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Asian Sports

Asian Sports played in Ireland include Polo (and versions of Polo such as Polocrosse); Kabaddi and Sepak Takraw.

Polocosse

Polocrosse is a version of Lacrosse played on Horseback. It was invented in Northern Australia in the 1970s and the first World Cup was played in 2003.

Polocrosse World Cup Action

Polo

Polo originated in Iran and was introduced to Britain and Ireland by the British Army after it was discovered there.

group of men riding horses about to play polo sport

Kabaddi

Kabaddi is an Indian Tag Game, popular throughout South Asia, whereby a team has to tag players on the opposing team and get back to their own base without being tagged in turn in the time it takes to hold their breath. In order to ensure the players are holding their breath they have to repeat “Kabaddi” over and over again.

Sepak Takraw

Sepak Takraw is a version of Volleyball played with every part of the body except the arms and is Native to Malaysia and Thailand, both of whom claim to have invented it and where the game is a National Sport. It is popular throughout South East and East Asia.

Malaysia Sepak Takraw League

Native American Sports

Ulama (as known to the Mexica (Aztecs) or Pok-ta-Pok (as known to the Maya) is a Native Mexican and Central American Sports using a rubber ball and the hips. It is played in Mexico, Guatemala, Belize and Honduras. Stickball is a Choctaw Native American Sport similar to Lacrosse.

Ulama Pok-ta-Pok

Ulama is the ancient sport of the Native Aztec (Mexica) and Maya of Central America (Mexico, Guatemala, Belize and Honduras). It is played with the hips, with two teams trying to propel the ball past the opposing team and has been played since 1400 BC. It is known as “Pok Ta Pok” to the Maya and “Ulama” to the Mexica.

The Juego de Pelota Mesoamerican Ulamaztli Championship is an Annual Regional Competition in Teotihuacan, Mexico City, the seat of the ancient religious / ritual centre, and where the most impressive ancient Ball Court is to be seen.

The Ulama Mesoamerican Ball Game Tournament is the Annual World Cup basically, bringing together teams from Mexico, Guatemala, Belize and Honduras.

Choctaw Stickball

Stickball is a Native American Sport similar to Lacrosse.

antique antique globe antique shop antique store

Footbag and World Football

World Football on Eirball includes Football varieties played in East Asia, Aboriginal Australia, Africa and Old Europe.

This is the Eirball – World / Irish North American and World Sports Archive landing page for Calcio Storico Fiorentino, one of the earliest forms of organised football in the world, and which bears a striking resemblance in play to Gaelic Football, as well as a shared Atlantic heritage in a pre-Roman/pre-English, pre-Catholic Rennaisance or Revival. To view results of Calcio Fiorentino just click on the links in red/blue (purple) below the introduction.

This is the GAA World (Eirball) Landing page for the All-Time Results of Calcio Fiorentino.

Header Picture Credit: [1] MONACO – CIRCA 1963: A stamp printed by MONACO shows an illustration of the Calcio Fiorentino field and starting positions from a 1688 book by Pietro di Lorenzo Bini, Florence, circa 1963 By Sergey Goryachev / www.shutterstock.com

Introduction

Calcio Storico Fiorentino is a Renaissance Football game first played in Florence (Fiorentina), Tuscany in the 1400s by workers on breaks from work in the city. It was the first organised football in the world, rather than the Medieval mob football which preceeded it and where there were no rules or restrictions on numbers playing. It could be seen as part of the wider Renaissance whereby Tuscany’s ancient pre-Roman, pre-Catholic past was brought back.

