Swamp football

Swamp football is a form of association football that is played in bogs or swamps. The sport is said to come from
Bishop Auckland in the north east of England where it initially was used as an exercise activity for athletes
and soldiers, since playing on soft bog is physically demanding. However the first organised championship was
the 1998 Finnish championship and was the brainchild of Jyrki Väänänen nicknamed "The Swamp Baron" when the
creator of swamp football moved there. There are currently an estimated 260 swamp football teams around the world.
The World Championship in swamp football is played annually on Vuorisuo bog in Hyrynsalmi, Finland, the first
taking place in 2000. At the swamp football world championship games of 2005, some 5,000 players participated.
The European Championship in swamp football is held in the town of Newton Aycliffe.