International court soccer

Hybrid of racquetball and soccer sweeping athletic scene

By DEREK GHAN, Sports Editor

Published: February 26, 2003

Has soccer lost its draw? Are you in search of a newer, quicker, more intense kicking-related sport? If so, then look no further. Thanks to a man named John Birks, it's here.

Birks, after kicking around a volleyball in a racquetball court, has come up with a new sport he has officially dubbed International Court Soccer (ICS). The idea came around in 1986 while Birks and a friend were waiting for a pick-up basketball game to come together in an athletic club: "We were waiting at a YMCA in Portland to play some pick-up basketball, and I said 'why don't we go into the racquetball court with a volleyball and kick it around a little bit?' And it kind of evolved, and I came up with rules ... and I became excited enough about the game that I thought I should get a copyright on the rules of the game; so I did that."

Despite Birks' excitement for his new development, he was hesitant to introduce the sport to the public. "At the time, I didn't think the timing was right to release the game, and my personal life was in a phase that proved that the timing wasn't right either. I didn't have the energy or the focus to go in that direction."

After 17 years of waiting for the opportune moment, he has decided to reveal his dream to the public, starting at the Olympic Athletic Club in Ballard. The official kick-off of Birks' creation took place this past weekend and showed promise as acquaintances and curious onlookers alike watched, intrigued by what they saw behind the racquetball court's Plexiglas wall. Rather than the normal sight of two athletes attacking a fist-sized ball with racquets, they saw two individuals juggling, then kicking, a black, felted ball roughly the size of a volleyball against the front wall with all the force they could muster.

International Court Soccer is to some extent a hybrid of racquetball and soccer. The equipment and the rules, copyrighted by Birks, are simple and allow for a faster paced handless sport. The only necessary gear required to play the game are non-marking shoes, a racquetball court, an 18-panel ICS regulation ball (a unique creation of Birks') and an opponent.

The basic idea of the game is to kick the ICS regulation ball from a server's box at the front wall. It's not too much unlike racquetball ... minus the racquet. The ball, which weighs in between a soccer ball and a volleyball and has the bounce and consistency of a tennis ball, can hit any wall after it hits the front wall, but must bounce within a given area on the court. The opponent is then allowed a bounce on the court floor and up to three hits (or juggles, for all you soccer folk) to kick the ball to the front wall.

From the necessary rule-making, patenting, trademarking and copyrighting, down to choosing the color and design of an ICS regulation ball, Birks has proven that there is a lot more than meets the eye when it comes to the development of a new sport. Birks says he approached a patent lawyer several years ago to discuss copyrighting and trademarking his idea, and it hasn't been cheap. "This year alone my legal fees have been $7,000," Birks said.

But he doesn't seem to mind the work and finance that come with bringing a new pastime to communities around the country. "I put out a lot of energy, and the last few weeks have been building up to this," Birks said of his efforts toward the kick-off of his new sport. He said he will always feel anticipation and anxiety over whether his newly developed sport will catch on and find a following. But as he watched the kick-off progress, his hopes rose as curious onlookers strolled in to check out the event.

The kick-off didn't go unnoticed by the SPU community, as a handful of women from the Falcon women's soccer team showed up to give the new game a try. Coerced by freshman middle Allison Teague, the Falcon women showed up to test their soccer skills in a different environment. "Ally Teague knows John Birks, so she called us and said we should come down and play," said sophomore Laura Walker, a defender for the women's soccer team at SPU. There's even some informal talk, according to Birks, that the women's team may put International Court Soccer into its training schedule.

Birks' goals go even further than Seattle when he looks at the big picture. He plans to send his nephews, who came to Seattle for the kick-off from Connecticut, back to the East Coast to introduce the sport to the other side of the nation. He is also planning a trip to the Midwest to bring the indoor sport to a region heavily involved in the soccer scene. "Next winter I'll take the game to the Midwest, because there's a lot of snow and a lot of cold days where there's a huge soccer population. If we can introduce (ICS) there, it'll take off there as well," said Birks.

The sky is the limit for Birks as he continues to expose his new passion to the public. Given Birks' future plans, it seems it's only a matter of time before International Court Soccer is a household name.

To find out more about International Court Soccer, go to www.internationalcourtsoccer.com, the home page for the latest developments, news and contact information for ICS.

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