Started by a San Diego State grad, OmegaBall returns to campus this weekend for tournament – elcajon newson Elcajon News only

Three teams. Three goals. One soccer ball.

The soccer-inspired sport of OmegaBall will be on display Friday and Saturday at San Diego State’s Sports Deck.

The game, which launched in 2022, involves three teams composed of five players playing on a circular field that is roughly half the size of a traditional soccer pitch. Teams compete against one another in three 13-minute periods. The fast-paced game flow means that most matches feature roughly 10 times more scoring than a traditional soccer match.

There is no offsides penalty. “Cherry picking” is encouraged, there are no throw-ins and in the event of an own-goal, the other two teams are awarded a single point.

As one player described it, OmegaBall is “fun chaos.”

The sport has a YouTube page with highlights, game coverage and other information and the sport is also carried on several streaming services including Triller, Moonball Media and Lightsoutsportstv.com.

OmegaBall founder Anthony Dittman, a San Diego State graduate, put together the sport’s first major event in 2022. He hatched the unique game structure and rules with friends Bob Funk and Jaime Hemann.

Thanks in part to the exposure provided by Fox Sports and ESPN, OmegaBall quickly established a strong following and youth soccer organizations around the nation are involving OmegaBall instruction alongside traditional soccer development.

“When we first introduced it, it was amazing how enthusiastic people were about trying the sport,” Dittman said. “People who had played traditional soccer for 15-20 years were out there hooting and hollering and just having a blast playing OmegaBall. It’s a natural complement to traditional soccer and has many of the same elements but with more scoring and with a much faster pace of action. The feedback from people who try it has been tremendously positive.”

The Money Ball tournament at SDSU will feature youth matches as well as a men’s and women’s tournament with a total of $25,000 in prize money.  Matches run from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday and from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday. Admission to the Sports Deck is free.

Dittman wants bring in more investors and eventually establish a professional league with franchises all over the country. The game has also established a strong following internationally with the sport being played in Spain, Uruguay, Nigeria and Trinidad & Tobago.

“It’s funny because in training for real soccer, you do a lot of the stuff that you see in OmegaBall,” said former player and current broadcaster Ricky Lopez. “I remember the first five minutes as an attacking player, just trying to figure it out.  You have to be so aware of everything around you when you are playing against two teams and can score on two different goals while also having to defend your own. You pretty much need to have 360 vision and everything happens SO fast. It’s a sport that really allows a player to show their skills with a soccer ball in a cool way.”