How Koneball Began

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Koneball is a sport enriched with homegrown flavours, all baked lovingly in an oven and served just right with tastes to excite your senses. Like any cake, pasta, fish or curry dish, Koneball didn't start out how it is today. No way. The raw ingredients have to be picked or grown, treated in a way that makes them taste delicious. OK, enough with the culinary metaphors.

After one drunken evening, our very own Andrew Jackson brought home a traditional traffic cone, in the summer of 2003 (circa). The next day a small kickaround commenced with Stewart van Nieuwkerk, Andrew and Tim Jackson. They started out using the cone as the goalpost, however at the time the accuracy of these young men was atrocious, hence they kept hitting this rather large cone.

Then it clicked.

After a few months and a new rectangular traffic bollard to replace the cone. Eventually they came up with an idea to have the bollard up on the patio to use as target practice. Despite the poor aiming and direction, they managed to hit it a few times. The bollard was left there for several weeks as a constant reminder of the heroic achievements reached by hitting it with a football.

As the weeks passed a new challenger by the name of Chris Ford had entered the fray with more enthusiasm than skill, but proved to be a determined newcomer. Days later for reasons unknown the bollard had to be moved, so it was dumped in the centre of what would be Koneball HQ. When the boys came out to play and saw this atrocity they questioned themselves, "Moving it back is too much effort, how can we play now?". Then, a genius idea was made to keep the bollard in the centre of the garden and kick the ball at it from different angles. Once Stewart and Chris went home for tea, brothers Andrew and Tim played a small game where they had to hit the bollard with the ball before the other. When the other two rejoined with their bellies full, they developed the game we all know and love. The bollard was renamed the Kone, and the game as 'Koneball'.

Many years passed where several local players who have never stepped back in Koneball HQ again fielded this magnificent new game, such as Chris's flamboyant brother who was, in fact, one of the original players. In some early games there were up to 8 players on the pitch, all scrambling in this closely fought melee for the search of victory. Even games were played up to 10, or a spine shuddering 25, games being played all into the night.

In 2008 this sport had rules added to it, where the ball must bounce once upon entering the arena, and a standard game be played first to 3. These first rules then forged the creation of FIKA (Federation Internationale Koneball Association), who would govern the sport.

In 2009 the first recorded matches were edited and placed onto YouTube, with the first FIKA tournament posted for all to see.

The rest is history...