Indian innovation Roll Ball looks to widen its horizons

Roll Ball whose roots date back to 2003, bonds inline roller skating with basketball, handball and throwball. Pune’s Raju Dabhade was the brainchild behind the introduction of this sport in 2005. “The main aim of International Roll Ball Federation is to promote this Indian innovation in all countries of the world and to make it popular among the school and college students. This event will help the players to interact and exchange their cultural values and views with others. It will also create a sense of unity and brotherhood between them,” said Raju, Secretary of the International Roll Ball Federation. 

The 12-year-old game features six on court from either side, with five on-field players and a goal tender. In all, 37 state teams participated in the event. It has a strong South Indian contingent comprising ten teams. Six boys teams and four girls teams from the South zone will compete in the event. 

Roll Ball Association of Tamil Nadu, affiliated to the Roll Ball Federation of India, clinched the bid to host the tournament for the second time in three years with the inaugural one in the state held at Erode in 2015. It had also hosted the Mini Nationals for the Under-11 category back in 2013 here. 

The state has had the distinction of producing women athletes who have gone on to represent the country in World Cup and South Asian Games. Two women from the state team had made it to the Indian squad at the 2017 Roll Ball World Cup in Bangladesh. Three players also made the the trip to Kenya and Thailand. Having gained popularity only since 2009, the sport has spread across 22 districts in Tamil Nadu.