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Swamp football is an unusual form of the game of football (soccer), that is played in bogs or swamps. Players compete on a wet bog, though for the major tournaments the pitch is simply a dry muddy field which is covered in water, rather than a naturally occurring swamp. The dimensions of the pitch are roughly 60m long and 35 meters wide.

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The sport originated in Finland, where apparently it was used as an exercise activity for athletes and soldiers, as playing on soft bog is very physically demanding.

The first organized competition was held in 1998, when 13 teams gathered to play for the Finnish Championship. The event was the brainchild of Jyrki Väänänen nicknamed "The Swamp Baron". There are currently an estimated 260 swamp football teams around the world. The sport is particularly popular in Finland, Sweden, Iceland, Holland, Russia and Brazil. The World Championships in swamp football is played in Hyrynsalmi in northern Finland, the first taking place in 2000.

The rules of Swamp Football is a heavily modified version of standard football rules.

• Games are played in two 13-minute halves.
• Boots can not be changed during the game
• Corner kicks, penalties and throw-ins are made with drop kicks
• There is no offside rule
• The penalty area is five meters deep, but the goalkeeper is only allowed to hold the ball in a three meter radius from the goal
• There are 6 players on the field, with maximum of 12 in the squad. The players can be substituted as often as they want.

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Similar Sports

• Association Football — more commonly known as Football or Soccer. It is the world's most popular sport, played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball. The game is played on a rectangular field with a goal at each end. The object is to score by using any part of the body except the arms and hands to get the ball into the opposing goal.
• Beach Soccer — similar to association football but played on a beach or sand.

Related Pages

• About football (general)
• Football Decoder — what is called football around the world?
• Complete list of sports
• The Encyclopedia of Sports
• About the Mud Olympics
• About Bog Snorkling