Kronum

Kronum

Highest governing body	Kronum League
Nickname(s)	Josef's Game
First played	2006, Villanova, Pennsylvania, United States
Characteristics
Contact	Contact
Team members	10 to 20 (10 at a time)
Mixed gender	Single
Categorization	Outdoor (2006-2010), Indoor and Outdoor (2011)
Equipment	Kronum
Olympic	No

Kronum is a sport which was invented in 2008 by Josef Allen at Villanova University. It is currently played only in the United States, with professional league games taking place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Kronum is becoming more popular in Europe^{[citation needed]}. Gibson decided to include elements of different sports: soccer, basketball and handball. The main philosophy of Kronum is to introduce a new gameplay experience to the world of sports, this is why the main slogan of Kronum is “join the revolution." This sport combines classical activities (football, basketball, handball, rugby…) into a common sport where players can contribute their unique skill-sets to the game. The website of the American Kronum league also works like a social network where fans and players can stay in contact.

Presentation

Kronum is played by two teams, each with 10 players on the field at all times. The match is divided into three phases of 20 minutes. The goal of this sport is to score as many points as possible. When someone scores a goal, the number of points are depend to the place where the shot was taken on the field. Kronum goals have at their top five rings which have a diameter of 20 inches (50 cm). When a player scores through one of those rings (“Ring Shot”), points are worth twice what they would be scoring into the chamber. Physical contact is allowed like in rugby for example, though excessive contact may result in the fouled player, throw-in is done on boundary circle and contact while act of shooting may result a penalty shot to be kicked or thrown from the tip of the wedge zone.

The average score for a match is between 80 and 120 points.

The field

The field consists of three concentric circles. On the outer circle are the four Kronum goals which are shared by the two teams. In front of every goal is a round Goal Zone and a rectilinear Wedge Zone. Then is the Cross Zone having the shape of a cross. In the middle of the field the smaller ring is called the Prime Ring.

Kronum's field

Prime Rush and Game Play

Each of the three periods starts with the "Prime Rush" when the referee bounces the ball on the ground inside the prime ring high into the air. Only two players from each team may enter the Second Ring, in an attempt to gain possession of the ball. Strategic teams will send players immediately toward each goal, even before one team gains possession of the ball. These players will then be in position to defend or score quickly. All 10 players from each team are allowed to use any part of their body to dribble, except in the Wedge Zone where the use of arms and hands is prohibited. Like in Basketball, players can dribble with their hands, and may only take two steps with the ball in the hands without dribbling. This violation of the rules is called traveling. At any given moment of the game, one team is trying to score on any of the four goals, and one team defending all four goals. All players are allowed to touch the ball with the hand in the Goal Zone. When the attacking team scores, a player from the defending team is given the ball to establish possession in the Second Ring, and that team becomes the attacking team.

Positions

Each Kronum team on the field consists of 10 players, who play three distinct positions: Wedge backs, Rangers, and Crossers.

• Wedge Back: One Wedge back plays in each of four Goal Zones, where use of hands and arms is allowed to defend the goal. The Wedge back must defend the goals when the opposing team is in possession, and score low-point goals during periods of possession.
• Ranger: The area beyond the Wedge back position consists of one Ranger for each goal, resulting in four Ranger positions during game play. Rangers may cross into other goal zones to assist in defending or scoring, but tend to focus on scoring from the two or four point zones of a particular goal during game play.
• Crosser: The two remaining players are in a position referred to as Crossers. Crossers are similar to point guards in basketball, and focus on gaining possession of the ball, and getting the ball out to other players who can score easily.

The game is fast-paced because possessions can change quickly, and players must be able to adapt to defensive or offensive positions at any given time during game play.

Scoring

The points are counted depending from where the shot was taken:

• Goal Zone = 1 point
• Wedge Zone = 2 points
• Flex Zone = 2 points
• Cross Zone/2nd Ring = 4 points

Those points are doubled if the player makes a Ring Shot instead of simply kicking or throwing the ball into the chamber (the goal under the rings). If the player makes a Ring Shot from the Second Ring (for example), he scores 8 points for his team, called a "Kronum." A Kronum is an extremely difficult shot to make, since it must be made from at least 25 feet from the goal.

Teams

Currently there are only 6 teams. They are all based in U.S.A. and took part in the American Championship:

• Jet Sets
• Night Owls
• Nimble Jacks
• Throwbacks
• Urban Legends
• Work Horses
• Evergreens (since 2012)

The Nimble Jacks won the first championship and the 2nd Kronum Captain's Cup. The Urban Legends won the 1st Captain's Cup. The next Kronum Recreational League has been underway since the beginning of May 2011 and it is played in an indoor arena with a 50-yard (46 m) diameter field. The first Kronum League Championship to be played on this new "K-50" field was played on Sunday, January 22nd, 2012, between the Nimble Jacks and Urban Legends. The Nimble Jacks won the game, earning another championship title. The professional league will resume play in 2012.

Developing and diffusion

The media has grown more interested in Kronum in the U.S.A., especially Wired and the ESPN TV show SportsNation. Fans of the sport are using social networks to organize local Kronum recreation leagues. In Europe, interest in this sport is growing through social networks, press and the internet. The New York Times, the French newspaper Le Monde, the Italian La Stampa and the Spanish., Italian, UK versions of Yahoo/Eurosport wrote about Kronum.

External links

• Official Kronum Website
• Official YouTube Channel