At one time, everyone wanted to play soccer except, of course,the United States.
But the conditions are not right to play soccer worldwide.Siberia, for example, has snow and ice on the ground year-round.Siberians had to find a new way to play soccer ... or a soccer-likegame -- such as bandy.
While bandy was originally a bastardized version of shinty andhurling developed in England, it later transformed into the icesport it is today.
Bandy is played on a soccer-sized field made of ice. Originallybandy was the same sport as hockey, until Canadians changed thesport by reducing the size of almost everything involved, includingthe rink, the size of the goals and the number of players on ateam.
Unlike hockey, bandy is played with a small, tennis-ball-sizedball that is designed to move fast and is painted bright orange --the original glowing puck.
The stick used is four feet long and is curved at the end,similar to a field hockey stick. It is usually held in one hand,which bandy players say requires more skill than holding a hockeystick.
The stick is not the only way to control the ball. Bandy playerscan use their feet as well as most of their bodies to control theball. Use of the head, arms and hands is forbidden unless your thegoalkeeper.
The rink is the size of a soccer field, and the goals are in thesame locations but are smaller: only seven feet tall and 11 feetwide.
The teams consist of 14 players, 11 of which can be on the ice.Substitutions are similar to those in hockey or soccer. Play issimilar to soccer, except "roughing" of the players is allowed.
Bandy follows the soccer rules for out-of-bounds plays andoffsides and also has penalty shots. In bandy, penalty shots canonly be given for goal preventing or violent penalties.
Perhaps the only aspect of penalties that remains from bandy inhockey today is the penalty box. In bandy, when a player is guiltyof severe or repeated infractions, he can be removed from the rinkand placed in a "sin-bin" for five to 10 minutes. If a playeramasses more than three serious violations, he is expelled from thegame.
Two countries, Russia and Sweden, have held the Bandy WorldChampionships. Finland has also competed for the championship, butit has never won.
Bandy supporters claim their sport is better than hockey for anumber of reasons: The rink is larger, and players must work harderto move possession up the rink. The scores are also higher; a goodbandy team averages eight points a game.
If you are looking to play bandy in America, then you need tohead up to Minneapolis/St. Paul. They are the only U.S. cities toplay bandy.
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