Circle Rules Football - a whole new ball game

In gyms across London, there exist those who have always suspected that the humble exercise ball is capable of so much more than just facilitating their daily routine of ab crunches and inclined press-ups. Now, thanks to one creative New Yorker, there's a new sport for anyone who's dared to dream of hoofing that exercise ball across the gym — and it's quickly commanding a following in London, as twentysomethings put down their fixed-gear bikes to chase a ball around a circular playing field.

The game is Circle Rules Football, a fast-paced blend of football, handball and basketball (see box, right), and it's proving a hit in London for its original gameplay and strong emphasis on fun.
"I wanted to play with the culture around sport," explains Greg Manley, the American founder of Circle Rules Football. Greg, 25, isn't your typical sportsman. He developed the idea for Circle Rules Football in 2006 as the concept for an experimental theatre project while studying at New York University.

"The more I thought about the nature of sports, the more I started thinking, everything inherent in theatre is there in sports," he explains. "You've got the conflict, you've got the arc of the story and you've got the production values."

Taking his "cast" out into the parks around New York, he mapped out a new game that was accessible and fun to play but also explored ideas about what constitutes theatre. "I'm hoping that theatre-goers are going to come to this game and start identifying with sports in a way that they haven't before," he says.

As an academic exercise, Circle Rules Football was convincing enough to earn Greg an A grade. More importantly, though, it started to spread throughout Brooklyn, America and now the world, typically drawing in people tired of mainstream sports culture who are looking for something different.

This is what first attracted Hampstead-based project manager Gwyn Morfey to the game when he discovered it last September at Bristol's Igfest, the interesting games festival. "From the very beginning there's this idea of the spirit of the game — it's not all about winning," he says. "And it's all reinforced by the fact that it doesn't take itself too seriously. It's about being dramatic and being fun."

After playing a couple of rounds, Gwyn, 29, was hooked. He decided to bring Circle Rules Football to London, organising an indoor variant through his fledgling games company Fire Hazard. It became a hit as soon as he introduced it to Hampstead in March this year.

One player is Casey Middaugh, a freelance music teacher from Clapton. Casey, 26, never really played team sports, preferring rock-climbing and yoga. She was attracted to Circle Rules Football because of the creative way in which it's played.

"You can dribble the ball, kick or toss it. The only thing you can't do is hold on to it," she says. "So I think it's funnier because it is so obviously ridiculous that there's no pressure. I don't want to play a team sport with people who've been playing football since they were little and are super intense about it."

Manisha Desai, a 29-year-old web designer from Dollis Hill, agrees that it's most appealing because it's simply fun to play. "It was easy to pick up, because you can explain it to others quite quickly and easily. It's a slightly different game because it's a mix of basketball, football and running around, and it's just a fun game to play and be a bit silly for half an hour."

Most players stumble upon Circle Rules Football by word of mouth — a manner very much in keeping with the laid-back philosophy of the game. "Don't get me wrong, they get competitive," says Casey. "But competitive in a silly way. It's very tongue-in-cheek."