An experimental new sport ...
AI-generated footage
Description:
Ironcross is played with a solid rubber lacrosse ball fully covered in cloth hockey tape for grip. Goals are scored by throwing the ball past the goalie into the other team's net. Players carry the ball by hand and can run with it and pass it around to their teammates freely. The only constraint is that pushing, shoving, grabbing, and holding onto the ball carrier are all allowed, and a player must turn the ball over if restrained or knocked down.
Motivation:
The Ottawa–Montréal region is a cradle of modern sports. Organized ice hockey, modern lacrosse, and American football were all born in Montréal, while the inventor of basketball was born in Almonte. Ironcross continues that 150-year legacy. The rules were written by an Ottawa–Gatineau born-and-raised recreational athlete who has played many different sports, but found that there is something missing with all of the outdoor summer sports.
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The Bipedalism Patch (Fixing Soccer and Ultimate): The human body is designed to run on two legs, leaving our arms free to carry and throw things. Forcing an athlete to run while simultaneously kicking a ball along the ground, bounce a ball off the ground every few steps, or stand still after catching a disc undermines this. Ironcross lets players pick the ball up and retain full freedom of movement.
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The Projectile Patch (Fixing Baseball and Lacrosse): Throwing a projectile that fits perfectly in the palm of the hand is one of the most fundamental athletic motions that a human possesses. Baseball utilizes this but traps it in a slow, static game. Lacrosse is fast, but the stick creates a steep learning curve. Ironcross provides the same feel as throwing a baseball while bypassing the years of specialized muscle memory required just to keep a lacrosse ball in a pocket.
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The Pacing and Safety Patches (Fixing Football): Football provides the primal thrill of physical conflict, but is built around short, repetitive plays punctuated by long pauses. Ironcross takes the physicality of football and injects it with the fluid pacing of lacrosse. Further, by removing hitting and full-fledged tackling in favour of an upper-body restraint mechanism, we are testing a massive hypothesis: it is possible to keep the basic physicality of football while engineering out some of the more dangerous biomechanics of the sport.
Hockey is a winter game. Ironcross is a new summer alternative built in the tradition of Canadian sports.
Current Status:
Right now, ironcross is a conceptual sport. We're looking for players, volunteers, and a management partnership to beta-test the game in Ottawa. Alternately, if you want to try it on your own, gather a group of friends to toss the ball or play a pick-up game, or organize a larger group to create a local team, and then send us any video/photos or share your experience to post on Facebook and Instagram. Our website contains the most up-to-date rules. Adapt the rules as needed, and share any suggestions for improvements or adaptations that you’ve made.
Links:
© 2026 Patrick Richard