By Paul Nicholson
April 13 – The football training game Teqball now has an official international federation to organise competitions and championships. Launched at the end of last month in Budapest, Hungary, the Fédération International de Teqball (FITEQ), will champion the game and register official players and teams.
Teqball is the football touch game played across a curved table with either two or four players. Designed as way to improve skills and close quarter player understanding, Teqball has quickly developed into a competitive format.
Players are allowed three touches to get the ball over the net, and in the doubles game, players are not allowed to touch it twice with the same part of the body. The winner is the first to 12 points with a change of service after every 4 points. Games are best of three or five series.
General Secretary of the new federation, George Yerolimpos (pictured), said: “The most expensive material is the solid one used as the surface of the table. Other than that, the ball used is a common football ball and thanks to the special material used you don’t have any noise while the game is played, just the touch to the ball the players can produce.”
Teqball has signed Ronaldinho as a global ambassador and a World Cup is cheduled for June this year. “Our aim is to promote educational values via sport, involving both amateurs and professional in the competition.” said one of the co-founders, Gabor Barsanyi. “This June, Budapest will host the very first Teqball World Cup with 16 countries taking part of it, we will surprise you.”
Teqball’s founders have Olympic ambition as well. Gyorgy Gattyan, another of the co-founders, said: “This is one of the most unique and exciting sport raised up in the last years, in our opinion it’s a world success. Five years ago this was just an idea that it is now being played in schools, national federation and clubs.
“It helps in developing technical skills and concentration. Olympics is our goal, and we aim that Teqball would be an independent event in Tokyo 2020 because it puts together youngsters, creativity and science.”
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