Scoutscan.com Games Database

Prisons


Equipment

Football (sponge with very young players)
Whistle (not essential)
20 plastic/wooden chairs common or garden - Scout HQ variety in safe condition. ie not the vicars best polished ones!
A Ball proof Scout H.Q.

Game Description

A quarter circle of chairs are placed in diametric opposite corners of the hall (about 10m apart). These are the prisons.

The hall should be divided into two areas by a chalk line or other more permanent means.

The group is divided into two teams, each with a captain and each team stands in one of the areas.

A leader moves to the centre of the room and throws the ball up into the air. The two captains must try to deflect the ball back to their team.

The object thereafter is to get all the opposing team in to the prison behind you.

Fouls/contraventions are identified by the leader in charge and whistle blown to stop the game.

A team member is sent to prison if for any reason the ball touches his/her legs below the knee or he/she contravenes a rule. The referee's decision is of course completely biased but final.

The ball can be thrown from the teams' home area or by an emprisoned player(standing on chairs etc), in the prison behind the opposing team.

ONCE A PLAYER HAS THE BALL HE/SHE MUST NOT MOVE HIS/HER FEET. The ball must therefore be thrown to other team members nearer the centreline so that the shot can be more effective.

A player is only allowed to defend him/herself by using straightened arms with balled fists to deflect the ball being thrown at them (French Cricket style).

Be mindful of the more sensitive youngsters and be vigorous in the control of the game until the rules are well known.

Over aggressive play should be controlled by use of the 'SIN BIN' or just send them to 'prison'.

To keep playing time to a minimum then the game is won by all the opposing team being in your prison.

However with older players a certain strategic emphsis can be introduced by allowing a further rule.

Players can therefore, in this longer version get out of prison by making a 'clean catch' of the ball.

They may at this point choose to throw the ball at the enemy or pass it back to their own side.

Once they have made the catch, however there is no free passage home and they must ensure that their legs are not hit by the ball, on the way back to their home area.