The International Oarball Union exists to sanction oarball events, ensuring a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone, and to grow the sport of oarball. As profit is not a motive in either of these endeavors, the IOU is a nonprofit, and is currently staffed and maintained entirely by volunteers.
The IOU is directly responsible for monitoring the good standing of leagues, clubs, coaches, and officials. It operates on a federal structure, delegating responsibilities to its sancitoned leagues, who in turn delegate responsibilities to their respective clubs.
Q: What do I need to play Oarball?
A: You need cleats, a wooden stick (which resembles a boat's oar, hence the name of the sport), and a ball, which is like a volleyball but smaller.
Q: How many players are on an oarball team?
A: There are 4 players on the field at a time, and 6 more on the bench ready to substitute at any time. Those players make up the "active roster." Teams can have just 10 players on the active roster. They can have as many players as they want on their "inactive roster" and they can switch one player between the active and inactive roster each game with an "interchange."
Q: What are the fouls in oarball?
A: Players are not allowed to hit an opponent with their stick, or make any violent impact with their body. Minor fouls, like accidentally touching an opponent with the stick, result in a penalty shot. More serious offenses, like playing too rough or recklessly, land a player in the sin bin for 3 minutes and a penalty shot. Very serious offenses, like intentionally hitting a player with the stick or trying to choke someone, get a player kicked out of the game.
Q: Where did oarball come from?
A: Oarball was invented in South Florida, in the United States. It was invented by a former ice hockey player, looking for a way to have fun and keep fit without the expenses associated with ice hockey.
Q: What are the age groups for youth oarball?
A: Different clubs are allowed to split youth players up into whatever age groups they want, but the IOU sanctions competitive "selects" events only for under-12 and under-18 levels.
Q: What about travel oarball?
A: There is no travel oarball. We believe that the modern travel sport culture is antithetical to the culture of oarball. While there are selects events where players can travel, youth players will spend the majority of their playing time with their house league (non-travelling) team, reaping the benefits of community and friendship in a low-stakes environment. Players of exceptional talent may be pushed to play in a higher age division, but families do not need to dedicate their lives to traveling in order for their child to develop as a player.
Q: Senior oarball is "semi-professional" but what does that mean?
A: Most senior teams are not professional at all, requiring their players to pay dues in order to keep the team afloat. Teams that win championships are entitled to prize money to split between players, which can sometimes be enough to make an impact othe the players financially but isn't enough to warrant quitting their job and going "full professional". Teams that do well enough financially to make a profit from "oarball related revenues" split those earnings evenly among their players, usually enough for a stipend or a small wage to supplement their day job.
Association Football
Similarities: The ball is roughly equivalent to a size 2 football. Being a good striker of the ball will serve a player well, and good footballers tend to make great oarballers. Play is re-started with a free hit, which is similar to a goal kick. Teams get one interchange substitution per game, which is functionally the same as a football substitution.
Differences: Players are only allowed to touch the ball one time with their feet or body, forcing them to use the stick more often or to pass constantly. Players can use their hands to play the ball, striking it one time just like their feet. After a free hit (which can be kicked), play isn't live yet- it has to be re-started with a face-off. "Ball first" doesn't make a challenge legal- tripping an opponent with a standing or sliding tackle is a foul in oarball.
Positions: The loose bacl is like a sweeper-keeper- they are expected to come out of the goal and help for the breakout (buildup). The crease back back is like a center back- they defend near the goal and defend the middle of the field on offense. Forwards are like midfielders- they defend in wide areas, lead the attack, act as a long passing option on the breakout (buildup) and they lead the forecheck (press).
Ice Hockey
Similarities: Every player has a stick, and being a good stickhandler will serve a player well. Net front play is functionally the same, and players who are good at screening and tipping will be invaluable to their team. Tactics are extremely similar, because the two-line pass in oarball constricts play much the way offsides does in ice hockey. Play is re-started with face-offs, similar to hockey. Substitutions are on the fly, just like hockey. The offsides rule in oarball is just like that of hockey, except if the blue line only went around the goal crease instead of the whole zone.
Differences: No ice or skates, obviously. Every foul (penalty) leads to a penalty shot, not just a powerplay. It's much harder to rush the ball in oarball than it is to rush the puck in hockey, so passing is more important. Contact is only allowed if it's hip-to-hip, so while hip checks are allowed, big hits do not exist in oarball the way they exist in hockey. Goals can be sored by kicking or using the hand. Freezing the ball is not allowed, and there are no special goalie privileges in oarball.
Positions: Loose backs play goalie on defense and defenseman on offense. Crease backs are like crease-clearing defensemen. Forwards are just like hockey forwards.
Men's Lacrosse
Similarities: Scooping the ball is almost identical, and players who are good at getting ground balls are going to thrive in oarball, where putting the ball into the air is such a vital skill. Play is re-started with a face-off, and oarball face-offs are extremely similar to lacrosse face-offs. Hip contact is extremely similar to the style of contact used in man-ball situations.
Differences: Stick contact with the opponent is not tolerated. Rosters are small, so positions are less specialized than lacrosse. Players can effectively set screens on the opposing goalie, but not in the open field. Defenders are allowed to be in the goal crease, and one attacker is too, no "dive" required.
Positions: Loose back is like a goalie, Crease back is like a close defender (or defender in box lacrosse), forwards are like a midfielder (somewhere inbetween a transition and a forward in box lacrosse).
