Akkroball: Part Soccer, Part Spectacle

By: Bob | June 21st, 2007

It is not very often in life that one can bear witness to the birth of a new sport. Fifty years from now we might all look back fondly at the time when we first had the opportunity to watch Akkroball. The latest in our series of odd soccer games, Akkroball is making its debut on the international stage this weekend in Dubai.

Under the Patronage of His Higness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Hamdan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan (hopefully he has a nickname), the Akkroball World Cup 2007 will feature teams representing Germany, Argentina, South Africa, The Netherlands, Spain, England and the UAE. These two-player teams include such renowned Akkroball celebrities like Did Hamman and Petr Trochowski for Germany, Aaron Mokoena and Stanton Fredricks for South Africa, Andy and Carlton Cole for Enfgand, and Patrick Kluivert for Holland if he is not too busy firing his agent for signing him up for such a thing.

How is Akkroball played? All of the literature suggests that it resembles the Brazilian beach foot volley game except it is played on a tennis court, it is played against a clock and best of all:

The game is played in the evening deliberately to maximize the visual effect of the whole show, the game is accompanied by lights and music throughout with there being a light show and the players choice of music each time a point is won. This is what will make the event such a spectacle to the viewer both live and on tv.

The ‘razzmatazz’ is evident from the first moment with the players entering the area to their choice of music rather akin to a boxers entrance to the stage, but the focus is very much on the spectacle and the entertainment.

This is going to be the start of something huge, folks. We’re talking spectacle and entertainment. Hopefully the games don’t conflict with the World Egg Throwing championships.