Union: FIFTA
First Played: 1922, Czechoslovakia
Team Members: 1,2 or 3
Equipment: Soccer Ball and Net
Area: Outdoors
Played in Olympics: Not included in the Olympics.
Description:
Foot tennis is a sport that can be played in halls and courts of certain sizes, using every part of the body except the hands and elbows.
History:
It is a sport that emerged in Czechoslovakia. In 1922, members of the Slavia Prague football club first started playing a game called "football on a rope". Although the rules in this new game were the same as volleyball, the only difference was that it was played with the feet instead of the hands. The first official foot tennis rules were written in 1936. While the first foot tennis cup was played in 1940, this sport was accepted for entertainment purposes until 1962. In 1962, the Czechoslovakia foot tennis league nohejball was founded in Prague. In 1971, the Czech Football Tennis Association was founded. In this sport, which was known more or less until the 1980s, the international foot tennis organization Federation International Football Tennis Association (FIFTA) was founded in 1987. The European Championship has been organized since 1993, and the world championship since 1996. While foot tennis is very popular in Czechoslovakia and Slovakia, FIFTA members include France, Hungary, Brazil, Switzerland, Austria, Romania and Croatia. With an organization established in the Far East, international national matches have begun to be held.
Field Dimensions:
The field size is 8.2 x 12.8 meters for singles matches. In doubles and triples matches, the playing area is 8.2m. x 18m. The ball used in the game is a regular football. The weight of this ball is 396gr. The net height is also 1.10m. Each set is 11 points and matches are played over 3 sets. It is played on every surface except sand. The International Football Tennis Association FIFTA organizes events in the youth, men's and women's categories every year.
