FIRST TOEBALL MATCH A SUCCESS!

      next we plan a charity match featuring celebrity athletes paired with professional soccer players.

We invited a nationally ranked club team of 15-year-olds to compete against one another, and contributed $800 to help pay for airfare to a US Youth Soccer tournament in Hawaii to determine the Far West Regional Champion of the United States.

We were thrilled to learn that our team, Valley United Blast, took first place, winning the tournament 4-0!

Our toeball match on April 20 split the team into two halves, the reds against the whites, and resulted in a final, overtime score of 28-29, in favor of the whites, who staged a late fourth quarter come-from-behind scoring drive to tie the game in the closing minutes.

How is toeball different from soccer? Read below.

Toeball resembles Soccer in most respects. Players must only use their feet to advance the ball on the field. They cannot foul other players. They must kick the ball in the goal in order to score.

Toeball is also different from Soccer in a few important ways:

1. Goals count for two or three points, depending on distance from the goal.

2. Foul shots count for one point.

3. A team gets to take foul shots after their opponent goes over the foul limit in any quarter.

4. Players committing 3 personal fouls are ejected from the game.

5. Toeball has no goalkeeper. Repeat. Toeball has no goalkeeper.

6. Players may not goaltend. If a player commits a goaltending violation, the goal counts and a personal foul is registered against the goaltending player. Goaltending Defined:  If one player blocks the shot on goal of an opposing player it is goaltending if the defending player is standing inside the designated penalty area in front of the goal. This rule does not apply if the ball has bounced during the shot, or if the player taking the shot is also inside the penalty area or on the cusp. (If it seems complicated, just remember this will all be explained by the referee prior to the start of the first game.)

7. If you watch the video you'll see the toeball goal is different from a soccer goal. The opening is smaller and it is surrounded by a "bounce board". A ball can be played off the bounce board. Any time the ball is frozen against the bounce board, possession goes to the defending team from out of bounds.

8. Toeball has no offsides rule. Repeat. Toeball has no offsides rule. Why? Because we want players to score lots of goals in this game. Players will quickly learn they must play at both ends of the field - offense and defense - if they want to win.

9. When the ball goes out of bounds, the inbounding player may throw it in with one hand or two, or kick it in if he wants. However, a player cannot score from out of bounds. Someone else has to touch the ball first.

10. Toeball has four 15-minute quarters, with a ten minute break at the half. Teams switch goals and direction at the half. We keep a running clock in order to fit the game into a 1 1/2 hour time slot.