What distinguishes wheelball from other team sports at first sight is the shape of the field. It is a regular circle with grass surface, with a 60‒meter diameter, thus a perfect geometrical shape not typical of well-known team sports. Such shape and dimensions of the field require considerably smaller financial investments in stadium construction and field maintenance compared to football, which is hugely important for a sport that should develop further, and thus the field size varies so that games can be played on the existing football pitches where the diameter of wheelball field is the maximum width of the existing football pitch. The perfect geometrical shape of the field completely changes the game concept compared to all existing team sports; everything is different, from tactic and formation to the very movements of footballers and new tasks set to them during the game. Besides the field shape, the number and the shape of goals are the trademark of wheelball as a sport. There are two central goal frames set one across the other, arch-shaped, 4.80 meters wide, kept by a goalkeeper, and the highest part of the arch holds a vertically set ring with a 1-meter diameter (wheelball),while along the edges on both sides, there are two smaller, 2,40 meter wide arched goals (bases) placed symmetrically to the half-way line. Such shape of the field, position of goal frames and scoring of points require a completely different game approach by players and coaches, and thanks to their skill, creativity and imagination, we are going to witness the most diverse formations, tactics, and strategies of teams because the focus of wheelball game is not solely on main goal frames but on all parts of the field.

In contrast to football, the position of side goals (bases) shifts the game focus onto the field sides as well, since besides one point, a goal also means the elimination of one player from the opposing team from the game. When the ball enters central frames (gates) defended by the goalkeeper, a team gets two points, and if the ball enters the ring (wheelball), a team gets 3 points and it is an especially attractive moment in the game. Such scoring provides frequent changes of the result, more suspense and excitement for audience as well as for players themselves because power relations during the game change from 6:6 to 6:5 and 6:4,which poses big challenges and temptations to coaches and players. This number of players 6+1 goalkeeper, and the same number of benchwarmers, is the optimum number for pitches of that size. Such number of players provides enough coverage of the field and avoids “the crowd“ of players in the small space that disables development of the game. After “winning of bases”, the number diminishes further and there is much more space for attractive offensives and counteroffensives. Smaller number of players implies lower costs, which is very important for future club owners and sponsors. Unlimited number of changes provides quick tempo of the game from beginning to the end of the match and allows multiple exchange of players, which prevents physical exhaustion of players and gives coaches the possibility of ideal combination of players in all parts of the game, with all formations and results. The duration of a wheelball match is 45 minutes, divided into three 15-minute thirds with 10-minute breaks between the first and the second third and between the second and the third third, which helps coaches and trainers to have a rest and decide on tactic. The 45-minute duration ensures the minimum of 180 offensives per match if both teams use all 20 seconds, that is time limit for an offensive, but there will surely be much more offensives in the real game to the satisfaction of the audience. If the match ends in a draw, the game is extended so that penalty shoot-out can be performed. The deceleration time, that is the responsibility of the 4th referee provides 45 minutes of active game, since during each break in the game, even the shortest one, a throw-in, a foul, a goal or an injury the stopwatch is going to be stopped and not started until the ball touches the field. In that way „time stealing“ is avoided for the purpose of result keeping. 20-seconds time limit for offensives and 7 seconds allowed for goalkeepers to keep a ball is another important rule that prevents inactive game and “endless” passing of the ball between players of teams who lead and have no motivation for further offensives. This rule encourages faster game and quicker thinking and represents the key rule for dynamic play that results in faster combinations, maneuvers and numerous kicks towards goal frames because a time limit is the strongest drive for players. Fouls and bonuses are necessary rules that provide fair game without roughness since there is a foul limit of only 3 fouls per third or 9 fouls per match. This rule diminishes “cutting” of the game, injuries of players and aggression, and also increases team efficiency. When a team uses all allowed fouls, every next foul until the end of the third is sanctioned with a penalty kick. A nasty foul that is precisely classified gives a referee the possibility to throw out a player and so prevent him to play until the end of the third or even until the end of the match if the foal is a deliberate hit not with a ball (but with a fist, head or leg). In such cases sanctioned players are replaced by benchwarmers so that the team is not damaged in any way. Penalty kicks are awarded after fulfillment of a bonus and deliberate touching of ball with hands, and depending on the field part where the foul was committed, two kinds of penalty kicks are performed, which is another one attractive sport moment unique to wheelball. If the foul is committed in the triangle of a base, a player performs a penalty kick from the field center towards the base frame undefended by a goalkeeper from 30-meter distance, and if it is committed between central goals, then a penalty kick is performed from 9-meter distance toward a defended goal frame or a ring. One of the crucial rules of wheelball is that a match cannot end in a draw because a draw is not in accord with the spirit of sports and raises the possibility of calculations within the game and out of it. After all, the point of sports is to have a winner and a loser, thus if a regular part of a wheelball match ends in a draw, a penalty shoot-out follows in order to get a winner. Without the option of a draw, there are no teams, characteristic especially of football, that come with a deliberate intention to fiercely defend their goal and make the game inactive and dull instead of participating in a dynamic game with the opponent. In wheelball, teams have no choice and they must attack in order to defend their goals! Even though wheelball is inspired by football, the differences are huge, from the very conception of the game to the entirely different dimensions and shape of the pitch, different frames and number of goals, scoring, rules of refereeing, duration of the match, number of players, rules for the change of players, rules for putting the ball back into play, different penalty kicks, the absence of a draw, the principle of elimination of one or two players after one or both bases are lost, different punishments and different tactic and strategy of the game. In comparison with other sports, the differences are even more dramatic. Wheelball is a very appealing and dynamic new sport, that is similar enough and different enough in comparison to all existing team sports and it is devised in a way that exploits all potential of players and coaches, to the general satisfaction of viewers and all sport supporters. Thus, the question is not …..WHETHER the wheelball will rule the planet or not…?