AN unknown ball sport called tchoukball is set to bounce into town.

Enthusiast Steven Quayle, who works at CMS Vocational Training at Green Street, Huddersfield, is captain of the Leeds Carnegie Tchoukball team and has been assigned as regional development manager for Tchoukball UK.

He wants to talk to anyone interested in starting a team in Huddersfield or playing in teams around Yorkshire.

The 22-year-old, who lives in Leeds, said tchoukball is a far cry from the “competitive” and “aggressive” nature often associated with traditional sports.

He said many people who shied away from competitive sport at school have really taken to the sport.

He said: “Tchoukball was developed in the 1970s to create inclusiveness within sport and reduce injuries.

“It’s so inclusive that men and women and juniors and adults can all play it together.

“This is because it’s more about being tactical and using your brain to outwit the other team – rather than using raw power.

“There’s no contact and you can’t intercept passes or be tackled.

“So it’s very different to other traditional sports where the bigger and stronger person always tends to win.”

Tchoukball is usually played on an indoor court measuring 27 metres by 16 metres.

At each end of the court there is a trampoline or ‘frame’ placed inside a semi circle measuring three metres in radius.

Teams, made up of seven, can score at either end of the court.

To do so, a player must throw the ball and hit the frame so that the ball bounces back outside the semicircle without being caught by a member of the other team.

Players can take three steps with the ball, hold it for a maximum of three seconds and can only pass three times before making a shot at the goal.

All physical contact is prohibited and players can’t intercept the other team’s passes.

Steven said: “The game was developed by Herman Brandt to reduce injuries and remove the aggressive and not necessarily attractive side of traditional sport.

“He put a heavy influence on the beauty of play and the spirit of the game.

“Even if you are playing against a team which is better than you they will bring their game down to your team’s level to make the game more equal.

“We have a fair play charter and it is encouraged at every level.”

Teams play at both a national and international level and the game is particularly popular in Taiwan, Italy, Brazil and Canada.

Those interested in getting involved in the sport should email rdmyorkshire@tchoukball.org.uk for more information.

Further details can be found at www.tagb.org.uk