Athletic game

Abstract

The athletic game includes elements of soccer, hockey, and American football, to provide a relatively high scoring and exciting game including limited physical contact between players. The game is played in a manner generally similar to soccer, i.e. players other than the goalies are not allowed to touch the ball with their hands during play. However, multiple points are awarded for goals and the goal scoring team is allowed the opportunity to try for an additional point(s) after scoring a goal. Limited physical contact between players is also permitted in the present game. The game may be played upon a natural or artificial turf field having dimensions similar to that of a standard ice hockey rink, including protective barriers surrounding the field. Alternatively, other field dimensions and configurations may be used, as desired. The present athletic game also lends itself well to electronic and board game representations of the game.

1 . A method of playing an athletic game, comprising the following steps: 
 (a) establishing a playing surface and two teams of players, including a goalie for each of the teams;    (b) designating opposing team goals at opposite ends of the playing surface;    (c) initiating play between the two teams;    (d) prohibiting players other than the goalies from handling the ball using their hands during play;    (e) attempting to advance a ball by an offensive team into an opposing team goal;    (f) attempting to block an offensive player controlling the ball, by physical contact of defensive players against the offensive player controlling the ball;    (g) awarding multiple points to the team successfully advancing the ball into the opposing team goal and thereby scoring a goal;    (h) attempting to score at least one additional point by the successfully scoring team, after scoring a goal; and    (i) determining a winning team according to high score at the end of the game.    
   
   
       2 . The method of playing an athletic game according to the method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of initiating play comprises dropping the ball over a designated point in the center of the playing surface, between members of the two teams.  
   
   
       3 . The method of playing an athletic game according to the method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of attempting to score at least one additional point by the successfully scoring team after scoring a goal, further includes the steps of: 
 (a) selecting a point nearer the goal, or a point more distant from the goal, from which to kick the ball;    (b) kicking the ball from the selected point; and    (c) awarding the team making a successful kick with a greater number of points for a kick made from the point more distant from the goal, than for a kick made from the point nearer the goal.    
   
   
       4 . The method of playing an athletic game according to the method of  claim 1 , further including the step of determining the end of the game in accordance with the elapsing of a predetermined amount of game playing time, when the scores of the two teams are not equal to one another.  
   
   
       5 . The method of playing an athletic game according to the method of  claim 4 , further including the steps of: 
 (a) providing at least one overtime period for continued play, when the scores of the two teams are tied at the end of the predetermined amount of playing time; and    (b) providing free kicks by alternating members of the two teams until the tie scores are broken, when the at least one overtime period has elapsed with the scores still tied.    
   
   
       6 . The method of playing an athletic game according to the method of  claim 1 , further including the steps of: 
 (a) appointing at least one referee;    (b) determining fouls by players during play, according to the at least one referee; and    (c) prescribing penalties for those fouls, according to the at least one referee.    
   
   
       7 . The method of playing an athletic game according to the method of  claim 1 , further including the step of allowing all players of the defensive team to attempt to block the single offensive team player controlling the ball, by upper body physical contact.  
   
   
       8 . An athletic game apparatus, comprising: 
 a generally rectangular playing field with rounded corners and a playing field periphery, further including at least:    a turf surface;    a surrounding enclosure conterminous with the playing field periphery;    mutually opposed first and second sides, conterminous with said surrounding enclosure and playing field periphery;    mutually opposed first and second ends, substantially normal to said sides and conterminous with said surrounding enclosure and playing field periphery;    mutually opposed first and second goals, disposed respectively at each of said ends;    a laterally disposed midfield line;    a face-off circle and point medially disposed upon said midfield line;    a penalty kick area extending from each of said goals toward one another, each said penalty kick area further having a distal periphery;    first and second proximal supplemental score kicking points, respectively disposed upon the distal periphery of each said penalty kick area;    first and second distal supplemental score kicking points, disposed farther from each respective goal than said first and second proximal supplemental score kicking points; and    a substantially spherical kicking ball.    
   
   
       9 . The athletic game apparatus according to  claim 8 , wherein said enclosure comprises: 
 a solid, opaque lowermost wall; and    a transparent barrier disposed atop said lowermost wall.    
   
   
       10 . The athletic game apparatus according to  claim 8 , wherein said turf surface is formed of material selected from the group consisting of natural and artificial turf.  
   
   
       11 . The athletic game apparatus according to  claim 8 , wherein: 
 said surrounding enclosure further includes mutually opposed first and second goal openings therethrough; and    each of said goals comprises a net extending through the respective one of the goal openings, with each of said goals further including an open front coplanar with said surrounding enclosure.    
   
   
       12 . The athletic game apparatus according to  claim 8 , wherein said kicking ball is a soccer ball.  
   
   
       13 . A method of playing an athletic game using the apparatus of  claim 8 , comprising the following steps: 
 (a) designating two teams of players, including a goalie for each of the teams;    (b) initiating play between the two teams;    (c) prohibiting players other than the goalies from handling the ball using their hands during play;    (d) attempting to advance the ball by an offensive team into an opposing team goal;    (e) attempting to block an offensive player controlling the ball, by physical contact of defensive players against the offensive player controlling the ball;    (f) awarding multiple points to the team successfully advancing the ball into the opposing team goal and thereby scoring a goal;    (g) attempting to score at least one additional point by the successfully scoring team, after scoring a goal; and    (h) determining a winning team according to high score at the end of the game.    
   
   
       14 . The method of playing an athletic game according to the method of  claim 13 , wherein the step of initiating play comprises dropping the ball over a designated point in the center of the playing surface, between members of the two teams.  
   
   
       15 . The method of playing an athletic game according to the method of  claim 13 , wherein the step of attempting to score at least one additional point by the successfully scoring team after scoring a goal, further includes the steps of: 
 (a) selecting a point nearer the goal, or a point more distant from the goal, from which to kick the ball;    (b) kicking the ball from the selected point; and    (c) awarding the team making a successful kick with a greater number of points for a kick made from the point more distant from the goal, than for a kick made from the point nearer the goal.    
   
   
       16 . The method of playing an athletic game according to the method of  claim 13 , further including the step of determining the end of the game in accordance with the elapsing of a predetermined amount of game playing time, when the scores of the two teams are not equal to one another.  
   
   
       17 . The method of playing an athletic game according to the method of  claim 16 , further including the steps of: 
 (a) providing at least one overtime period for continued play, when the scores of the two teams are tied at the end of the predetermined amount of playing time; and    (b) providing free kicks by alternating members of the two teams until the tie scores are broken, when the at least one overtime period has elapsed with the scores still tied.    
   
   
       18 . The method of playing an athletic game according to the method of  claim 13 , further including the steps of: 
 (a) appointing at least one referee;    (b) determining fouls by players during play, according to the at least one referee; and    (c) prescribing penalties for those fouls, according to the at least one referee.    
   
   
       19 . The method of playing an athletic game according to the method of  claim 13 , further including the step of allowing all players of the defensive team to attempt to block the single offensive team player controlling the ball, by upper body physical contact.