Broom League: Move Up, Move Down

A homemade hockey league with brooms, tennis balls and cardboard boxes as goals, on five small courts. Winners move up a court, losers move down, and fair-play points count as much as goals.

How to play

1. Explain and set up: five small courts in the schoolyard, each with two cardboard boxes on their side as goals; ten teams of three (4 min).
2. Round 1, four minutes: a goal is when the ball goes into the box; afterward, the winner moves up a court and the loser moves down (5 min).
3. Rounds 2 and 3 with the same system; before each round, teams greet each other by tapping brooms on the ground (10 min).
4. Round 4: at the end, each team gives its opponent zero to two fair-play points, which are added to the standings (6 min).
5. Final standings and discussion: which team moved up the most? Who got the most fair-play points? (5 min).

Rules

• Broom bristles stay on the ground; the handle never goes above the waist.
• Nobody stands in or on the box to block it.
• No sweeping an opponent's feet or touching their broom.
• Fair-play points are given honestly, not as payback.

Variations

Adaptations

• Wheelchair users: play with a short-handled broom on the widest court, with opponents keeping one meter away.
• Students with low frustration tolerance: fair-play points give them a path to success beyond the score.
• Blind or low-vision students: use a ball wrapped in a plastic bag that rustles as it rolls, on a court with a sighted guide.

Learning goals

• Play hockey with homemade equipment.
• Compete fairly and respectfully.
• Make attacking and defending decisions in small-sided play.

Equipment for a class of 25

• brooms: 30
• tennis balls: 6
• cardboard boxes: 10
• cones: 20
• pinnies: 15

Teacher tip

Grocery-store cardboard boxes last several lessons if you tape the corners. Move up, move down mixes opponents without you having to build a schedule.

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