If you’ve never heard of or seen gateballers in action, head along to Yarralumla this weekend when Canberra Croquet Club hosts the 2022 Gateball Triples Championships.

“What’s gateball?”, you may well ask. Five red balls and five white balls, three gates and six players with ‘sticks’ moving around a 20 x 15 metre lawn with the red ball players trying to score more gates than the white ball team. That is the game of gateball.

It’s a game of skill and strategy and uses billiards player skills and the strategy of a chess or bridge player, says Judy Tier, coordinator of gateball in Canberra and NSW.

According to Ms Tier, gateball is a game with a difference played by more than 20 million worldwide. It’s new to Australia but is taking off, especially for older people. It can be played on grass, gravel, sand or clay. 

You can watch the game this weekend in Canberra when the Croquet Club, on Commonwealth Avenue, Yarralumla, hosts the gateball championships on Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 February.

More than 50 competitors in 12 teams will be vying for the title of Canberra Triples Gateball Champion. Players from Queensland, Victoria and NSW will join Canberra players competing for the inaugural Canberra Triples Championship trophy.

Gateball was developed in Japan in 1947 and is now played by more than 20 million people worldwide. It is a fast-paced and highly strategic mallet sport similar to croquet, and can be played by anyone aged from eight years and up, including nonagenarians and beyond.

Ms Tier said local players were very excited to renew friendships and welcome gateballers after such a long close down due to Covid restrictions.