UnderWater Rugby – The Greatest Sport You’ve Probably Never Tried, But Here’s Your Chance
Words by UnderWater Rugby
This weekend the UniDive Gauls, the Underwater Rugby Club of the University of Queensland, will host the inaugural Underwater Rugby Queens Cup. The comp will take place between 11:30am and 6:00pm on Saturday the 25th November at the Chandler Aquatic Centre and everyone and anyone is invited to come along and join a team. The teams and competition schedule will be randomly drawn on the day, so as long as you arrive at the pool on Saturday, you’ve made a team.
Team line up on the poolside.
But maybe we are getting ahead of ourselves – what exactly is Underwater Rugby? Invented in Germany in the early 60s, Underwater Rugby is an underwater (maybe you guessed that) team sport, played about 5m below the surface. Six players from each team work to swim, tackle and pass a ball towards a goal located on the bottom of the pool. Having trouble imagining it? Think Handball, but with the added complexity of the game taking place in a constant state of apnea. There are three common positions in the game; Goalie, Back and Forward, but for new players the positions can be relaxed! A pair of good fins and a reliable mask and snorkel are needed for the game, but if you don’t own your own, you’ll probably find extras you can borrow for the day at the pool. Alternatively, you can pick up some great gear at Adreno Scuba diving in Woolloongabba!
Above; players tackle for possession of the ball.
Above; Doug and Jorge battling for a goal.
If you’re still having trouble understanding how this game works, don’t worry about it – we will explain everything at the pool, and you’ll quickly start to love it as much as we do! And if you can’t make it to the pool on Saturday but still want the opportunity to give the game a go, get in contact with us on Facebook or Instagram (hyperlinks below) to come along to our regular weekly training.
Thanks to our sponsor AdrenoScubaDiving for helping us to grow as a team!
