Kayak Soccer

Everybody knows Europeans are soccer crazy.  But in the city of  Siracusa...on the island of Sicily...they play soccer with a twist.

The old part of the city of Siracusa is called Ortygia.  It’s an island just a short distance from the mainland.

The island is connected to the mainland by two bridges.  Between the bridges is where Siracusans play the game of kayak soccer.

The soccer “pitch” is roughly 100 meters long…about the size of a normal soccer field…and half as wide.  The game is played by two teams of five players each…all in short, very maneuverable kayaks.

Each team works the ball down “field” to try and get a shot on the net.  The players use their paddles like hockey sticks, to pass or “dribble” the ball past opponents.

The ball…blue and yellow in this game…is in constant motion.

Possession of the ball is everything.  Each team fights hard to maneuver the ball into position to take a shot.

It is a very physical game.  The kayaks routinely ram one another as opposing players scramble for a loose ball.  Players are conked on their helmets by flailing paddles.

It’s common for a kayak to flip over as the player reaches for an errant pass or gets rammed by an opponent.

Every time a player takes a shot on goal, all the opponents’ paddles go up, trying to block the shot.  Normally they succeed.

Scoring is infrequent; injuries are not.  No wonder, this may be the only place in the world where kayak soccer is played.