Just imagine you are inside a hamster ball.
And lots of other people are inside lots of other balls, running and rolling and knocking into each other like bumper cars. Except you’re not in cars. You’re in thick plastic see-through balls that encase your body, going from your kneecap to just above your head. And, of course, you’re laughing.
That’s the picture that church youth director Jamie Herndon of Chicago paints of WickedBall after she and her youth group of teens and adults got together to play.
As WickedBall Chicago’s owner Brandon Vidmar likes to say, “It’s wicked fun.”
Some people also call it “bubble soccer.” Players wrapped in giant plastic bubble balls that make them about four feet in diameter are trying to get the ball down the field, knocking into each other and rolling around in the process.
Vidmar said WickedBall started as a sport in Australia. He saw it in 2014 and wanted to play it. “But unfortunately nobody in the U.S. offered it, so I started it here and it’s really fun,” he said. “People love it.”
There is no official building where the game is played, although his business has a Lombard address. Instead, Vidmar and his company bring the party to you — to your backyard, a park, a forest preserve or a gymnasium.
It can be played indoors or out, but there are three Chicago area facilities with indoor turf and courts that the folks at WickedBall work with often: Max McCook Athletic and Exposition near LaGrange, the Athletico Center in Northbrook and the Oak Lawn Community Pavilion in Oak Lawn. Interested WickedBall players just make a call to say they want to rent the game.
Although there are no steadfast rules on who can play, it is recommended for children 6 and older, all the way to older adults. Vidmar has seen a 92-year-old play, but has found that 11- and 12-year-olds are the most frequent players.
WickedBall staff take care of bringing out the equipment, inflating the balls (which takes just 5 to 10 minutes) and setting up the game. Their game coordinator stays to explain the rules, manage, rotate players every five to eight minutes, and referee the games. The customer just says when and where and how many want to play.
The balls come in two sizes: Youth for age 6 to 11, and adult for age 12 and older (with a weight limit of about 260 pounds).
Everybody asks, Vidmar said, “What are the balls made of?” They are BPU, a heavy plastic material that when inflated fits around your body and has straps like a backpack.
In front are two handles you grip. Your feet are out so you can move, and the top of the ball comes about a foot above your head. You can see through the ball.
Although soccer is the best known game that’s played, other games are also a hit, like the old-school game of tag called Sharks and Minnows, or Last Man Standing, which pits players against each other, according to Vidmar.
For team building exercises, the group is split in two and each team has a team captain. The goal is for one team to break through and knock down the opposing team’s captain.
How many people are on the field at once depends on the party, but the standard setup is 10 balls so 10 people can play at once, Vidmar said. The company has twice brought 40 balls down to Champaign for four hours of fun that also raised money for charity.
Herndon, the youth director for Grace Presbyterian Church in Winnetka, recently organized a kick-off event for their group of fifth- through 12th-graders. They played soccer with some added comedic fun, she said.
“It’s a little disorienting at first, but it’s hilarious,” said Herndon. “That’s the best part. It levels the playing field. No matter how athletically skilled you are, you have to re-invent how you do things.
“It’s great to see these big athletic guys having to do more of a shuffle than a run, and falling and rolling. In this game, everybody’s the same.”
More Top Picks Best Curling Iron
“You can’t help but laugh, and it’s important to be able to laugh at yourself.”
Herndon says the group left the playing field feeling more like a team. “Adults, kids, athletic or not, we were all the same out there. That was a good feeling going home.”
The game can be played any time you request, day or night, Vidmar said. They’re flexible, but generally it’s between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. that people choose to play.
The cost is a flat fee. For customers in a three-hour radius of Lombard, you can play for one hour with 10 balls for $325. For 90 minutes, it’s $400, Vidmar said, and for two hours, $475. After that it’s $200 extra per hour.
Joan Cary is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.
WickedBall Chicago
Activity: WickedBall Bubble Soccer
Where: Based in Lombard, but they come to customers
Hours: Reserve time between 7 a.m.-10 p.m. daily
Fees: $325 for 10 balls, one hour
Information: 844-942-5332; wickedballchicago.com