Every lunch period students scarf down their lunches and head down to the Field to participate in Turfball. A completely new sport that was pioneered by Field students.

By Ander Gustafson and Charles Cleveland

As winter comes to a close and the warm spring months begin, field students have been looking for new ways to enjoy the heat during lunch in nontraditional ways. Students tried Soccer, Football, Baseball, and Kickball, but nothing quite scratched their itch. That was, until the discovery of Turfball. For centuries, this sport has always been sitting in the minds and hearts of children worldwide, waiting to be set free. It was unknown if anyone would have the courage to break the status quo until Friday, March 4th, when an anonymous person picked up the ball during a soccer game and ran with it, shouting the battle cry “Elbow to Ale Bynum”. The players automatically knew what to do, as a primal instinct kicked in that had lain dormant since humans began to play games as young children millions of years ago. And from that one action, the game of a lifetime known as Turfball was born. 

A basic explanation of the sport is that it is a cross between soccer, rugby, handball, Gaelic football, and gridiron football. However, its biggest influence is medieval mob football, where there were barely any rules at all and the goal was to get the ball from one end of the field to the other by any means necessary. Turfball is not so much a sport as it is a lifestyle. The bravery to do what you aren’t supposed to, the courage to tackle someone who is bigger than you because you want your team to win, the drive to break through 15 tackles to score a goal. These are all qualities that are accentuated by the great sport of Turfball.

Turfball is a sport that is simple in practice, and almost pure unbridled chaos in design. But behind its rowdy exterior you find a codified set of rules to avoid unnecessary injuries. For example, if a player is on the ground they are down and cannot be tackled any further otherwise the teachers will get mad. As a full contact sport it is very important to stress that there are certain actions that will disqualify you from the rest of the game. There is to be no kicking, biting, or punching below the belt. Other important rules are the infamous “Jason Flax Rule” which states, only one goalkeeper is allowed in the net at any one time, however goalkeepers can be changed whenever one wishes. Another famous rule is the “Ander Gustafson Rule” which makes running coast to coast and scoring illegal. Two passes must be made after a turnover before a shot can be made on the net. This does not reset if a shot is blocked so as not to make the game process over complicated. This rule is just to prevent one player from running the ball from one end to the other and scoring without passing. A full set of rules can be found at the bottom of this article but those are some of the most important.

A Codified Rulebook for Turfball:

• Section 1: Concerning the equipment and field used as well as any offshoot of those rules.
• Section 1 Rule 1: Turfball is a sport that can be played with any part of the body. The goal is to move the ball (A FIFA regulated size 5 soccer ball) into the opposite team’s goal.
• Section 1 Rule 2: Goals shall be two regulation size lacrosse goals, one placed on the center of each end line of the pitch. A crease shall be formed that shots cannot be taken in that is five feet from the mouth of the goal in any direction.
• Section 1 Rule 3: The Game shall be played on one half of a FIFA regulation size soccer field. 
• Section 1 Rule 4: If a ball is played out of bounds on either sideline it will be given to the team who did not have possession of the ball when it went out of bounds. If a ball is played out of bounds at either end of the pitch it will be given to the team whose side of the field the ball has gone out on.
• Section 1 Rule 5: A game of Turfball is to last 30 minutes consisting of one period.
• Section 1 Rule 6: There are to be no stoppages of the clock during the game.
• Section 2: Concerning the start of the game and shift of gameplay.
• Section 2 Rule 1: The game must start with a player draft, each team is captained by the two largest players who will either flip a coin or play rock paper scissors to determine who will have the first pick of the draft. Captains will then alternate picking players until there are no players left. Extra players will filter in through the duration of the game and self assign based on what they think is “fair”
• Section 2 Rule 2: The Game must start as a soccer game until a player gets fed up with playing soccer and picks up the ball. This is officially known as “changing the game”. Changing the game can happen at any time and can be triggered by any player on the field.
• Section 3: Concerning Players and Positions:
• Section 3 Rule 1: There is no set limit on a team’s size. A good rule of thumb is that teams should be bigger than 5 but smaller than 30.
• Section 3 Rule 2 “The Jason Flax Rule”: The only specialized position is goalkeeper. There is to be one (1) goalkeeper in the net at any one time. The goalkeeper can be changed at any time.
• Section 4: Concerning tackles, hits, and other forms of contact, both legal and illegal.
• Section 4 Rule 1: A tackle can be defined as stopping another player from moving. This can be done mainly by grappling onto another player to stop them from moving or by running into them to heed their movement.
• Section 4 Rule 2: An illegal tackle or hit would involve kicking, biting, tripping, or punching below the belt. Any use of these illegal hits and tackles will result in a disqualification for the rest of the game.
• Section 4 Rule 3: There is to be no punching above the belt either except to dislodge the ball from a player in control of the ball or on the arm of a player in control of the ball. A violation of this rule will result in a disqualification for the rest of the match.
• Section 4 Rule 4: A player may not lead into a tackle with their head. This is a targeting foul and will result in a player disqualification for the rest of the game.
• Section 4 Rule 5: Blocking and screening. Blocks and screens are an integral part of the game. A block or screen may be utilized by players on offense to create a wall between defenders and the player with the ball. Players may not block or screen a player from behind or it will result in a turnover.
• Section 4 Rule 6: Once a player with the ball is down they cannot be tackled again and it is a jump ball. The possession arrow will alternate between teams depending on who had it last (Team A won possession on the last jump ball so Team B will have it on this jump ball). 
• Section 5: Concerning the movement of the ball.
• Section 5 Rule 1: The ball may be moved down the field of play in a number of ways including punting, dribbling in a manner such as soccer and/or basketball, and by running with the ball as in gridiron football. 
• Section 5 Rule 2: Both kicking and throwing are both acceptable means of passing.
• Section 5 Rule 3: Both forwards and backwards passes may be utilized 
• Section 6: Scoring
• Section 6 Rule 1: A goal is scored when the ball crosses fully over the goal line, which is the line between the two goal posts.
• Section 6 Rule 2: “The Ander Gustafson Rule”: A shot may not be scored unless at least 2 passes have been made. These passes may be made from any part of the field and can be made by either punting, kicking on the ground, or throwing. The pass count does not reset off of a blocked shot and or rebound.
• Section 6 Rule 3: A shot may be propelled by either hand or foot.
• Section 7: The end of the game and deciding a winner.
• Section 7 Rule 1: The game shall be ended when 30 minutes have passed.
• Section 7 Rule 2: The team that has scored the last goal shall be declared the winner.