Bandy

Bandy is a winter team sport played on ice in which two teams of eleven players, wearing skates, use curved sticks to pass, control and strike a small hard ball into the opponent’s goal. The playing surface is roughly the size of an association football pitch, and many of the sport’s rules—including offside, free strokes and corner strokes—are closely modelled on football. Bandy is often referred to as “winter football.” Its international governing body is the Federation of International Bandy (FIB).

History

Modern bandy developed in England, particularly in the Fens of Cambridgeshire, where skating and stick-and-ball games on frozen flooded meadows were popular in the 18th and 19th centuries. The Bury Fen Bandy Club, near St Ives, is often cited as an early centre of the game. During the 19th century the sport began to be organised more formally, and by the 1890s the National Bandy Association of England had published codified rules. In this period, bandy was played both on ice and, in a related form, on grass.

From England, bandy spread to Scandinavia, Russia and other parts of Europe, often through British engineers, traders and soldiers. It became especially popular in Sweden, Finland, Norway and the Russian Empire, and later the Soviet Union. The Federation of International Bandy was founded in Stockholm in 1955 by the Soviet Union, Sweden, Finland and Norway. The first Men’s Bandy World Championship was held in Helsinki in 1957 and was won by the Soviet Union. A Women’s Bandy World Championship was established in 2004, with Sweden emerging as the early dominant team.

Rules and equipment

Playing surface and goal

Bandy is played on a rectangular ice surface measuring between 90 and 110 metres long and between 45 and 65 metres wide. International matches are normally played on the larger end of this range, making the pitch comparable in size to a football field. The goal is 3.5 metres wide and 2.1 metres high. A penalty spot is located 12 metres from the goal line. The rink is surrounded by low boards, and markings include a centre line, penalty areas and corner positions.

Players and equipment

Each team has eleven players on the ice, including a goalkeeper. Substitutions are unlimited and may often be made while play is in progress. The ball is made of hard plastic, is usually orange or crimson, has a diameter of about 63 millimetres and weighs approximately 60–65 grams. Sticks are made of wood or composite materials and have a curved blade; their maximum length is 127 centimetres. Unlike ice hockey goaltenders, a bandy goalkeeper does not use a stick. The goalkeeper may use hands and any part of the body to play the ball within the penalty area.

Match format and gameplay

A standard match consists of two halves of 45 minutes each. In knockout competitions, tied matches may be decided by extra time and, if necessary, by penalty strokes. Bandy uses an offside rule similar to association football: an attacking player may not be nearer to the opposing goal line than both the ball and the second-last opponent when the ball is played forward.

Body checking is prohibited, although shoulder-to-shoulder contact when challenging for the ball is generally permitted. Players cannot use their hands or arms to play the ball, except the goalkeeper inside the penalty area. Infringements result in free strokes, corner strokes or penalty shots, according to the nature and location of the foul. Penalties such as temporary suspensions, usually of five or ten minutes, and match penalties may be imposed for more serious offences.

International competition

World Championships

The Men’s Bandy World Championship has been held regularly since 1957. The Soviet Union and its successor Russia have historically dominated the competition, while Sweden has also won multiple world titles. Finland, Norway and Kazakhstan have regularly contested the medal positions. The Women’s Bandy World Championship has been held since 2004, with Sweden, Russia and Finland among the leading nations.

The FIB also organises world championships for under-19 and under-17 teams, and bandy is included in the Asian Winter Games, having made its debut in 2011.

Club and league play

The strongest club leagues are in Russia and Sweden. The Russian Bandy Super League and the Swedish Elitserien are widely regarded as the leading professional competitions. A club competition known as the Bandy World Cup has been held annually in Sweden since the 1970s, bringing together top club teams from different countries.

Olympic status

Bandy was played as a demonstration sport at the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo. It is recognised by the International Olympic Committee, but has not yet been included in the official Winter Olympic programme. The FIB has continued to campaign for Olympic inclusion, though the sport’s relatively small number of competitive nations and its requirement for a large ice surface remain practical challenges.

Geography and popularity

Bandy is most popular in Russia, Sweden, Finland, Norway and Kazakhstan. In Russian it is known as khokkey s myachom, meaning “hockey with a ball”; in Finnish it is called jääpallo, meaning “ice ball.” The sport also has organised national teams and domestic activity in countries such as the Netherlands, Germany, Hungary, Estonia, Mongolia, Japan, China, the United States and Canada.

Variants

Rink bandy is a scaled-down version of the sport played on a standard ice hockey rink with fewer players, usually six per side. It has been promoted by the FIB as a development tool in countries where full-sized bandy pitches are not available. While rink bandy follows the general principles of bandy, the smaller surface and reduced team size produce a faster, more compact game.