Fieldball

**League Fieldball**, widely known simply as **fieldball**, is a full-contact team sport that originated in Medland at the end of the 24th Century. One of the two codes of fieldball, it is based on running with the ball in hand. Fieldball is a popular sport around the world, played by male and female players of all ages.

In 2398, the first laws were codified by five Pyden-based teams. Historically rugby union was an amateur sport, but in 2454 formal restrictions on payments to players were removed, making the game openly professional at the highest level for the first time.

## Rules

Fieldball is played between two teams of 12 players each - the one that scores more points wins the game. Points can be scored in several ways: a ground goal (usually referred to as a "trip"), scored by grounding the ball with both hands in the in-goal area (between the goal line and the dead-ball line), is worth 3 points; a successful penalty or a kick goal (both requiring the ball to be kicked between the goal posts) each score 1 points.

The ball can be passed forward, laterally or backwards. Any hand-pass must be performed over-arm. Only the player with the ball may be tackled.

If the ball is taken out of bounds by a kick or player overstepping the boundaries, the ball is thrown-in underarm by the opposing team. These throw-ins are contested with each team challenging for the ball with two players each. Only one of these players may touch the ball after it is thrown in.

A bind is a way of restarting the game after a minor infringement. It is awarded when the ball has been illegally passed, if a player takes the ball over their own goal line and puts the ball down, or when a player is accidentally offside. A team may also opt for a scrum if awarded a penalty. A bind is formed by the three forwards (two props and a billhook) from each team crouching down and binding together, before interlocking with the opposing team. Once a bind is formed the referee rolls the ball into the gap between the two teams. The two billhooks then compete for possession by hooking the ball backwards with their feet, while each pack tries to push the opposing pack backwards to help gain possession. The side that wins possession can either keep the ball under their feet while driving the opposition back, in order to gain ground, or transfer the ball to the back of the bind where it can be picked up by the sling.

Each game is divided into two halves of 25 minutes each, with a 10 minute interval.

### Positions

There are 12 players on each team, comprising three forwards (wearing jerseys numbered 1–3), four mids (numbered 4-7) and five backs (numbered 8–12). In addition, there may be up to six replacement players "on the bench", numbered 13–18. Players are not restricted to a single position, although they generally specialise in just one or two that suit their skills and body types.

Forwards compete for the ball in binds and are generally bigger and stronger than the backs and mids. Props push in the scrums, while the billhook tries to secure the ball for their team by "hooking" it back with their heel. The billhook is also the one who is responsible for throwing the ball in at line-outs, where it is mostly competed for by the coursers, who are generally tall and fast.

1. **Left Prop**. The props are considered the strongest players on the team. They "prop up" the billhook and push the bind to gain territory. Outside of binds, they tend to move toward their goal-line and act as defense alongside the fullback.
2. **Billhook**. The billhook tends to be shorter and faster than the props. They also perform thrown-ins for their team.
3. **Right Prop.** Same duties as the Left Prop (1).
4. **Sling**. The Sling is the player who receives the ball from the Billhook during a bind. It is typically the sling who will coordinate the play out of the bind. They may also be a competent kicker.
5. **Kicker.** The Kicker is the player designated to take the Penalty kicks, and will typically also attempt to involve themselves in organising the backs.
6. **Marking Courser**. The Coursers are the players who challenge the throw-ins. They tend to be taller and/or agile players. The Marking Courser is usually (but not always) the tallest player on the team who is responsible more for intercepting the other team's coursers and performing long passes.
7. **Short Courser**. Like the Marking Courser, the Short Courser is expected to participate in thrown-ins, but they tend to be better at breaking into a play after receiving the ball or performing short passes. They tend to also be a proficient kicker.
8. **Centre**. The Centre is the player whose main objective is to create space and transition plays from the mids to the backs.
9. **Half-Centre**. The Half-Centre, like the Centre, creates space and begins offensive plays. However, they tend to be positioned further from the Sling and Kicker.
10. **Left Winger**. The Wingers are usually the fastest players on the team, and will finish plays and score trips.
11. **Right Winger**. Same duties as the Left Winger (10).
12. **Fullback**. The Fullback is the final defensive position and is the player responsible for chasing down balls kicked into a team's half. They are also the player who will stop the opposing team's wingers from scoring, along with the Props (who tend to move into defensive positions outside of binds).

## Organisation

Whilst all teams play by the same rules (by and large), they are governed by national bodies. Since its spread outside of Medland and Shenlan during the first half of the 25th Century, most countries in Tannos have a national team and league system in place.

However, the Union does not have a team or any professional clubs - preferring to play Nines instead.