Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
European Winners' Cup comes to Leeds
The tournament, which will be played at Leeds Metropolitan University's Headingley Campus, will see ten of Europe's top sides do battle in the sport's ultimate club competition. This is the first time the event has come to the UK and as well as teams from Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Austria and Czech Republic, Leeds will be well represented by their very own team, Leeds Galaxy.
Tchoukball is a relatively new sport, invented in the late 1960s and first played in 1970. Combining the pace and excitement of handball and volleyball, tchoukball is the fastest handball sport in the world today.
Tchoukball is a team sport and is played with two rebounding nets called 'frames'. The frames are 100 centimetres square and are placed at both ends of the court.
On each side there are 10 players named for any one game, 7 players and 3 substitutes. Although there are specialised positions in attack and defence, players are allowed to do either. Players fall into three categories; 'shooters' whose main aim is to score points, 'defenders' or 'end pivots' whose role is mainly defensive, and a 'centre pivot', who spends most of their time in the centre of the court distributing play and also defending.
Put quite simply, the object of tchoukball is to throw or 'shoot' the ball at the frame, so that it rebounds and lands over the line of the D in the court. The opposition's job is to catch the ball to prevent their opponents scoring and then shoot it themselves. This sequence continues until a point is scored.
Everything works in 3s. You have 3seconds with the ball, 3 steps with the ball, and 3 passes with the ball before it has to be shot at the frame. Tchoukball is a non-contact sport. There is no tackling involved and the only time possession switches from one team to the other is when the ball is caught by a defending player after the opposition shoots or the ball is dropped during play.
Speaking about the tournament, organiser Pete King said: "We are so excited about the prospect of hosting the cream of European Tchoukball talent here in Leeds. The tournament is set to be a very competitive affair and we'd love to see as many people as possible come and experience the thrills and spills of Tchoukball. Combining some of the best bits from both handball and volleyball, Tchoukball is a really accessible game and there's sure to be a really spectator-friendly atmosphere."
For the latest tournament news and the full match schedule visit the European Winners' Cup Facebook page or follow all the action live on Twitter @TchoukballEWC or using the hashtag #EWCLEEDS2013