Cheat sheet for referees and organisers
Bubble Football — The Rules at a Glance
Set-up
- •Two teams of 4–6. Five a side is the common set-up.
- •Pitch 25–30 m by 15–20 m — roughly half a football pitch.
- •Two halves of 5–8 minutes with a 2-minute break.
- •A coin toss decides kick-off. Short halves — the game drains you.
- •Check each suit is fully inflated before the first whistle.
Fouls
- •Charging a player from behind while they are stationary.
- •Going for the legs below the bubble.
- •Sliding tackles — banned outright in most games.
- •Using elbows, fists or the head outside the bubble shell.
- •Loosening or removing the suit during play.
Safety check
- •Bubble covers torso and head; arms out through the side openings.
- •Harness and shoulder straps fastened and set for each player.
- •Pitch checked for stones, glass and holes before every session.
- •Help up any player who falls and cannot right themselves.
- •Stop play immediately if a bubble deflates or a seam goes.
Game variations
- Last Man Standing — free-for-all, the last player upright wins
- Bubble Sumo — two players in a circle, shove the other out
- Bubble Relay — team race dribbling through a course of cones