Suburbanball is an informal and social sport that began in Australia in November of 2001. It takes its roots from the European game of Danball, but evolved into a highly organized game of its own. It is an outdoor game and is best played out in the street where gutters can be used, but is also played on concrete, grass and clay. The court is thirty metres long and is generally the width of the street. Two teams compete, each having three players on court at one time.
The object of the game is to score by driving the ball past your opponents goal line at the other end of the court. Each player has their own suburbanstick of choice, some players use cricket bats, others use hockey sticks, baseball bats and some even custom make sticks of their own. The suburbanball itself is a regulation size netball, soccer ball or volleyball.
The game starts with team starting on the opposite sides of the court, one team serves (determined by a coin toss) and the other team receives. A serve must meet certain guidelines to be legal and the serving team gets three attempts before having to turn the ball over. Once play is underway players are free to move anywhere and attempt to maneuver the suburbanball down the court and past the goal line. After a goal is scored the scoring team chooses whether to serve or receive. In World Suburbanball League play a match is usually best of three games, with a game being won when a team reaches ten points and holds a lead of at least two (like in tennis).
The World Suburbanball League is the governing body of the sport, and oversaw the growth of the game out of the city of Melbourne, Australia and all over the world. The sport of Suburbanball has been played in New Zealand, India, Canada, the United States and United Kingdom. The majority of Suburbanball though has been played in Australia, particularly in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne. The Bayside Suburbanball League hosted the first ever match of Suburbanball in 2001, and thrived through 2002 and 2003. Through those years the competition was dominated by the Blue Flames and the Downloadable's. The Downloadable's won three Lightning Cup championships, while the Blue Flames won two. The Blue Flames though triumphed in the contest that mattered most, the season championship finals of 2001/2002.
For now, the sport of Suburbanball lays relatively doormat. Those who have played the game have the memories of being a part of something special. The founders and the past players live in the hope that Suburbanball will one day spring to life again, discovered by a new generation of young and enthusiastic participants.
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