When the whistle blows three teams scramble for the two balls
and head to the perimeter of the
circular field to either add points to their own score or drive
one of their opponent's scores
down into the ground.
If Team A gains a sizable lead by dominating with the Plus Ball,
Teams B and C may work together
to monopolize play of the Minus Ball in order to equalize the
game. That alliance may be short
lived however and Team B could soon see the Minus Ball moving
towards its own goal by the
unsentimental hands of Team C!
Players will run, kick, catch, throw and pass their way through 4 rounds of breathless game play.
The team that wins the most rounds wins the match.
Game Play begins with both the Plus Ball
and the Minus Ball in the centre of the field and the
players spaced evenly around the perimeter of the field. At
the blow of the referee's whistle players
scramble according to their team's strategy.
Players may handle the balls with their hands or feet, however,
they may only carry a ball in their
hands for three steps before it must be passed.
Players may intercept any ball in motion but may not attempt
to grab a ball out of another player's
hands.
Use of excessive force in the interception of a ball is forbidden,
but some physical contact is
expected.
The penalty for any act in contridiction to the rules is that
the offending player must immediately
cease play and tag their team's goal before returning to play.
Each Round of play lasts 15 minutes. If, after 15 minutes, no
team shows a score above zero then
the Minus Ball will be removed from play and the next team to
score a point will win that round.
If two teams win two rounds each a tally of total goals made will determine the winner.
After 4 rounds of play the team which has won the most rounds is declared the winner.
Substitute players may be used but no more than 5 players per team are allowed on the field.
The Field should be on level ground with
short grass. Minus Ball can be a very physical sport so
playing on gravel or asphalt is to be discouraged.
If playing with 3 players per team the field may be relatively
small, but it is important when
playing 5 per team that there be enough space for everyone to
move about. Something about the size
of a baseball diamond will probably be adequate.
Place the three goal boxes an equal distance from each other
and stake them to the ground. Each goal
is surrounded by a 6 foot diameter ring which may not be penetrated
by any player except to remove a
ball from the box. The goal boxes are 1 cubic foot with an open
top.
The Balls are just like volleyballs. They
are small enough to throw and catch but large enough to kick
and roll. The Minus Ball is black and the Plus Ball is white.
Score Keeping will be done using a board
with a scale ranging from -10 to +10 with pegs from which to
hang a marker at each integer point. Each team will display
their board from behind their goal box facing
towards the centre of the field. Scorekeepers will keep a close
eye on their players and goal and mark
any gains or losses accordingly.
Strategy may vary from game to game depending on the teams you face.
Some teams may want to monopolize the Plus Ball and prevent others
from gaining points. Another team may
want to concentrate on using the Minus Ball to subtract every
point gained by a rival.
If team A wins two rounds in a row, team B may choose to help
team C win the next two rounds and force
a tally.
The possibilities are endless. Minus Ball isn't just about how
fast you can run or how accurately you
can throw it's about assessing your opponents' game plans and
working against them.
Referees will begin each round with a short
whistle and end each round with a long whistle. They will
watch the game and call players who foul but will not otherwise
interfere.
Separate scorekeepers will keep track of each team's goals from
behind each goal box.