As the new USA Federation scours the country in search of new players they might want to avoid a try-out at Princeton University. Or at least they might want to send the school a copy of the official rulebook first. According to the rules recently posted on the Princeton Intramural website the following unique “Ivy League” Handball rules apply:
II. a. Teams consist of 5 field players and a goalie for a total of 6 players.
III. e. Players may take 2 steps with the ball after gaining possession.
III. m. Each team can have at most one defender (stopper) who will be allowed inside the shooting arc, but not inside the goalie box. If there are 2 defenders in the zone at one time, the offensive team will receive a penalty shot. (I’m guessing they didn’t bother to draw a 6 meter line and are using a basketball 3 point line.)
And my personal favorite….
III. n. This is a non-contact sport.
Princeton University Team Handball Rules: http://www.princeton.edu/campusrec/intramural/rules/Team-Handball-Rules.pdf
Addendum: Christer Ahl, the Chair of the IHF Referee’s Committee informs me that real Handball has been played at Princeton University. In fact, in 1976 he officiated a friendly match between the USA and Romania in Princeton’s Jadwin Gymnasium prior to the Montreal Olympics. He assures me that it was indeed a full contact match.