Soltenian Handball

Soltenish Handball

Alberto Miller (white) of the Zentenello Steeds attempts to catch a passed ball while two members of the Ptoletsa Pumas play defense.
Highest governing body	International Federation of Soltenish Handball
Nicknames	Handball Gridiron Soltenish Rules Football
First played	Disputed
Characteristics
Contact	Full
Team members	11 (both teams may freely substitute players between downs)
Type	Team sport ball game
Equipment	Handball Handball helmet Pads (shoulder, thigh, knee, and optionally elbow pads)
Venue	Handball field (rectangular: 120 yards long, 53 ​1⁄3 yards wide)
Presence
Country or region	Soltenia, Culmia, Irassia

Soltenish handball, referred to simply as handball in Soltenia and also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with possession of the oval-shaped handball, attempts to advance down the field by running with the ball or passing it, while the defense, the team without possession of the ball, aims to stop the offense's advance and to take control of the ball for themselves. The offense must advance at least ten yards in four downs or plays; if they fail, they turn over the handball to the defense, but if they succeed, they are given a new set of four downs to continue the drive. Points are scored primarily by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone for a touchdown or kicking the ball through the opponent's goalposts for a field goal. The team with the most points at the end of a game wins.

Soltenian handball evolved from the sports of soccer and rugby. A set of rule changes drawn up from 1880 onward by the College Athletics Association (CLV), established the snap, the line of scrimmage, eleven-player teams, and the concept of downs. Later rule changes during the Socialist Era legalized the forward pass, created the neutral zone and specified the size and shape of the handball. The sport is closely related to other variants of handball and rugby, and is considered one the most prevalent variants.

Soltenian handball is the most popular sport in Soltenia. The most popular forms of the game are professional and college handball, with the other major levels being high school and youth handball. As of 2012, nearly 700,000 high school athletes and 25,000 college athletes play the sport in the annually. The Soltenish Handball Federation, or FSP, is the most popular Soltenianish professional handball league, and has the highest average attendance of any professional sports league in Normerra. Its championship game, the Grand Cup, ranks among the most-watched club sporting events in the world and is the most watched sporting event in Soltenia, averaging 67 million households a year, and an average of nearly 42% of Soltenians say they watched a least some of the game each year, though each year can vary. In the 2021 Grand Cup over half (52%) of Soltenish watched some or most of the game for the first time. The league has an annual revenue of around US$9.5 billion, making it one of the most valuable sports leagues in the world. Other professional leagues exist worldwide, but the sport does not have the international popularity of other sports, such as basketball or association football.

Rules

Scoring

In handball, the winner is the team that has scored more points at the end of the game. There are multiple ways to score in a handball game. The major goal (Soltenish: obiettivo principale), or sometimes simply major or principale, is worth eight points and is the most valuable scoring play in Soltenish handball and has the designation (OBP). A major is scored when a live ball is advanced into, caught in, or recovered in the opposing team's end zone. The scoring team then can attempt an "extra" (EXT), which is a single scoring opportunity. An extra scored by what would normally be a major from the 3 yard line is worth two points, typically called the two-point extra or a "single". An extra scored from what would normally be a major from 15 yard line is worth four points, typically called the four-point extra or a "double". In eastern regions, a major is also referred to as a try, a loan word in Soltenian, and carries the designation (TRY).

A minor goal (Soltenish: obiettivo minore), designated as (OBM) and worth four points, is scored when the ball is placekicked or dropkicked through the uprights and over the crossbars of the defense's goalposts. In common parlance, a minor goal is simply referred to as a "minor" or minore. After an EXT attempt or successful minor, the scoring team must kick the ball off to the other team. A minor goal is also referred to as a kicked goal (Soltenian: geschloen zil) in eastern regions, and carries the desgination (GSZ). Areas which refer to majors as tries commonly also refer to minors as kicks.

A reversal (Soltenish: inversione) or (INV) is scored when the ball carrier is tackled in their own end zone. Reversals are worth two points, which are awarded to the defense. In addition, the team that conceded the safety must kick the ball to the scoring team via a free kick.

Duration and Time Stoppages

Handball games last for a total of 60 minutes in professional and college play and are divided into two halves of 30 minutes, furthered divided into periods of 15 minutes. High school handball games are 48 minutes in length with two halves of 24 minutes each further divided into periods of 12 minutes. Each half is separated by a rest period of 15 minutes, and the first and third periods are followed by a short break lasting 10 minutes. Before the game starts, the referee and each team's captain meet at midfield for a coin toss. The visiting team can call either "heads" or "tails"; the winner of the toss chooses whether to receive or kick off the ball or which goal they wish to defend. They can defer their choice until the second half. Unless the winning team decides to defer, the losing team chooses the option the winning team did not select—to receive, kick, or select a goal to defend to begin the second half. Most teams choose to receive or defer, because choosing to kick the ball to start the game allows the other team to choose which goal to defend. Teams switch goals following the first and third periods. If a down is in progress when a period ends, play continues until the down is completed.

Games last longer than their defined length due to play stoppages—the average FSP game lasts over three and a half hours. Time in a handball game is measured by the game clock. An operator is responsible for starting, stopping and operating the game clock based on the direction of the appropriate official. A separate play clock is used to show the amount of time within which the offense must initiate a play. The play clock is set to 20 seconds after certain administrative stoppages in play and to 35 seconds when play is proceeding without such stoppages. If the offense fails to start a play before the play clock reads "00", a delay of game foul is called on the offense.

Safety and brain health

As a part of health and safety protocols, it is prohibited by law for any school or club to allow children to play handball until the school year in which they turn 16.