YOU.FO brings together World Cup fans from all over the world

#THIS ARTICLE IN DUTCH is written by Bas Kammenga | translated by Liesbeth Wallien

by: Bas Kammenga | 11 May 2023

YOU.FO is a young and dynamic ‘sports game’ that is played in teams who use a stick to throw an aerodynamic ring. Over the past decade it has grown in to a popular pastime worldwide. Over 100,000 people got to know the game through clinics and international exchanges. On Sunday, 18 June the sixth edition of the Open YOU.FO World Cup will take place on the fields of Hockey Club Den Bosch.

Inventor Bas Ruyssenaars developed the game in 2010, when he remembered playing with a stick and a dog throw ring when he was young. ‘I work in innovation’, he explains. ‘We met with industrial designers, NOC*NSF and the HAN-college and this resulted in prototypes with which you can throw and catch a ring aerodynamically. Next we had to work on locomotion and game variations. That is where Giel Bos came in, in 2012.’

Low-threshold
Giel Bos, co-founder of YOU.FO, wrote his graduation paper on the contribution of the sports game to sports. ‘In the Netherlands alone there are 322 sports to choose from. So we thought long and hard about uniqueness. Accessibility and growth opportunities were also major issues. Right from the start NOC*NSF – which supports us – saw opportunities for worldwide participation. We did a great deal of research into existing sports and rules.’

Considered the main target group, children and young adults were taken as a standard. ‘The game should have as few “dead” moments as possible. It had to be self-regulating and self-organising, and be like plug and play. There are two end zones where players can score, but there are no out of bounds. This means that the field can be played compactly, or very broadly. If a player does not catch the ring, it can be reclaimed immediately. That way the game is always dynamic, both for spectators and for players.’

Urban
Although there is a 5 vs. 5 variant, the 3 vs. 3 variant is perfect for YOU.FO. ‘With 3 vs. 3 you obviously need fewer players. You can play it on a tiny bit of asphalt in Rotterdam, or even in a densely populated city like Tokyo. By definition urban sports are played in public areas and are like plug and play. Played on the basis of the characteristics and cultures of a country, YOU.FO uses conditions that are available. Once both teams accept where the end zones are, they can start the game.’

Recently sports like 3x3 basketball and skateboarding were included in the Olympics. YOU.FO feels it could eventually gain that same status. ‘The Open World Cup on 18 June is a great next step’, says Ruyssenaars. ‘With some forty countries and over 10,500 registered players we could qualify for an Olympic status eventually. Self-organising sports like skateboarding are increasingly admitted, and that’s good to see.’

Innovation
As early as 2012 and 2013 YOU.FO received prizes as an innovation sport, and in 2016 was granted an encouragement award by Sport Innovator. Bas Ruyssenaars: ‘Communities come about in various places in the world. We do not have a traditional structure with national federations. YOU.FO World should be the linchpin, with local hubs everywhere. Everyone is associated with YOU.FO World directly. We travel around the world to activate the hubs. Africa and Canada are next.’

Giel Bos: ‘We really want to do it our way, but occasionally we collide with existing structures. In many countries you can only get off the ground with a structure of federations and associations. It is a huge challenge. Asian teams have to get used to playing without referees, but it creates a special dynamic.’

Everyone’s equal
In Japan and South Korea YOU.FO has been embraced by informal player groups of friends. YOU.FO is also very popular in North America and Australia. ‘Currently 50 teams registered for the world championships. Half of those is from the Netherlands, the other half from Nigeria, Uganda, Ireland, Germany, Belgium and the Czech Republic. It is a sport open to anyone. We want it to be as inclusive as possible. It is a mix of men, women, boys and girls from age 12 and up. During the tournament everyone’s equal.

The Japanese take it very seriously, they have been training for months. ‘The last championships were won by a team of teachers of the MBO Sportcollege in Utrecht. The Dutch clubs are close to the source, as it were. But I wouldn’t be surprised if this time a team from Japan or the USA would win. There’s an overlap with lacrosse, ultimate frisbee, ice hockey, field hockey and floorball as far as controlling the stick is concerned.’

Organisation
In the Netherlands about 500 workshops a year are organised at schools and sports clubs. Ruyssenaars: ‘You see the same thing happening in North America, Asia and Australia. Some 1,000 active members have registered at our digital platform. Worldwide over 100,000 people have gotten to know the sport. The next step towards global expansion could be an open Japanese tournament or an American state as the organizer.’

Organising the sixth World Cup takes more than Bos had expected. ‘We have contacts with local authorities and the IND for the African players. We work together with Hockey Club Den Bosch. The city and the provincial authorities are all in favour. We feature on billboards for three weeks. We have several partners who we hope will commit to us for a long term. And we are at the stage where we recruit teams to take part. The time is right to find some strategic sponsor partners who feel strongly about innovation and healthy living.’

Community
The YOU.FO community is important, which is why social interaction is facilitated by organising a BBQ. Moreover, the day of new sports is held. ‘In 2022 we did a try-out with sports like spike ball, cross net, kanjam, street racket en football skill, which originate from North America, Switzerland and Brazil. Students of the Koning Willem I College were supervising at that time. Om June 18 in the afternoon we will have a symposium with a panel of experts discussing the implementation of new sports.’

‘That day we will meet up with fellow pioneers who want to highlight sports. After ten years we are still as enthusiastic about YOU.FO as before. It feels like yesterday when we started. A sport like padel, which seems so recent, has been around 1964, so it had a really long build-up. Sports participation among kids between 10 and 18 years is on the wane in the Netherlands and the rest of Europe. With urban sports and non-traditional sports we want them to get back into exercising. Plenty of reasons to come by in Den Bosch – whether you are a professional, a kid, a parent or a potential partner.’

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