Snowshoe Football
World Championship 2006
RESULTS 2006
- Myrskylinnut
- Rattopojat
- Ammus ES
- AC VITSI
- RT 23 Hamina
- PC Narkissos
- RUK
- Team Kapeet
- RS Jorgues
- Pekka Kiurun pallo
- Real Hjördis
- KP105
- Visatek
- Snowdown
- Lehdistö
- Mehukepit
- LC Portti
- Atletico Beppo
- Team Pussimäyrät
- Snow Energy
At the Hamina Bastion, 10th March starting at 11 a.m.
On Friday the 10th March 2006 a peculiar event will take place at the Hamina Bastion Arena: the world’s first football tournament played wearing snowshoes! It is a unique opportunity for all citizens of the world to take part in. How extraordinary to be able to tell your grandchildren one day that YOU participated in the world’s first-ever snowshoe football tournament!
18 teams (each team consisting of 6 players plus substitute players, see `Rules of Snowshoe Football´) will be accepted to compete for the title of the first Snowshoe Football World Champion team. More about the rules and equipment can be found here. You can enter the tournament here.
Three pitches will be in use during the Snowshoe Football World Championship tournament as well as restaurant Axel’s indoor pitch inside the actual Bastion walls.
First games will be played 11.00 a.m. – 14.00 p.m. after which there is an hours lunch and resting break. During this break there will be some extra events on the centre pitch for the viewers. At 15.00 p.m. the games will continue.
The grand finale of the whole day event will be the bronze, silver and gold matches and the award ceremony in the evening, after which the after snow fun can begin! Commentating the games is Antero Mertaranta. The performers of the evening are Antero Mertaranta & All Stars and the Irish folk music band O’Moilanen.
Warm food and drinks are available for all in restaurant Axel’s where you also have the opportunity to get acquainted with the equipment and clothes at the mini Sport Expo. Also a tent sauna for both men and women is at everyone’s use on the Arena during the day’s events.
EXHAUSTINGLY FUNNY
Snowshoe football, i.e. football played wearing snowshoes, is a fun game to watch and to play, but it is physically demanding, something comparable to floorball. The same factors make it both funny and even torrid at times: wearing snowshoes makes it a necessity to change your way of walking (you may compare it to the swaying walk of a duck), but at the same time it is exhausting running after the ball and scoring demands precision.
The game as such does not require any snow and hence a snowshoe football match is a good way to open the football season in South-Eastern Finland. The game has even been tried out and played in the summer on sandy fields and pitches at different corporative events.
Snowshoe football is a very democratic game as it is just as suitable for men as for women. Previous experience in the traditional game of football is not necessarily an advantage as the new and different way of moving requires adjusting completely.
Snowshoe football also brings a new approach to so-called “shoeing” for those who are more acquainted with the use of snowshoes. Therefore the Finnish SnowshoersAssociation has happily greeted this novelty sport and will be supporting the event by providing the snowshoes for this tournament.
All in all, snowshoe football can be recognised as a true novelty sport amongst all other extreme sports.
NEW GOINGS-ON IN HAMINA
The Snowshoe Football World Championships 2006, produced by Axel’s Productions (Hamina), brings something fresh and new to the Hamina region that has long been missed. The event, which will be subsidised by the Meri-Kymi project of Portti Oy, will raise event marketing of the area to a level of interest that will hopefully attract more investments in the future. We are looking to make this tournament an annual event and possibly looking to expand even further.
The Finnish Tourist Board has been putting different Finnish events into focus and turning them into export assets to attract more travellers around the world. The Snowshoe Football World Championships in Hamina will now also enter the international group together with other Finnish oddities like swamp soccer, the wife carrying world championships, pail canoeing and the tango festivals.
In the Snowshoe Football World Championships 2006 we will have, in addition to Finnish teams, international teams from amongst others Russia, Estonia and Great Britain.
FACTS
You can participate in the Snowshoe Football event in teams of minimum six (6) players and maximum ten (10), with friends, colleagues or other groups. To be able to participate you must be 18 years old or over. You can enter the championship by clicking here.
If you have any questions regarding the Snowshoe Football World Championships, send us an e-mail to info@lumikenkä.fi.
The Snowshoe Football World Championship 2006 is produced by Axel’s Production, Portti Oy/ Merikymi project and program service students at Helia Porvoo-Borgå.
All games to be played in the spirit of fun and enjoyment!
