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Bandy

What is Bandy?

Bandy is played on an ice surface the size of a soccer field. It is best described as field hockey on skates. Each team is made up of 11 players including a goalkeeper. The aim of bandy is to score goals by hitting an orange ball the size of a tennis ball into the opposing team's net with a curved stick four feet in length. The blades of most bandy sticks are wrapped in leather strapping which allows the player to put spin on the ball when he or she strikes it. The ball has a cork center and a hard rubber cover. The goal measures seven feet by eleven and a half feet. While the goalkeeper wears more padding than other players he or she does not use a stick. Goalies are the only player allowed to use their hands to control the ball. Games consist of two 45 minute halves. A ten minute interval takes place at half-time when the teams change ends. Ties are broken with 15 minute overtime periods. The rules of bandy are very similar to the rules of soccer. A variation on bandy is rink bandy. Rink bandy is played on a hockey rink with four skaters and a goalie. The rules are generally the same as those for regular bandy.

A Brief History of Bandy

Bandy was being played in northeast England in the mid 1800's. Bury Fen, England, is considered the home of modern bandy. Cave paintings in Egypt suggest that a game similar to bandy was being played there 4000 years ago. The word bandy is Welsh in origin and means "a curved stick". The National Bandy Association was established in England in 1891. The NBA was the first governing body of Bandy and the first to develop official rules for the game. Prior to the founding of the NBA teams established the rules before matches started. The first international Bandy match took place in 1891 between England's Bury Fen club and Haarlem of the Netherlands. Bandy was introduced to Sweden by a Bury Fen player in 1894. Bandy soon caught on throughout Europe. Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands, Russia, and Norway all became active in bandy. Between the 1890's and 1955 no formal governing body for international Bandy existed. This changed with the creation of the International Bandy Federation in 1955. Since 1957 the World Championships have been held every two years.
 

Adult Bandy

The Guidant John Rose MN OVAL is home to an adult bandy league. If you are looking for something different from the area adult hockey leagues and love to skate, the adult bandy league is a great alternative. Bandy is a fast paced game played on a soccer field size sheet of ice at the OVAL. It is a non-checking game played with a ball and stick similar to field hockey. Games are typically played at 3:00pm or 4:00pm on Sundays.

Please visit www.usabandy.com for more information or contact Neal Logan 952.270.7486 if you are interested in playing.

Regular Fee $145     Roseville Resident Fee $135

Register by November 10 (no session 12/24 or 12/31)

 

Adult Bandy Program

Program # Level Day/Dates Time
9101.149 Adult Rec Bandy Sunday- Nov 12-Feb 25 (No play 12/24 or 12/31; 12/10-times adjusted) 3:00 - 5:00pm

Neal Logan's Bandy travelblog: Almaty, Kazakhstan

Travel with Neal and see World Bandy from a referee's point of view.