[References: [4] Calcio Storico Fiorentino Sito Ufficiale (2020) CALCIO STORICO FIORENTINO [Internet] Available from: http://calciostoricofiorentino.it/?q=calcio-storico-fiorentino [Accessed 4 August 2020] and [5] Calcio Storico Fiorentino Sito Ufficiale (2020) Studies & Documentation [Internet] Available from: http://www.calciostoricofiorentino.it/?q=studi_e_documentazione [Accessed 4 August 2020]

FLORENCE – JUN 24: Fighting players during Calcio Fiorentino match on June, 24,2012. Calcio fiorentino (calcio storico or calcio in costume) is an historic florentine game, origins of modern football

By mkistryn www.123rf.com

*The Tuscan language (Etruscan) is one which predates the Latin arrival in the Italian peninsula, and even though the letters and sounds are known there is no knowledge of the word meanings as no document translating Etruscan to Latin or Greek has ever been found. It does, however, sound similar to Basque, and therefore could be incuded in the Celtic sports section as part of the “Atlantic” or “Black Atlantic” family along with the Celtic languages, Basque and Berber (Tamashek) – half the words in the Gaelic language are of an Indo-European origin (Greek, Latin, Germanic, Slavic etc)and half of a North African Afro-Asiatic origin (Berber, Tuareg, Maltese, Hebrew, Arab etc).

Calcio Fiorentino (Tuscany)

Calcio Fiorentino

A Medieval Football game, first organised in Renaissance Florence, Tuscany, Italy, that was first played by workers between breaks in work, and then organised matches beginning in 1530.

The earliest orgainsed Football matches anywhere in the world, as far as Eirball has discovered, although earlier reports in Ancient Europe, Greece, Rome, Italy and China mention similar games, though of what nature is hard to discern – they may just have been children’s catching games. [See articles on Medieval Football at: Medieval Celtic Sports for more information and references on this]

Calcio Storico Fiorentino

Calcio Storico Fiorentino Finals 1952-Present

Calcio Storico Fiorentino (Seasons): 

Calcio Storico Fiorentino (Seasons):

2020 2017 2016

2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 

2010 2009 2008

Calcio Storico Fiorentino August Festival (Seasons):

2012

[References: see Encyclopedia Brittanica sections on Indo-European, Celtic, and Afro-Asiatic languages: Encyclopedia Britannica | Britannica ]

Georgian Lelo Federation Logo

[1] Lelo Burti (2016) Logo_ [Internet] Available from: https://web.archive.org/web/20160923010826im_/http://lelo.comyr.com/images/Logo_.jpg [Accessed 24 August 2020]

Lelo Burti (Georgia)

Lelo Burti (Georgia)

Lelo Burti

Lelo Burti is the traditional Georgian form of Rugby.

Georgia: Lelo Burti

SLF Samegrelo Region Championship (seasons): 

2016

Photo by John-Mark Smith on Pexels.com

Kemari

Kemari is an ancient Keepie-Uppie Version of Football from Japan.

Kemari (Japan)

Kemari (Japanese Football)

Kemari (Japanese Football Code) 794-Present

soccer player kick the ball near people sitting on canopy tent
Photo by Dương Hoàng on Pexels.com

Cuju is an ancient Keepie-Uppie Version of Football from China.

Cuju (China)

Cuju (Chinese Football)

Cuju (Chinese Football Code) 770 BC – Present

brown map on map
Photo by Magda Ehlers on Pexels.com

Chandimu is an African Street Football sport.

Chandimu (Tanzania)

Tanzania: Chandimu

Chandimu (Tanzanian Football)

Photo by Pat Whelen on Pexels.com

Marn Grook is an Australian Aboriginal Football game.

Marn Grook (Australian Aboriginal)

Australian Aboriginal: Marn Grook

Marn Grook (Australian Aboriginal Football)

World Racquet Sports

Racquet Sports originated in East, South and South East Asia where the ancestors of Badminton are to be found. There are variations on Racquet Sports unique to Europe (Italian Tamburello, French Tambourine) and the Rest of the World.

Photo by Vinu00edcius Caricatte on Pexels.com

Palla Tamburello is an Italian Team Racquet Sports (5-a-side) that utilizes a Tambourine to hit the ball rather than a racquet

Photo by YandL on www.shutterstock.com

[6] Shutterstock (2021) Hagoita [Internet] Available from: https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/good-luck-charm-japanese-hagoita-1195451194 [Accessed 20 December 2021]

Hanetsuki

Hanetsuki is a traditional Japanese form of Badminton.

Japanese Hanetsuki

Hanetsuki (Japanese Badminton)

white and black map
Photo by Ekrulila on Pexels.com

Road Tennis (Barbados)

Professional Road Tennis Association