Object of the Game:
Spunt is a sport in which multiple players compete, individually, to knock out opposing players and be the last competitor standing. The point of the game is to award the letters, S-P-U-N-T to each of the opposing players. When a player has been assigned all of the letters in SPUNT, that player is eliminated. The object of the game is to be the last player who has not been eliminated. Once all the players but one, have been eliminated, by acquiring S-P-U-N-T, the remaining player is the winner.
Field of Play and Ball:
A diagram of a Spunt field has been provided for clarification:
The Goal: Spunt centers around a fixed professional sized soccer goal measuring 8 yards in length and 8 feet in height. Smaller goals are permissible. The goal is placed at the center of the field and does not have a net or any other impediment to catch the ball. This allows the ball to travel through the goal from any direction. A soccer crossbar, fixed into the ground with ample room extending in all directions represents an ideal Spunt field.
The Box: A crease is drawn on both sides of the open goal. Lines extend from each goal post out to 7 yards and are then connected on each side to create a 7 yard x 8 yard box in front of each side of the goal. This area is referred to as The Box.
The Gentleman’s Circle of Reputable Intent: A circle is drawn with a 20 yard radius from the center point of the goal. The circle completely surrounds the goalpost. This is known as the Gentleman’s Circle of Reputable Intent (GCRI). This circle is not mandatory in a friendly match as long as all participants agree to the Gentleman’s Rule of Reputable Intent.
The Gentleman’s Rule of Reputable Intent: Each player, during his or her turn, must make an honest effort to kick the ball through the goalpost no matter where they are initiating their kick.
Ball: Spunt has been traditionally played with an American style Football. A Rugby ball or any similarly oblong shaped ball will suffice. An officially trademarked Spunt ball is currently in the design process and will be available in a future date.
Out of Bounds: There are no Out-of-Bounds in Spunt. The field extends indefinitely in all directions. Obstacles within the field of play are considered in-bounds and must be negotiated accordingly.
Gameplay:
Players and Order of Play: Spunt can be played with 2-8 players. There are no teams and each player is playing for themself. There is only one single winner in each Spunt game.
The order of play is assigned randomly for the first game. For each subsequent game, the order is determined by the finishing order of the previous match. The winner of the previous game goes last the next game. Second place kicks second to last. Third place kicks third to last and so on.
Players are assigned an order at the beginning of the game and that order is maintained throughout the game. Thus, in a 3 person game with players, A, B, and C, the order of play will follow as thus: A, B, C, A, B, C, A, B, C... This order will continue until one player acquires all the letters of S-P-U-N-T and is, thus, eliminated. For example, if Player B receives the letters S-P-U-N-T, they are eliminated and the order would then follow as: A, C, A, C, A, C… This would continue until Player A or Player C would accumulate the letters, S-P-U-N-T, thus eliminating them as well, and the remaining player would be the winner.
Method of Contact: The Spunt ball must only be contacted using the player’s foot. This primarily is done by dropping the ball from the players’ hands and kicking the ball with the players’ foot (a punt). The ball can also be kicked off of the ground or bounced off of the ground and then kicked (a drop kick). In no circumstance is the ball ever thrown using the players’ arm(s).
If the ball comes to rest in The Box, the player must kick it off the ground. They are not allowed to pick the ball up. Anywhere outside of the box, the player can choose to punt, drop kick or kick the ball off of the ground.
Scoring: The means to give a letter to another player is very simple.
If Player A punts the ball and it goes through the goal, then Player B must also punt the ball through the goal. If Player B fails to get their kick through the goal, then they are penalized with a letter. Players receive letters in the order of S-P-U-N-T. Once a player receives a ‘T’ they have spelled SPUNT and are eliminated.
If Player A attempts to punt the ball through the goal and misses, then Player B will not receive a letter if they also miss their punt. If Player B does make their goal, then Player C (the next player in the prescribed order) must make their punt or they will receive a letter.
If a player punts the ball through the goal, subsequent players must also score a goal or receive a letter. The process continues until someone misses the goal and that person is awarded the letter. For Example: If Player A makes a goal, then Player B makes a goal, then player C must also make a goal or receive a letter. If Player C makes their goal, then Player A, the next in turn, must make their goal or receive a letter and so on.
Point of Contact: The game begins by the first player kicking from anywhere along the Gentleman’s Circle of Reputable Intent. Traditionally, they choose a spot directly in front of the face of the goal but this is not required. From this moment forward, each player’s kick is determined by where the previous player’s kick come to rest.
However, the defending (next) player (and only the next player in the kicking order) can attempt to knock down, stop, catch, deflect or impede the ball to reduce the distance from the goal from which they will be kicking. The defending player can choose to play anywhere on the field, as long as it is not in The Box and they allow the kicking player to have a full range of motion in their kick.
When a defending player stops the ball using any part of their body, they must kick the ball from wherever the ball comes to a rest or is stopped. This can allow a defending player to dramatically decrease the distance from where they must kick the ball (thus increasing their chance at making their goal).
Or a defending player can choose to position themselves between the goal and the kicking player in an attempt to ‘play defense’ and prevent the kicker’s punt from scoring the goal. However, the defending player cannot touch the ball, under any circumstances, while in The Box.
A defending player is not allowed to ‘play defense’ (position themselves between the kicker and the goal) on the first kick of the game. The first kick of the game is a free kick. On all subsequent kicks, a player may choose to play anywhere on the field.
The Box Penalty: If any player touches the ball with any part of their body, while they are in The Box, the offending player is penalized with a letter. Also, the next player in the progression is awarded a free kick at any point along the Gentleman’s Circle of Reputable Intent. If no circle is present, the next player kicks from 20 yards directly in front of the goal.
The Gentleman’s Circle of Reputable Intent Penalty: A player must always attempt to kick the ball through the goal. No matter how difficult the angle or the distance, the player must attempt to make the kick to allow the game to continually revolve around the goal. In a friendly game, this rule is an understanding. In a competitive non-friendly game, players must have their kick touch the area within the Gentleman’s Circle of Reputable Intent. The ball must land, pass through the goal posts, or be caught by the next player within this area. If the players kick does not touch the Gentleman’s Circle of Reputable Intent (or score a goal), the next player in the progression can kick the ball from anywhere along the GCRI boundary.
A defending player can position themselves entirely outside the GCRI boundary but reach inside the boundary to catch a punted ball that has not hit the ground. If this occors without the ball touching the ground or the defender stepping into the GCRI boundry, then a penalty on the kicker is incurred and the defender can kick anywhere along the GCRI boundary. As a visual reference, this would look similar to standing inbounds on a sideline and reaching over a boundary line to make a sideline catch without the players body going out of bounds.
Kick Clock: The game of Spunt is to be played at a relatively rapid pace. It is to the kicker’s advantage to kick quickly in hopes of catching the next player out of position and forcing them into a harder, longer, more difficult shot. In a friendly match, a reasonable pace is expected from all players. In a competitive match, a kick clock may be instituted to speed up the pace and intensity of play. A game that currently involves 3 or more players institutes a 20 second kick clock. Once the game is narrowed down to the final two players, the kick clock is extended to 26 seconds per turn. This means that each player has 20 (or 26) seconds to kick their shot or receive a penalty. The shot clock begins at the moment the previous shot lands in the GCRI, contacts the defending player, or passes through the goal, whichever occurs first.
Kick Clock Penalty: If a player does not kick their ball before the kick clock expires, they forfeit their turn. The next player can then choose to kick anywhere along the GCRI on an untimed kick. If the previous player had successfully scored a goal, the forfeiting player is penalized a letter as well.
Have Fun: Have lots of fun! Spunting is awesome!
