Bandy Facts for Kids

Women playing bandy for their countries, Finland and Norway

Bandy is an exciting sport played on ice, a bit like ice hockey but with some big differences! Instead of a flat puck, players use a small ball. The game is played on a large ice field, much bigger than a hockey rink. In fact, the field is about the same size as a regular association football (soccer) field. Bandy combines skills from both ice skating and soccer, making it a fast-paced and fun game to watch!

How Bandy is Played
- Game Time and Field Size
- Official Rules
Bandy Around the World
- World Championships
Images for kids
See also

How Bandy is Played

Bandy is played by two teams, each with 11 players on the ice at one time. This includes a goalkeeper who tries to stop the ball from going into the net. The main goal of the game is to hit the ball into the opponent's net using special sticks.

Game Time and Field Size

A bandy game lasts for 90 minutes, just like a soccer match. It is split into two halves, each 45 minutes long. The large ice field allows for lots of skating and long passes, making the game very open.

Official Rules

The official rules for bandy are decided by the Federation of International Bandy (FIB). This organization helps make sure the game is played fairly all over the world.

Bandy Around the World

Bandy is played in many countries across the globe. The Federation of International Bandy has 32 member countries! This shows how popular the sport is becoming.

World Championships

One of the biggest events in bandy is the Bandy World Championship for men. This exciting tournament has been held regularly since 1957. Teams from different countries compete to see who is the best in the world. There are also World Championships for women's teams.

Images for kids

Charles Goodman Tebbutt with a bandy stick in 1889
Making of a historic bandy ball in stages, from the original cork on the left to the final ball painted red, with a modern bandy ball to far right
Kazakh stamp featuring bandy (допты хоккей dopty khokkey, "ball hockey")
Bandy team preparing for a corner stroke in 2012
View of an outdoor bandy match in Sweden in 2006
Referee
The goalkeeper has no stick.
Bandy positions in 3–4–3 formation
Swedish U17 player on a corner stroke
Bandy balls are often cerise coloured.
A bandy stick and ball
Player with a bandy helmet and chinguard
World map showing the 27 Federation of International Bandy members as of May 2017
Russia in the men's World Championships 2012
A record eighteen countries participated in the World Championships of 2016 and 2017. Blue means Division A countries, red Division B countries as of the 2017 tournament and green the other FIB members. Latvia, which was relegated from Division A in 2016, made a late cancellation in 2017.
The final of the bandy tournament at Asian Winter Games at Medeu between Kazakhstan and Mongolia
Members of the Bury Fen Bandy Club, an English bandy team in 1913
Bury Fen
A match in Finland
Match in Leipzig between LSC and Berliner Schlittschuh-Klub 1909
Rauan Isaliyev, captain of the Kazakhstan national bandy team
Pim Mulier introduced bandy to the Netherlands.
The Norwegian team celebrating the bronze medal in WCS 2006
Trud Stadium in Arkhangelsk
Clarence von Rosen introduced bandy to Sweden
After the 2010 final at Studenternas Idrottsplats in Uppsala, Sweden
Västerås SK raises the Swedish Championship trophy for women after their victory against Skutskär in 2020

Bandy facts for kids

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