What is freestyle football?

Freestyle Football (also known as Freestyle Soccer in the United States) has been around since the early 1990s but is just now picking up in popularity. Over recent years, it has spread across the globe and is played by millions of people.

History and Origin of freestyle football

Its origins can be traced back 1500 years. During the early 1900s, performers honed their juggling skills for the circus. Now, it is one of the most competitive sports around. It was taken from the street culture of football, as many street performers made the sport famous before it was officially established into an organized event.

Freestyle Football is nothing like regular football – it is a solo performance of extreme footballing skills (primarily juggling skills). Many describe the sport as a personal expression through the art of juggling. With its increase in popularity, many people are making a career out of Freestyle Football, often becoming famous while doing so.

The international governing body of Freestyle Football is the Freestyle Football Federation (F3). They oversee any competitions, manage rankings, and have local offices for registration of athletes. Their mission is to help with the overall awareness and participation of the craft. The official slogan of the sport is “All You Need Is a Ball.”

Freestyle football competitions

There are tons of competitions across the world, bringing out some of the best freestyle footballers yet. The Freestyle Football Federation founded its first world tour in 2011, and ever since it has been one of the top sporting spectacles.

The first championships were held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, with Andrew Henderson winning the first ever world title. With the competition being a major success, the organization changed the structure into a tour, hosting competitions across the world before culminating in a simply stunning final competition.

The seasons runs for an entire year from May to April, resulting in an incredible spectacle for everyone involved. These events are broadcasted across the world and are often some of the most highly-televised events around.

Only the top 16 athletes compete in the F3 World Tour – they are hosted by multiple cities and compete against each other at every stop. The competitions run much like Formula One races, where each athlete gets points based on their performance. These points are cumulated throughout the entire season.

In 2006, Nike released a series of advertisements featuring professional footballers performing freestyle tricks. After the successful ad campaign, Nike hosted a series of televised freestyle competitions.

These are the two big producers of Freestyle Football competitions, but there are plenty of independent events and tournaments across the world. They are held at stadiums, theaters, and even on the streets.

Freestyle Football Skills

Notable football freestylers

If you’re just entering the world of Freestyle Football, there are a few names that you should know. Rickard “Palle” Sjolander is one of the most famous freestylers to date. He has pioneered the sport by developing dozens of original tricks. His greatest influence was on the development of lower body moves, which was picked up by rising star Pawel Skora of Poland.

Andrew Henderson won the first official F3 World Championship in 2011, and is still a very formidable opponent on tour. The most recent World Champion was Michal Rycaj of Poland. He remained undefeated the entire 2013 season.

Men are not the only ones who partake in this beautiful sport – there are also plenty of extremely talented women who showcase their freestyling skills to the world. Freestylers such as Kitti Szasz and Laura Biondo pave the way for women in the sport as they are among the top freestylers in the world.

More than just football

Freestyle Football takes an incredible amount of skill and dedication, and only the top athletes in the world are truly successful at it. With its ever-increasing popularity it will only become more competitive.

This is more than just a sport – it’s an art form. Athletes dedicate their entire lives to developing new tricks and expressions with the ball. After the introduction of the sport in the early 1990s, people have become more interested in it. However, it wasn’t until the early 21st century that is began to truly pick up.

After Nike hosted multiple tournaments in 2006 and the Freestyle Football Federation was formed, tournaments and events began showing up everywhere. With the implementation of a year-long, international freestyle season, the sport is only going to grow in popularity and success.