Real Minority Sports

[Futtocks]

Let's cast aside the typical RL fan's self-loathing and have a thread about weird niche sports and games that make the 13-man code look global.

I'll kick off with over-50s cycle speedway.

 and Cronikole, which looks more like the kind of pace for this particular 50-something.

 

[Futtocks]

Plus The Royal Game of Ur; possibly the oldest board game in human history. There are online versions and it is actually quite fun to play.

 

[Josef K]

How many countries play in subbuteo football World Cup ?. 
Do Aussie Rules have internationals i haven’t a clue how many countries play the sport!!. 

[Gerrumonside ref]

2 hours ago, Josef K said:

How many countries play in subbuteo football World Cup ?. 
Do Aussie Rules have internationals i haven’t a clue how many countries play the sport!!. 

Subbuteo or table football still pretty popular in Italy and continues production by a few firms, also means old rare Subbuteo teams from 60/70s the market is interested in are actually worth a few quid I’m learning.

I think Aussie Rules played a few games with Ireland in a cross code version of something.  When it comes to minority games for us then Mancala from Africa (a stones moving game on a board) and Carrom from India (disc flicking game) are two of my favourites.

I got challenged to a game of Backgammon too in Cairo in the early 00s on the famous old traditional market (which is often shown on travel programmes).  I was staying downtown at the time on the cheap and it was being played a lot in side streets etc - big regret not chancing my arm just for the experience.

Edited October 9 by Gerrumonside ref

[Futtocks]

26 minutes ago, Gerrumonside ref said:

Subbuteo or table football still pretty popular in Italy and continues production by a few firms, also means old rare Subbuteo teams from 60/70s the market is interested in are actually worth a few quid I’m learning.

I think Aussie Rules played a few games with Ireland in a cross code version of something.  When it comes to minority games for us then Mancala from Africa (a stones moving game on a board) and Carrom from India (disc flicking game) are two of my favourites.

I got challenged to a game of Backgammon too in Cairo in the early 00s on the famous old traditional market (which is often shown on travel programmes).  I was staying downtown at the time on the cheap and it was being played a lot in side streets etc - big regret not chancing my arm just for the experience.

I've watched a few Carrom games online and it looks like it'd be fun to try.

[Copa]

 

Trugo. It’s only played in Melbourne 

Edited October 10 by Copa

[Copa]

Vigoro. It’s played in a few Australian states. 

Edited October 10 by Copa

[Copa]

Buroinjin. All my kids played this occasionally in their Australian  schools. It’s an indigenous sport from what is now south Queensland.

 

[gingerjon]

Local to here but I've never caught a game actually happening

 

[JohnM]

Dwile flonking 

https://youtu.be/5vRd9PsJkck?si=sBYEG8h9_lbpLB53

Edited October 10 by JohnM

[JohnM]

Naked Clogging.

https://www.northernsoul.me.uk/clog-fighting-oldham/

[Hopie]

 

[OriginalMrC]

Eton 5s 

 

 

[OriginalMrC]

Quidditch. I know someone who worked as camera man at the last World cup. Aparently its one of the fastest growing sports in the world. I saw Warwick University students playing it once and my first thought was what a bunch of weirdos 

 

 

[HawkMan]

Bandy, seems interesting,  where can I watch a match?

 

[sam4731]

13 hours ago, JohnM said:

Dwile flonking 

https://youtu.be/5vRd9PsJkck?si=sBYEG8h9_lbpLB53

Is this in any way similar to Flork dronken?

[OriginalMrC]

Not really a minority sport any more but for many on this forum it likely is but e-sports has grown from a niche hobby to a massive sport in just 30 years 

 

 

[OriginalMrC]

50 minutes ago, HawkMan said:

Bandy, seems interesting,  where can I watch a match?

 

The interesting thing about Bandy is that it was invented in the UK but no one has ever heard of it. Its one of Russias national sports but also popular in Scandinavia 

[JohnM]

1 minute ago, sam4731 said:

Is this in any way similar to Flork dronken?

I think you'll have to ask the International Federation about that.

[CanaBull]

Is knurr and spell still about or has that proper died out now?

[gingerjon]

8 hours ago, HawkMan said:

Bandy, seems interesting,  where can I watch a match?

 

Used to be on Eurosport fairly regularly and is now mostly on YouTube

[gingerjon]

Pesäpallo

 

[Maximus Decimus]

13 hours ago, Hopie said:

 

There is also Irish Handball that is not to he confused with normal handball.

As a teacher, I've invented some killer games over the years but never managed to get them spread. Bum-shuffle ball is one particular favourite.

[Eddie]

Calcio Storico, which is only played in Florence, is a fantastic minority sport though not for the faint hearted. So brutal it makes Rugby League look like croquet or Rugby Union. 

[Futtocks]

If we're talking sports that get a little rough, there's always the horseback sport Buzkashi. The ball is usually a goat's carcass, although during the Russian occupation, Afghan players sometimes used a Red Army officer's corpse instead.

Some say the game's gone soft in modern times with the banning of knives and chains as means of persuading a player to relinquish possession of the "ball". You can still use a metal-tipped whip, or fists or feet, or use your horse as a weapon. It is even played mostly in teams these days (Health and Safety gone MAD!), instead of a horde of individuals.