1/2 Motoball: playing football on a dirt bike, but also cleaning and tinkering
A group of teenagers from Budel and the surrounding area will leave for Germany on Thursday for the European Motoball Championship. That is a sport where players sit on a dirt bike and play soccer with an oversized ball. The sport is not yet very well known, Budel has the only motoball club in the Netherlands. “It is the fastest team sport in the world. It would be great if this also became bigger in the Netherlands.”
The preparations for the European Championship are in full swing on Wednesday. The boys from the youth team prepare the bikes for the races. Mohamed Khalfi, 17, is standing in the corner cleaning a motorcycle. “He has to be clean for the European Championship, otherwise he will not be approved,” he explains. “I also replaced the muffler, put a new rear tire on for better grip and changed the air filter.”
Mohamed is a goalkeeper in the youth team. That means he is the only one not in the field with a dirt bike. “So you really have to pay attention. Being a goalkeeper in motoball is more challenging than in football, that’s why I like it so much. The ball is much bigger and heavier,” he explains.
Captain Nicky van Eerd (16) explains: “We have a special bracket on the motorcycle, where you can clamp the ball with your foot. And then you shoot with your legs.” Player Revi van Kessel (16) adds: “It goes much faster than football and it is a bit clumsier. In the beginning it was difficult, I first had to learn how to ride a motorcycle. But if you open the gas a bit, everything will be fine .”
“We play in the South German league.”
The boys’ trainer emphasizes that the sport is not just motorcycling and football. The youth team comes to the association one evening a week to learn how to tinker with the engine. “That is just as important to us as the training sessions”, says trainer Bart Hompes. “The youth class learns how their motorcycle works and how to replace parts.”
The players are the only motoball players in the Netherlands. “Special”, Hompes and the boys call it. But there are also disadvantages. Because there are no other teams to play against, the players always have to go abroad for matches. “We play in the South German league, so we have to drive about 450 kilometers for a match at the weekend,” explains Hompes. “We would like to see it become a bit bigger in the Netherlands. But experience shows that start-up costs for an association are a bit high.”
“I think they have a good chance.”
Finding new players is also difficult. The association has one senior team and one youth team. All players come from Budel and surroundings. “We have to drive a long way for competitions, so if you also have to come from far away to train here and tinker with the engines, it is almost impossible. But even here in the village there are people who still don’t know what motoball is.”
New players are important for the association to continue to practice the sport. “Especially the seniors, they are the crowd pullers. Without a senior team we have no income.” The European Championship will hopefully provide the association with some extra awareness. The boys play on Saturday and Sunday. “I think they have a good chance.”