Encyclopedia of Sport: Every sport from around the world
Topend Sports Logo

Swamp Football

Swamp football is an unusual form of the game of football (soccer), that is played in bogs or swamps. Players compete on a wet bog, though for the major tournaments the pitch is simply a dry muddy field which is covered in water, rather than a naturally occurring swamp. The dimensions of the pitch are roughly 60m long and 35 meters wide.



The sport originated in Finland, where apparently it was used as an exercise activity for athletes and soldiers, as playing on soft bog is very physically demanding.

The first organized competition was held in 1998, when 13 teams gathered to play for the Finnish Championship. The event was the brainchild of Jyrki Väänänen nicknamed "The Swamp Baron". There are currently an estimated 260 swamp football teams around the world. The sport is particularly popular in Finland, Sweden, Iceland, Holland, Russia and Brazil. The World Championships in swamp football is played in Hyrynsalmi in northern Finland, the first taking place in 2000.

mud running running in mud

The rules of Swamp Football is a heavily modified version of standard football rules.



Similar Sports

Related Pages

send us a comment Any comments, suggestions, or corrections? Please let us know.

Sport Extra

Check out the 800+ sports in the Encyclopedia of Every Sport. Well not every sport, as there is a list of unusual sports, extinct sports and newly created sports. How to get on these lists? See What is a sport? We also have sports winners lists, and about major sports events and a summary of every year.

 → How to Cite