Are You Bold Enough to Play Motorcycle Soccer?

What do you get when you combine ten motorcycles, a soccer ball, and two goals? Logic suggests you’d get a few shattered tibias, but video evidence shows you also get a loud, smokey, fast-paced game of motorcycle soccer.

The above video from the British Pathé archives shows a 1959 “Motorball” match between the Border Motor Club and the North Hants Club. The players (five per side) both propel the ball with their tires and also kick it in the traditional manner. A bit like polo with combustion engines, the game, according to the narrator, requires “considerably more dash than, say, tiddlywinks.”

Quite.

The Brits seem to have a history with motorcycle soccer, as demonstrated in the below video of a 1927 “Football Motor Cycle Final”:

While it may seem like a dangerous and forgotten relic, the sport is still played around the world. It is relatively popular in parts of Europe, where there are official Motoball leagues, and small tournaments still pop up around the UK. The video below offers a first-person view of a 2013 match played in Peterborough.

It truly is “the beautiful game.”

Banner images via British Pathé on YouTube.