What is Red Bull Street Style?
“Red Bull Street Style” is a new event that aims to unite the loosely organized international scene that has grown up around “Freestyle Football“ under a single banner.
It’s a competition about artistry with a soccer ball that is taking place in 41 nations, with the winners of the national contests advancing to the world finals in Brazil.
How can I take part in Red Bull Street Style?
Find out if your country will be hosting a regional qualifier. If so, find out where and when and register on the day at the venue. Visit www.redbullstreetstyle.com to find your nearest qualifier.
Can anyone take part in Red Bull Street Style?
Yes, there are no age or gender restrictions. The only rule is that only passport holders of the country hosting the respective national finals are allowed to participate.
How can I register?It’s easy. Just be at your country's regional qualifier and register at the event.
How does the regional qualifier of Red Bull Street Style work?
The selection process at the regional elimination is dependent on the number of participants and will see all participants getting a chance to try out. Once the top Freestylers are chosen, they will square off in a series of “battles“ against each other to determine which of them gets to go to JHB for the Final.
At the National Qualifier - the host country will have it's top contestants battle it out to see who gets to represent their country at the World Final. The ultimate decisions on the selection process are made by the respective host nation.
How do I get to the final?
Only those who win in the regional elimination competitions are eligible to take part in the finals in Johannesburg and then the winner from the National Final will be allowed to compete in Brazil. The rules at the national competitions will not necessarily be identical to the regulations at the finals.
How will the National Final proceed?
The winners of the National Final elimination contests square off in a series one-on-one battles. Three-person juries will evaluate the Freestyler’s performance and award points. The losers are eliminated. The winners advance to the next match against the next winner (grid system). After the semi-final there will be a consolation match for third place just before the final.
How do the “battles“ work?
Two players square off against each other in a three-minute-long session and show what they can do with the ball. Each player gets the ball for 20 seconds at a time before passing it over to their opponent. The winner advances to the next round.
What are the judges looking for?
The three areas are: judging the control (ball and body), creativity, and style. The interaction with the music and adaptation are all judged as part of style.
What is permitted? Are there any rules?
In essence everything that’s fun is allowed. But, just like in soccer, you’re not allowed to use your hands or arms. You’re also not allowed to disturb your opponent in any way during his 20-second segment.
During the battle you and the ball must stay inside the competition area, a circular area with a circumference of 7 metres (23 ft).
The rules may vary slightly in the national elimination competitions and can be read in detail on the respective home page of each country.
Are there any clothing requirements?
There are in essence no clothing requirements. But any garments that could give anyone an unfair advantage in any way, shape or form are not allowed.
Which ball will be used?
To be fair to all participants, the organiser will make a single match ball available to be used by everyone.
When exactly do the World Finals take place?
The finals will take place in November/December in Sao Paulo. More exact details will be published at a later date.
How, when and where did Freestyle Football originate?
It’s impossible to pinpoint exactly when and where it began because people have been performing tricks with soccer balls for ages. But there was a notable increase in the buzz around Freestyle Football at the start of the 21st century that came largely from urban areas.
The roots lie much deeper, however, with legends such as Pele or Maradona considered early pioneers with their great technical ball-handling skills.
The trend continued with latter-day stars such as Ronaldinho, Beckham and others carrying the torch.
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