Women's Lacrosse
Similarities: Being able to lift the ball into the air is vital in oarball, and players who can scoop ground balls well thrive when they come to oarball. Stick play is similar, and face-offs in oarball are similar to draws in lacrosse. Substitutions are on the fly, just like in lacrosse.
Differences: There is no concept of shooting space, or of the "bubble" around a player's head- a player commits a foul if they actually touch an opponent with their stick, or if the opponent needs to dodge in order to avoid being hit in the head. No equivalent to lacrosse offsides.
Positions: Loose back is like a goalie. Crease back is like point or cover point. Forwards are like a wing attacker.
Field Hockey
Similarities: Aesthetically very similar. Players tend to have an easy time switching from field hockey to oarball because handling the stick and ball is so similar.
Differences: Much more contact is allowed in oarball than in field hockey. Players can be left handed, use both sides of the stick, and they can score from anywhere on the field. Because the ball is softer, it can be kicked ot blocked safely, with no need for special pads or masks.
Positions: Positions are similar. Loose back is like a sweeper or the goalkeeper. Crease back is like a center half. Forwards are like left and right halves.
Rugby Union
Similarities: Free hits in oarball are similar to kicking for touch off of a free kick in rugby- trying to gain position followed by a contested re-start. The face-off is somewhat similar to the scrum, except if it was only contested by hookers and there was less contact. Players who are good at kicking tend to have a good time converting to oarball. The two-touch rule and is similar to the knock-on in rugby. Both sports have sin bins and don't use them for every infraction.
Differences: Extremely different. There is no equivalent to rugby's offside law. Contact is much less- wrapping and grabbing opponents is not allowed, and contact is only allowed if it's hip-to-hip or if both players are pushing with their hands.
Positions: Loose back in oarball is like a fullback in rugby- hanging back to watch the defense but also ready to come up and counterattack. Crease back is like a tighthead, the biggest and most powerful player on the team. Forwards are like centers or back rowers, doing a bit of everything.
Basketball
Similarities: Spacing is similar- it tends to bunch up in a tight area and then open up for quick counterattacks. The physicality of oarball resembles how basketball is played in the paint- lots of getting low, pushing through opponents, and shoving, but not lots of harsh impact.
Differences: Using the stick is totally different from dribbling, although some players find that bouncing the oarball off the ground works for them. Re-starting play is totally different, as if there was a jump-ball every time the ball goes out of play.
Positions: The loose back is like a center on defense and a point guard on offense- they defend near the goal and on offense they hang back, looking to pass first. The crease back is like a cover-everyone 3- able to push back big powerful attackers and close down with speed on defense and filling in everywhere the team might need on offense. Forwards can have a variety of different play styles and coule be like a shooting guard or a power forward.
Gridiron Football
Similarities: The forecheck in oarball is similar to pass defense, with players rushing (forechecking) at the ball while others sit back in some form of man or zone coverage. Placekickers who come to oarball tend to do well, since being able to kick the oarball is such a vital skill. Oarball consists of brief set plays right after the face-off, and players run routes just like in football.
Differences: Very different from football in basically every way. There is less contact, advancing the ball is totally different, and because the face-off is contested (and the snap is not), teams have to be ready to use either their offensive or defensive set play when the play starts. Play also often lasts longer than the set play, so players improvise after they run their routes.
Positions: The loose back is like a safety, hanging back to defend but sometimes jumping up to make plays, and on offense they are like a pass-catching running back, running routes and getting open from a deeper position. The creaseback is like an offensive lineman, defending the loose back from attackers. Forwards are like linebackers- they try to push the loose back out of position (just like pass rushing), they defend the open field, and they are expected to be versatile.
Australian Football
Similarities: Level of contact is very similar. Players who can kick goals in AFL can easily kick goals in oarball too. Both sports are chaotic, with the ball moving around quickly and constant battles for possession. The face-off is not the same as the ruck mechanically, but it fulfills a similar purpose and puts the ball back into play similarly. Players aren't allowed to throw the ball in either sport, and handballing a pass in AFL is a very transferrable talent to oarball.
Differences: The two-line pass rule prevents and long passes. Catching the ball is not allowed, and there is no equivalent rule to the "mark." Oarball tends to happen more along the ground since it can be difficult to lift the ball with sticks under pressure.
Positions: Loose back in oarball is like a fullback in Aussie rules. Crease back is like a center half. The forwards in oarball are like the followers in AFL.
Handball
Similarities: Contact is extremely similar, and a solid defender in handball would be a solid defender in oarball. Shot blocking in oarball is similar to goalkeeping in handball. Back play is similar in both sports. Both sports use on-the-fly substitutions.
Differences: Catching the ball is strictly prohibited in oarball. Instead of completely forbidding offensive players from entering the restricted area, offensive players can enter the crease if the ball is already there. Instead of being in a protected area, a would-be goalkeeper has an opposing player trying to push them out of position and a teammate trying to keep them away.
Positions: The looseback in oarball is like a goalkeeper on defense and a back on offense. The crease back in oarball is like a pivot in handball. Forwards can vary in style, so some players play like a handball winger, and others play like a pivot.
Cricket
Similarities: Using the paddle-stick is very similar to using the bat, and a good batsman is a threat to score goals in oarball. The flow is similar, with moments of intense sprinting followed by moments of rest.
Differences: Mechanically very different, but oarball is also much more physically demanding than cricket. There is more running, there is contact, and more chaos that players must process.
Positions: The looseback in oarball is like a wicketkeeper, expected to use quick reactions to get the ball. The crease back in oarball is like a slip, there to help the wicket-keeper but not take over their job. Forwards are like batsmen, trying to strike in goals.