The World Flying Disc Federation (yes, there is such thing) received some welcome news this week when the International Olympic Committee decided to officially recognise ultimate frisbee as a sport. We can only welcome this development, but the IOC should go further and grant full recognition to the street football games that were pivotal to our childhoods. Why are they extending the hand of friendship to ultimate frisbee, but ignoring headers and volleys, knockout, slam and football tennis? Something needs to be done about it.
If the IOC isn’t going to fast-track one bounce, wally and crossbar challenge into the Rio Olympics, we are going to have to pay homage to these sports ourselves. But firstly we need to remember how they worked. Can you help us recall the exact rules of the games? We vaguely remember how headers and volleys worked but what was the scoring system used in kerby? What was the difference between a fly-keeper and a rush-keeper?
Did you ever master the art of retrieving the ball from below a car? How did you decide which team wore shirts and which team had to brave it in skins? Did you ever break away from the “hitsies getsies” rule of fetching the ball from the next-door neighbour’s garden? How did you deal with oncoming cars while playing three-a-side in the street? What ball did you play with – and how did you keep it from flying away in the wind? If you have any memories or old photos, please drop them into the comments section below or share them with us through GuardianWitness.
