Football on the Moon is a thing. Here are rules you’d need to follow.
A recent post by the Insitute of Engineering and Technology (IET) highlights the possibility of competitive football on the surface of the moon, that too as soon as 2035. But it’s going to be a LOT different than soccer here. Let’s take a look at what Football on the Moon could possibly look like in the next decade or so.
Football on the Moon? MoonBall? Lunar Soccer?
A panel of engineers, technologists, and scientists at IET have created the first Lunar Football Rule Book that has made a ‘couple’ of changes to the football we all know and love. Done to adapt the game to the harsh and dusty terrain, zero oxygen conditions, and potentially fatal collisions, football on the moon will be “different”, to say the least.
Is Lunar Soccer even plausible?
I mean is this even possible? Moon’s gravity is six times weaker than that of Earth so a ball traveling at the same speed will travel SIX TIMES further there. What about their ‘jerseys’? What about the playtime? Fear not as the scientists have thought of all that.
Players must wear a flexible airtight suit with oxygen tanks, heating and cool systems, inbuilt padding, and flannel to absorb sweat. They’ll have ‘Moon Boots’ instead of studded soccer ones. Their helmets will have a built-in visor for communication. The matches will be refereed by a hologram referee + WAS which will give virtual yellow and red cards directly to player’s visors.
Game Time and Player Count
Lunar Soccer will be a 5 on 5 game with no tackles or headers allowed. So interceptions will be the only way to steal the ball from your opponent. Games will be played on Lunar noon for maximum visibility and low shadows. 90 minutes games will be a thing of the past instead condensed to four 10-minute quarters. There’ll be a generous 20-minute break in between the quarters for refueling and recovery. So although the playtime will be less, a single game of Lunar Soccer will last 100 minutes.
Ball, Pitch, and Goal
The Game Ball will be 1.5x larger and contain a “Next-Gen Aerogel” core. This will make it easier for players to hit and bounce the airless sphere. The pitch itself will have to be laser sintered to ensure a consistent and durable playfield. It’ll be shrunk down to 32m x 25m to prevent exhaustion. For reference, a football ground on Earth is 105m x 68m, 8 times larger than the Moon Field. Goal posts will also be larger (10.9m x 2.92m) to account for the fact that jumping on the moon is much easier.
But why?
Are you also wondering why do all this? We’re still far far away from commercializing moon travel and we don’t even have a moon base yet. Why would anyone care about playing football on the moon, when we have much bigger things to worry about?
Well, the IET has good reasons behind it. Though it seems far away, International Lunar Football might only be a generation away. As such, IET wants children to be encouraged and inspired by a potential future in STEM. So alongside the post, they also launched a competition for kids in the UK (Aged 4-13) to design the first official Moon Utd Football Kit for the kick-off for its Engineer a Better World initiative.
“Getting young people to think about how engineering and technology can be part of the things that they love is really important, and doing this from an early age is essential in showcasing the opportunities available and raising aspirations for careers in these sectors,” said Ama Frimpong, one of the judges of the competition.
So, although it seems silly to write a Rule Book for something so far out in the distance, it can serve as inspiration for the young to get interested in STEM fields. By coupling the imaginative allure of Lunar Soccer with engineering, IET seeks to kindle the curiosity and interest of children to explore and pursue science.
