DAVID HARDEN/Arizona Daily Wildcat Atmospheric sciences sophomore Brandon Meitz, left, and nutritional sciences sophomore George Iliopoulos, far right, play crotchball Wednesday afternoon on the Mall. Political science sophomore Max Berkley, center, refereed the game.

Weekly 'crotchball' game penalizes participants for using hands or feet

For a group of UA students, crotches have taken on a whole new use - propelling a large green ball across a goal line.

Every week, a group of about eight male students gathers on the Mall to play the new sport of "crotchball," which looks like soccer with a painful twist.

On Wednesday afternoon, the spectacle drew a crowd of about 30 people, who watched the group of men thrust their crotches at a ball in an attempt to advance it into a goal.

Dave Freeman, international business senior, and Charley Clemens, management information systems senior, invented the game last year when they found a large, green, bouncy ball when they moved into their new house.

Freeman said the sport started as a game played between friends and has grown to become a weekly event.

"It started as a dream in our living room and over the course of the year it became a reality," he said.

DAVID HARDEN/Arizona Daily Wildcat Crotchball participants entertain many bystanders Wednesday afternoon on the Mall. Crotchball is a sport that is played by players thrusting their crotch into an oversized ball, with the goal of getting the ball over a goal line.

The weekly games even have a referee, political science sophomore Max Berkley. He oversees the matches, in which players' hands and legs are not allowed to touch the ball - only their heads and crotches.

When the ball is stationary, there is a "crotch-off" in which two players face off on a bounce of the ball. A "crotch-in" occurs when the ball goes out of bounds and it is thrown back into play.

There is also a penalty box for violations such as kicking the ball to prevent a goal, use of the hands and fighting.

Courtney Hensling, a communication sophomore, said her boyfriend plays crotchball, but the sport is really all about spending time with friends and having a good time.

"It's all about friends hanging out and it's hilarious," she said. "It's fun to see the outfits too because they are very creative."

The players are required to wear odd combinations of clothes with a wide range of colors.

Hensling said the die-hard fans that come out to watch crotchball each week also enjoy observing the reactions of first-time spectators to the game.

"It's fun to watch the reactions of other spectators, especially first-timers. Some people laugh and some don't react at all," she said.

Vanessa Young, pre-business freshman, said Wednesday afternoon's game was her first time watching crotchball and that she found the game to be entertaining.

"It's a little bit odd but they look like they're having fun," she said.

Crotchball games are every Wednesday at 4 p.m. on the University of Arizona Mall.