Have you heard about this sport? Because I haven't till I was told about it on one of my orientation days at my University. The University's representer told us some information about Finland and about popular Finnish sports in particular, and bubbleball is one of them.
This game is like a traditional football. Except you should wear bumper balls (special inflated sphere), similar to a zorb, which covers player's upper body and head while you try to hit a ball into the opposing team's goal.
A little history
The existence of this sport is obliged to two Norwegian men - Henrik Elvestad and Johan Golde. They decided to modify traditional football by dressing the players up in transparent inflated spheres. The first match which was shown on Norwegian TV took place in the end of 2011. Now this sport is getting more and more popular.
About the rules
To play the game you need two teams that consist of an equal number of participants. The optimal composition of teams - 3-5 people. The rules suppose two game times. Teams can set their own time, but, as a rule, the game lasts from 5 to 10 minutes, otherwise, players will simply get tired of running in bumper balls, weighing 7-12 kg, depending on the thickness of the material and size. The aim of the game is to try to hit the opponent's gate in the allotted playing time. The team that scores more goals wins. It is impossible to get a red card in the bumper ball since fouls are considered an essential part of the game. The rules allow: pushing the opponent to the ground, not allowing a rival to return to the field, and also to do flips and even stand on your head. Therefore, sometimes this competition is more like a sumo wrestling rather than a football match.
I haven't time to play it here in Finland, but there are some organisations in my home-city that give you chance to try this sport, so I think I definitely do it when I return and maybe even will celebrate my birthday this way! :)