ISU intramurals has something to call its own.

“This is one of our best-kept secrets,” said Garry Greenlee,

associate director of intramurals.

Treds football is a cross between football and ultimate Frisbee,

and it isn’t offered on any other college campus in the United

States.

Each team has six players on the field at once. The team members

rotate between playing quarterback and receiver. Games are played

on artificial turf in the Lied Recreation Center. The playing field

is 20 yards long and 20 yards wide, with 10-yard end zones.

The game consists of two 10-minute halves and a five-minute

halftime. Greenlee said teams should have a couple of substitutes

because the game is non-stop running for 10 minutes, with no

timeouts. In the case of a tie at the end of regulation, there is a

three-minute overtime.

The “tredball” is one-half the size of a regular football with a

soft rubber surface, making it easy to catch.

And easy to lose.

Greenlee has searched for more tredballs but has been

unsuccessful in finding any. No one has made a treds football in 10

years and he only has five balls left, Greenlee said. “I’m the only

one with a ball like that,” he said.

Offense

A coin toss decides which team gets the ball first. The team

that wins the toss has a choice of receiving the first or second

half. The team with the ball first starts at its own goal line. The

quarterback must stay at the goal line, but other players may be

anywhere else on the field, except in the end zone.

The ball may only be advanced through forward passes. Once

players catch the ball, they may only run horizontally or

backwards. However, if the player does run backwards, he or she may

not run forward to the previous line of scrimmage.

If the tredball hits the ground or goes out of bounds, it is

considered a turnover, and the opposing team takes over from that

spot.

Offensive players may not take more than 10 seconds to throw the

ball. The defensive player has a five-second silent count then

begins to count out loud. Each completed pass in the end zone is

worth one point.

Defense

Defending teams may regain possession of the ball by

intercepting it or forcing the offense into a misthrow or drop.

When defending the quarterback, the defender must stand an

arm-length away.

Pass interference by the defense will allow the offensive team

to spot the ball at the point of infraction. If the infraction

occurs in the end zone, it is an automatic point.

“If you haven’t played it, you’re missing out,” Greenlee

said.

Entries are now open on a first-come, first-serve basis. The

entry deadline is Jan. 21 by 5 p.m.

Entries will be capped at 32 men’s, eight women’s and eight

co-rec teams. Play is Jan. 26 through Jan. 29. All teams play

single-elimination tournaments.