World's first 'footballpool' league debuts in Prague
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The first "footballpool" league in the world has kicked off in Prague, after the sport made its debut World Championships in the Czech capital in February.
As the name suggests, footballpool is a combination of football and pool which pits two teams with two players against each other, attemptting to pot different coloured footballs using only their feet on an oversized pool table.
Czech futsal international Jiří Novotný is one of the people responsible for the formation of the league after first stumbling across the game on the Internet.
"I saw a video on YouTube where two Americans played the game in a garden, drinking beer and doing a barbecue," the wiry 28-year-old told AFP.
"So we designed the table, set up a Footballpool Association and started calling it a sport.
"This is really a game for anyone - at the tournaments we have organised, we had children, pensioners, women, men."
The Footballpool Association currently has 15 playgrounds across the Czech Republic and are hoping to install another 20 by the end of May.
Novotný has managed to lure some big football names, including former West Bromwich Albion striker Roman Bednář.
Bednář added: "It's not just kicking the ball, I like sports that require some thinking and precision, like this one.
"I must say I fell in love. It's not a bad sport at all, and it's for everyone who likes new things."
As the name suggests, footballpool is a combination of football and pool which pits two teams with two players against each other, attemptting to pot different coloured footballs using only their feet on an oversized pool table.
Czech futsal international Jiří Novotný is one of the people responsible for the formation of the league after first stumbling across the game on the Internet.
"I saw a video on YouTube where two Americans played the game in a garden, drinking beer and doing a barbecue," the wiry 28-year-old told AFP.
"So we designed the table, set up a Footballpool Association and started calling it a sport.
"This is really a game for anyone - at the tournaments we have organised, we had children, pensioners, women, men."
The Footballpool Association currently has 15 playgrounds across the Czech Republic and are hoping to install another 20 by the end of May.
Novotný has managed to lure some big football names, including former West Bromwich Albion striker Roman Bednář.
Bednář added: "It's not just kicking the ball, I like sports that require some thinking and precision, like this one.
"I must say I fell in love. It's not a bad sport at all, and it's for everyone who likes new things."
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