A new sport is emerging from Switzerland, born from a desire to blend the best elements of several established disciplines. “Vockys,” as it’s been christened, is the brainchild of Yanik Sansonnens, a 42-year-old student at HEP Vaud, and a 14-year-old student named Elaine, whom he met while coaching French for the Proactif foundation in Vevey. The sport, officially unveiled on , aims to be accessible, scalable, and educational, adapting to various audiences and contexts.
Sansonnens, a former journalist, conceived of Vockys as a way to channel a multitude of ideas into a concrete project. The game draws inspiration from volleyball, unihockey, football, and rugby, creating a unique hybrid that emphasizes scoring goals. The name itself is a portmanteau of “volley,” “hockey,” and “rugby,” with an added “s” to avoid trademark conflicts.
While the world may not have been clamoring for another sport, Sansonnens saw an opportunity to add to the landscape of athletic competition. He and Elaine have developed a detailed set of rules, available online, that govern the flow of the game. The core concept revolves around three distinct phases: volleyball, hockey, and rugby, each with its own scoring method.
The game is played with two teams of five players, including a goalkeeper, though Sansonnens notes that teams can also compete with six field players. During the volleyball phase, points are scored by hitting the volleyball with the hand. The hockey phase involves hitting a hockey ball with a stick, though players are limited to using their feet in a designated “neutral zone.” Finally, the rugby phase requires players to strike a rugby ball with their foot to score.
A full-scale competitive match involves two teams of ten players (eight field players and two goalkeepers), with five substitutions allowed throughout a game consisting of three 10-minute periods. The rules also incorporate elements like penalties, penalty kicks, bans, free kicks, and three-point goals, adding layers of strategic complexity.
One immediate challenge facing Vockys is equipment. Sansonnens is currently seeking proposals for specialized equipment, noting that existing unihockey equipment is insufficient and hockey equipment is unsuitable for indoor play. He specifically highlighted the need for a safer rugby ball, currently using a foam version to mitigate injury risk.
The potential for injury is acknowledged by Sansonnens, particularly given the force with which players can strike the rugby ball. However, he believes the varying actions required in Vockys will contribute to the development of transversal, cognitive, social, and emotional capacities in young players.
Despite the complexity of the rules, Sansonnens is optimistic about the sport’s accessibility. He recognizes the importance of role models in attracting young athletes, but believes that teachers in compulsory schools can play a key role in popularizing Vockys. He even jokingly suggested reaching out to Roger Federer as a potential ambassador, acknowledging the lack of established stars in the nascent sport.
Sansonnens has already invested personal funds into the project, creating a multilingual website and securing trademark protection in Switzerland and Europe. His initial goal is to see Vockys implemented in schools throughout Switzerland. The sport’s unique blend of familiar elements and innovative rules could potentially fill a niche in the athletic landscape, offering a fresh challenge for athletes and a new option for physical education programs.
Vockys joins a growing list of hybrid sports, including Bossaball (a combination of volleyball, soccer, gymnastics, and capoeira), Chess Boxing, and Slamball (a full-contact hybrid of basketball, American football, ice hockey, acrobatics, and video games). The emergence of these sports reflects a continuing trend towards innovation and experimentation within the world of athletics.
The sport’s slogan, “Why choose one, if several are possible?” encapsulates the core philosophy behind Vockys – a willingness to embrace diversity and combine the best aspects of multiple disciplines into a single, dynamic game.
