FreeBandy is not just only a fun game; it’s also a high pace and technically demanding sport. It works perfectly to compete in FreeBandy, despite the fact that there are almost no rules to the game:

An important principle is that FreeBandy should be fascinating and beautiful to watch, when at the same time it’s actually an intense and exciting battle between strong wills and capacities. Neat and technically skilled games will be rewarded as well as the score. In FreeBandy, it’s also important that the teams play fair and clean. In a so called Challenge, an officially arranged competition, two teams play (mostly with two players in each team) against each other. The trick is to score as many points as possible in the opposing team’s goal as artistically and beautifully as possible during three minutes. The goal is vertical, approx. 180 cms. high and has three holes, with the diameters of 15, 40 and 25 cms, counting from the top. The points for a goal in each hole are 3, 1 and 2 points, in the same order. FreeBandy as a competition sport doesn’t use a referee; instead it’s called a competition- or game leader. He or she works as a “spokesperson” for the three-headed jury that judges every game in three, equally important categories:

Score – the number of points Style – technique, how skilled and artistic the team has played Sportsmanship – how fair and sportsmanlike the team has played.

All of the judging categories are valued equally. If the total score still adds up to a tie (i.e. when both teams have scored equally and according to the jury, played as nice and fair), then the match is settled in a penalty shoot-out session.

The first challenge was held in fall of 2007 in the Nordstan mall in Gothenburg. During 2008 at least two challenges will be organized by the Swedish FreeBandy Federation in cooperation with local FreeBandy clubs; Stockholm Downtown Challenge (June -08) and North City Battle 2 in Gothenburg (November -08). Every officially arranged challenge sets the basis of the team ranking frequently updated here at www.freebandy.com.

For the latest information on upcoming challenges, contact SFF (Swedish FreeBandy Association) info@freebandy.com