The IFA 2017 Fistball Men´s and Women´s World Cup dated 27 to 29 October 2017 was awarded to the club Clube Duque de Caxias in Brazil by the IFA Board of Directors. The meeting took place on the occasion of the very well organized Final 3 event in Leonding, the national indoor championship of Austria.

Furthermore, IFA confirmed the planning for the inaugural IFA 2017 Fistball World Tour, as well as four remissions and amendments to the “Fistball – Rules of the Game”. On the agenda of the Board meeting was also the confirmation of the official ball, and of the participants for the upcoming World Games in Wroclaw where the fistball competition will take place from 22 to 25 July. Teams qualified for the World Games have to provide the team rosters until end of March.

It was the first meeting where the newly elected Chair of the IFA Athletes´ Commission – national player Ines Mayer from Austria – took part, and had to decide on four modifications of the IFA Fistball Rules of the Game. All proposals brought forward by the IFA Sports Commission, which had been tested during several of last year´s events, were adopted by the Board. Starting with 1 April, substitu-tions between the 10 eligible players can be carried out without constraints.

Other regulation modifications concern the changing of sides at the end of a set, and the time-outs which will – unless stated otherwise – be held in the run-out area at the referee’s side of court. An important amendment concerns the service of the player, which will now be determined to have be-gun as soon as the ball has left the hand of the thrower and ended after the player hits the ball. Fur-thermore, a clarification was added that if a player loses ground contact during his serve and touches the ground simultaneously with both feet (one foot in front of the service line, the other behind) after the service – this is not regarded as a fault.

IFA 2017 Fistball World Tour: deadline for clubs extended until end of March

Concerning the IFA 2017 Fistball World Tour, the Board was deeply impressed by the feedback on the survey IFA did to restructure the IFA Fistball World Cup. So far, IFA got applications from 15 tourna-ment organizers to be part of the inaugural IFA 2017 Fistball World Tour. Within the next weeks, the regulations will be finalized as already 39 clubs from five continents have shown interest to partici-pate in this new event. The Board extended the registration deadline for clubs until the beginning of the first tournament, which will take place on 30 March in Brazil.

Furthermore the International Fistball Association (IFA) confirmed the following teams to participate in The World Games in Wroclaw, Poland:

– Germany
– Switzerland
– Austria
– Brazil
– Argentina
– Chile

The fistball competition is scheduled as follows:

– Jetlag day: 19.07.2017 (arrival day for athletes from outside of Europe)
– Arrival day: 20.07.2017
– Training day: 21.07.2017
– Competition: 22.-25.07.2017
– Departure day: 26.07.2017

Teams qualified for the World Games have to provide the team rosters of all potential players until end of March. To receive accreditation and hospitality from the organizing committee the final selec-tion of the athletes has to been made until end of May upon the basis of the provided long list from March.

As Competition Manager for The World Games the Board approved the new IFA Administrative Direc-tor Christoph Oberlehner; Technical Delegate will be the Chair of the IFA Sports Commission Winfried Kronsteiner, and Information Communication Technology Expert the newly elected Chair of the IFA Communications Commission Valentin Weber.

Furthermore, the IFA Board approved Sönke Spille as Press Officer for the German speaking coun-tries and Peter Schierl for English.

With the “IFA Fistball World Tour“, the International Fistball Association (IFA) launches a new tournament series this year which will replace the current World Cup as of 2018. This initiative will allow up to eight club teams from across the world to secure wild cards for the tournament’s final round – the World Tour Finals – where they will compete for the title against the continental champions. Furthermore, the introduction of the World Tour means an upgrade for the big club tournaments.

“The World Tour is a global series of fistball tournaments in various categories, through which club teams can secure wild cards for the World Tour Finals – the former World Cup. At the World Tour Finals, these wild card starters will be playing against the winners of the continental championships”, said Winfried Kronsteiner, chair of the IFA sports commission and initiator of the World Tour. The IFA will publish a monthly World Tour ranking.

A World Tour event may be organized by any club, in any of the Tour’s four categories (IFA Majors, IFA 750, IFA 250, and IFA 100). By the end of the year, the highest ranked teams will be participating at the World Tour Finals – together with the continental champions from Europe, North and South America, Africa, Asia, and Australia/Oceania.

Organizers and Club Teams Need to Apply for the World Tour

Interested organizers, including those of existing tournaments, that would like to host a World Tour event are invited to apply by February 24 via the following link.

