Exy

Exy is a sport played on a soccer-sized court that has walls and ceilings made of plexiglass. It is "an evolved sort of lacrosse [...] with the violence of ice hockey". A team consists of six players, each of which has a racquet with varying depths of netting. To score, the players must shoot the ball at the goal, a rectangle marked on the shorter wall. The goal will light up in red if it has been hit. The objective of the game is to out-score one's opponents.

Exy is played in two forty-five minute halves with a fifteen minute halftime break.

The Exy Rules and Regulations Committee (ERC) is responsible for approving rule changes and generally oversees the sport.

Positions

There are four positions: striker, dealer, backliner, and goalkeeper.

Strikers: The striker is offense and plays to score. Strikers start the game on the half-court line. The strikers on the serving team start on the inside; strikers for the defending team are on the outside.

Dealer: The dealer serves and is thereafter the middleman; dealers have the option to specialize as offense or defense and can play as an extra striker or backliner depending on how the game is going. Dealers start on the first/far-court lines.

Backliner: The backliner is defense and protects the goal. Backliners start on the first/far-court lines.

Goalkeeper: The goalkeeper guards the goal.

Six players per team are allowed on the court at a time. Generally speaking, this allows for two strikers, a dealer, two backliners, and the goalkeeper. The goalkeeper is an optional position, however; a manager may sacrifice the goal for an extra player under certain circumstances.

The minimum size for an NCAA team is currently nine players. In theory this allows for six on-court players and a sub for each position save goalkeeper. After recent events this rule is under review and posited to increase to twelve.

Equipment

Racquet: Net depth varies by position. Dealers have the deepest nets so they can more easily carry the ball between offense and defense. Striker racquets are a bit shallower, still allowing them time to line up a perfect shot. Backliner racquets have just a little give, as backliners are strongly discouraged from carrying the ball; the longer a ball is near the goal the higher the chance an opposing striker can take possession of it. Goalkeeper racquets are flat. They are also the largest of the racquets, with a head that measures 1.5 x 2 feet.

Goalkeeper racquets are also the longest allowed on court, with a shaft that tops out at 4 feet. Racquets for every other position have a range of 30-45 inches based on player height and preference. Racquet weights are also negotiable, as are the materials allowed in the construction. Generally speaking, offense racquets are made of aluminum (for lighter carry and more control), and heavy defense racquets are made of wood (for more power and force in challenges).

Ball: Roughly the size of a fist and weighted for rebounds

Helmet: Required to be worn on the court at all times unless instructed otherwise by an official or unless the game is not in session. A visor goes in front of the eyes to allow a protected but unobstructed view of the court; grating protects the face from the nose down.

Armor: Chest and shoulder padding, neck guard, shin guards, arm guards, and armored gloves to protect the players' fingers. Optional: bandannas to keep hair out of one's face, armor to wear over one's thighs under one's shorts, and mouth guards (to prevent accidental injury during collisions)

Court

An Exy court is 60 yards wide x 100 yards long x 10 yards tall (or 55 x 91 x 9 in meters -- roughly the size of a soccer field). It is completely enclosed by a half-inch thick plexiglass wall: primarily for rebounds and passing, but also to protect the audience from being struck by the ball. Both Home and Away have doors to allow players on and off that bolt on the outside. These doors must not be open when the ball is in play.

The Foxhole Court (The Palmetto State Foxes' Exy stadium)

The court is divided into fourths by three lines: first-court (near the Home goal), half-court, and far-court (near the Away goal). Penalty shots are taken from marked spots halfway between first-court/far-court and the Home/Away goal.

The Exy goals are on either end of the court. The actual goal is a 3 x 7 yard (2.7 x 6.4 meter) section on the wall outlined by a bold line. The goalkeeper's territory is the 3 x 7 area on the ground directly in front of the goal, also marked by a line. Players are not allowed to cross the goal line. The boxed-in area of the goal wall is laden with sensors. When a ball strikes inside the goal the wall will light up red. A ball that hits the goal's border itself does not count. Each goal counts as one point.

Rules

1. Off-sides is in effect on Exy courts. Meaning: an offense player who does not have possession of the ball, or who is moving to take possession of the ball, must have an opposing defense player between him or herself and the opposing goalkeeper at all times. This prevents strikers from waiting near the goal to score. The penalty for off-sides is loss of possession and a reset to the half-court line.

2. Body checks are allowed against players who have reasonable possession of the ball: that is, who currently have it, who have just relinquished it, or who are within a moment of receiving it. The player who currently has possession of the ball may body-check any other player with no restrictions. A faulty body check results in loss of possession and a reset to the next-closest court line.

3. Any other form of fighting is prohibited and will result in a card. The severity decides whether the card is yellow or red; it also determines whether a team deserves a penalty shot or a simple loss in possession. Games are restarted from where play was halted; the exact spot will be decided on by the residing referee. No other player may stand within ten feet of the dealer during a mid-play serve.

4. "Stick checks" are allowed only between racquets. A player who strikes another player's body with his or her racquet will be carded and the opposing team will receive a penalty shot. This includes using one's racquet to trip another player. A stick check against another player's helmet is an immediate red card and earns the wounded team a penalty shot on goal.

5. Balls may only be carried for 10 steps, at which point they must be passed. Acceptable passes are to a teammate, to oneself via a rebound, or a shot on goal.

6. One yellow card is a warning. Two result in the player sitting out the remainder of the game. A player who is red-carded is immediately expelled from the ongoing game and must sit out of the next one as well.

7. Exy games for youths and high schoolers require four referees at minimum. From the NCAA level upward six are required, three to either side of the court.

8. Goalkeepers are the only players allowed to touch the ball with their hands. Players cannot catch, kick, or otherwise interfere with the ball unless using their racquets. Violation of this is a stop-play and switch of possession.

Games

Before games, teams are given the opportunity to warm up by running laps around the court. Then each team can practice shots on one half of the court for 20 minutes.

Both team captains meet with the referees on the court for a handshake and a coin toss that determines which team gets first serve and which team starts playing on home court.

Six referees are in attendance, arranged three on each side of the court, outside the walls.

At the beginning of games, the starting line-ups are called from offense to defense. When a player's name is called, they enter the court and take their starting position.

History

Exy was invented by Kayleigh Day and Tetsuji Moriyama roughly 30 years ago in Fukui, Japan. It started as an experiment but quickly spread from the university campus to street teams and then abroad. When Kayleigh returned to Ireland she brought the game with her and the USA picked it up soon after.

Class I Exy

An Exy league played by university teams in the USA. The season starts in August.

Known Teams

• Palmetto State Foxes
• Edgar Allen Ravens
• USC Trojans
• Millport Dingos
• Breckenridge Jackals
• US Court
• JD Tornadoes
• Binghamton Bearcats
• UT Longhorns
• Belmonte Terrapins
• UV Catamounts