republic 3. Romania
- 6th World Championship 2004, Prostejov, Czech Republic
- Single 1. Slovakia "A" 2. Czech Republic "A" 3. Slovakia "B"
- Double 1. Czech Republic 2. Slovakia 3. Romania
- Triple 1. Slovakia 2. Czech Republic 3. Romania
- Single 1. Romania 2. Czech Republic 3. Slovakia
- Double 1. Slovakia 2. Czech Republic 3. Romania
- Cross-Double 1. Czech Republic 2. Romania 3. Slovakia
- Triple 1. Slovakia 2. Czech Republic 3. Romania
- 8th World Championship 2008, Nymburk, Czech Republic
- Single 1. Romania 2. France 3. Czech Republic
- Double 1. Czech Republic 2. Romania 3. Slovakia
- Cross Double 1. Czech Republic 2. Slovakia 3. Romania
- Triple 1. Slovakia 2. Czech Republic 3. Hungary
- 9th World Championship 2010, Istanbul, Turkey (some stronger countries such as Slovakia, Czech Republic, France and Switzerland did not participate)
- Single 1. Romania 2. Hungary 3.
Croatia - Double 1. Romania 2. Hungary 3. Croatia
- Triple 1. Hungary 2. Romania 3. Croatia
- 10th World Championship 2012, Nymburk, Czech Republic[6]
- Single 1. Slovakia 2. Hungary 3. Czech Republic
- Double 1. Slovakia 2. Czech Republic 3. Hungary
- Triple 1. Slovakia 2. Czech Republic 3. Hungary
- 11th World Championship 2014, North Nicosia, Northern Cyprus[7][8]
- Single Man 1. Romania 2.
France 3. Hungary - Single Woman 1. Romania 2.
Northern Cyprus 3. 
Turkey
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ "History of futnet on the website of Czech Futnet Association".
- ^ "History of Slovak futnet on the website of Slovak Futnet Association". 2 June 2021.
- ^ "International Development of Futnet between 1987 and 2011".
- ^ "Members of Union Internationale de Futnet".
- ^ "Members of European Futnet Association".
- ^ "Official website of Futnet World Championships 2012". Archived from the original on 2012-12-14.
- ^ "11th World Footballtennis Championship".
- ^ 11th World Championship Results