Me'eno

Me'eno

Highest governing body	Me'eno League
First played	before 1700
Characteristics
Contact	Limited
Team members	Variable (traditionally played with one or two members on each side)
Type	Team sport • Ball game
Equipment	me'e ball
Venue	Me'eno court Building
Glossary	Glossary
Presence
Country or region	Garetolia

Me'eno (English: lit. "hut game") is a sport played solely in Garetolia, in which two sides compete usually on a court attempting to score points. The offense must bank the ball off a slanted roof or similar feature while the defense (or offense) attempts to recover the me'e ball before it settles. Such a ball is usually made of leather, similar to a cricket ball or baseball. Whichever side recovers the ball and secures posession becomes the offense, with the other side switching back to defense. There is no limit to however many turns in a row one side can hold the ball until the game ends. The game ends whenever one side reaches a mark of 15 points; this number is not concrete and is technically variable at the referee's discretion, though no such instance has taken place.

Me'eno has been played since prehistoric times in Garetolia, originally having evolved to be a similar sport to modern-day handball. The first recorded game was played on 17 September 1811 between a band of Garetolians and a group of British settlers, though this version of the game allowed full contact, as opposed to a more regulated style played today. Its rules were standardized in 1961 with the creation of the Me'eno League and since then, only three rule changes have taken place, the most recent being in 2006.

Me'eno is the sixth-most popular sport in Garetolia by viewership. It is played only on a professional level in small arenas, which is why it has not grown to the level of popularity of other sports like assocciation football. Its annual championship game is played in May of every year, marking the end of the four month-long season. It is a common pastime among residents of Garetolia, particularly those in more rural areas, usually played banking the me'e ball against the side of a house or a hut, hence the name "hut ball" or me'eno.