“At the moment, we are looking for organizers of tournaments and clubs that would like to be part of the tournament series from March to October 2017. Organizers of tournaments may be IFA member associations, clubs, or cities in collaboration with a club“, stated Jörn Verleger, IFA Secretary General.
Club teams that would like to compete in the World Tour, are also invited to apply immediately NON-COMMITTALLY and FREE via the following link.

As of January 1, 2017, the International Fistball Association (IFA) has as first global sports association its headquarters in Upper Austria, in the City of Linz. Numerous activities have been initiated last year with the goal to achieve IOC recognition. In February 2017, the first Oceania Championships took place between Australia and New Zealand, and in 2017 we will also see the start of the new IFA Fistball World Tour – a tournament series with incentives for club teams. Furthermore, with the appointment of Christoph Oberlehner as Administrative Director, IFA now has for the first time a full-time employee.

In 2015, the International Fistball Association (IFA) has started a process of rapid development and dissemination of fistball. As of today, the associaton includes more than 55 member countries. A significant element of this strategy is the IOC recognition process – in 2016, IFA submitted a proposal, and the feedback from the IOC was extremely positive. “Achieving IOC recognition will be an important milestone for fistball towards becoming an Olympic sport. In the next two to three years, the recognition could become a reality”, said IFA President Karl Weiß. “However, we still have a lot of work ahead, and the entire fistball family will need to continue making a joint effort.”

International Fistball Association Moves to Linz
As part of the sports continuous professionalization, the IFA has moved its headquarters to the capital of Upper Austria, Linz, where it shares offices with the Upper Austrian Fistball Association, and the Performance Center of the Austrian Fistball Association. “In Linz, we find optimal conditions, and an ideal environment and geographical location for our new headquarters. Furthermore, we will be able to utilize synergies due to the proximity to the Austrian and Upper Austrian associations, respectively“, said Karl Weiß with regards to the benefits of the new location at the ASKÖ Bewegungscenter Linz.

“Besides Germany, Brazil, Switzerland and Argentina, Austria is one of the best fistball nations worldwide, and Upper Austria is leading the way within the country due to its intensive engagement for youth, and professional structures. Due to their extraordinary commitment, the decision makers from the Upper Austrian fistball association and clubs have fostered the development of numerous top players who have formed the backbone of the Austrian national team over the years. Upper Austria is proud of Karl Weiß and his achievements as IFA President since 2011, and his accomplishment to bring the IFA headquarters to Upper Austria”, said Dr. Michael Strugl, minister for economy and sports in Upper Austria.

Development of National Teams and Clubs
Numerous member countries are excited about the ambitious goals and visions of IFA. “Recently, a new association was founded in Iran where, following several fistball workshops, fistball is now being played in 23 of the country’s 31 provinces. And, earlier this month, the first Oceania Championships took place between Australia and New Zealand”, stated IFA Secretary General Jörn Verleger with regards to the global development of fistball. In addition to the continous development of national teams, new activities are also being started for club teams – for example, the IFA Fistball World Tour which will be initiated in 2017. “The World Tour is a global series of fistball tournaments in various categories, through which club teams can secure wild cards for the World Tour Finals – the former World Cup. At the World Tour Finals, these wild card starters will be playing against the winners of the continental championships”, said Winfried Kronsteiner, chair of the IFA sports commission and initiator of the World Tour.

First Full-Time Employee for IFA
The new year also brought another milestone for the International Fistball Association. Due to the financial support of the Federal Ministry of Defense and Sport of Austria, and thanks to Sports Minister Hans-Peter Doskozil the IFA has for the first time a full-time employee – Christoph Oberlehner, a fistball player who is active for UFG Grieskirchen/Pötting, has joined the IFA team as Administrative Director. “I am very glad to be part of a dynamic and ambitious team. In particular, I am excited about the development opportunities of our sport, and I would like to contribute to accomplishing our goals and vision”, said Mr. Oberlehner. “The creation of a full-time position was a key goal, and I am very glad to welcome Christoph Oberlehner to our team”, stated IFA President Karl Weiß.

Mr. Oberlehner brings many years of professional experience in the sports business to the table. He served as marketing and sponsoring director of Austrian soccer Bundesliga team SV Ried, as well as for a soccer consulting firm in Munich. Furthermore, he has gained experience in several projects with FIFA, the German Bobsleigh and Tobogganing Federation, as well as member of the organizing team of the Fistball Euro 2016 in Grieskirchen.

Fistball Association of Iran held their first Technical Course in Hamadan. The participants were introduced to the regulations, rules, calendar and talent identification criteria by president Jasem Manouchehri. It was the next milestone for the sport of Fistball in Iran after the association’s General Assembly in late December 2016. IFA is very pleased to see the sport progressing in Iran.
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