Tag: judges

The vibrant city of Nairobi to crown the best freestylers on the planet at the World Freestyle Football Championship 2023
The World Freestyle Football Association has announced today the final details of the event that culminates the competitive season: the World Freestyle Football Championship, which this year will take place in the fascinating city of Nairobi, the capital of Kenya.

The 2023 World Championship, organised together with the prestigious Kenyan agency Homeboyz, will be held at the Bomas of Kenya on Saturday, November 25th. The event will be broadcast live on the official YouTube, Facebook and Twitch channels of the WFFA starting at 15h EAT / 13h CET / 7am ET.

The event week will include not just the highly anticipated World Finals, but also a series of legacy activities in Nairobi. These initiatives are aimed at giving back to the local community and spreading the word about the benefits of Freestyle Football for kids and teenagers.

The World Freestyle Football Championship will bring together the best 32 freestylers on the planet, coming from all regions of the world through the six qualifying events of the WFFA Pulse Series:
- Online Pulse Mombasa for Africa
- Pulse Riga for Europe
- Pulse New York City for North America
- Pulse Córdoba for South America
- Pulse Hiroshima for Asia-Pacific
- Pulse Online for the rest of the world
The list of participating athletes includes the two current World Champions, Caitlyn Schrepfer from the USA and Erlend Fagerli from Norway, as well as a collection of first-class talents from all continents:
- Angelique Ferreira (South Africa) and Ali Yahia Ouahmed (Algeria), representing Africa
- Melody Donchet (France), Aguska Mnich (Poland), Yoanna Dallier (France), Jasmijn Janssen (Netherlands) and Anastasia Bagaglini (Italy), as well as Tristan Gac (France), Jesse Marlet (Netherlands), Joan Sitjar (Spain), Tim Hoekman (Netherlands) and Nicolas ‘Nicox’ Rivière (France), representing Europe
- Mathilde Fortier (Canada) and Yahaira Zapata (Mexico), as well as Patrick ‘Patshaw’ Shaw (USA) and Fahed Albreiki (USA), representing North America
- Laura Biondo (Venezuela), Diana ‘Karol’ Rojer (Panamá) and Marisa Cintra (Brazil), as well as Sebastián ‘Machine’ Peña (Colombia), Sebastián ‘Boyka’ Ortiz (Colombia) and Julián ‘KMP’ Sosa (Colombia), representing South America
- Moeka ‘Moe-K’ Sakurai (Japan), Mai Yasutake (Japan) and Miharu Miyoshi (Japan), as well as Jay Hennicke (Australia), Hiroyuki ‘Hiro-K’ Kaneko (Japan), Philip ‘PWG’ Warren Gertsson (Philippines) and Akinobu ‘Aki’ Komine (Japan), representing Asia-Pacific
A team of international elite judges will evaluate the performance of the participants following the official Rules of Freestyle Football, available on the website of the Association. The list includes prestigious former freestylers and experts in the sport, namely:
- Andrew Henderson, 2014 World Champion, from the UK
- Kamal ‘Kamalio’ Ranchod, from South Africa
- Yo Katsuyama, from Japan
- Sven Fielitz, from Luxembourg
- Andreas Cetkovic, from France
“This is the first World Final after the implementation of the Pulse Series qualification system, and honestly, we couldn’t be more proud of how everything has been so far,” said Steve Elias, President of the WFFA. “Our partnership with a top-notch agency such as the Homeboyz ensures that the event will be nothing short of sensational. We really can’t wait to meet the athletes in Kenya and kickstart the competition!”.

“It’s an honour for me to be able to defend my World Championship in such a captivating location as Nairobi” declared Caitlyn Schrepfer, current female World Champion. “I’ve been working hard this year to be at my best in Kenya and can’t wait to face the best female freestylers in the world there. No doubt it will be a fantastic experience!”.

“We are honoured to host these international tournaments in Kenya”, added Myke Rabar, President of the Kenyan Freestyle Football Federation. “It highlights our commitment to promoting Freestyle Football, and in the meantime, it provides a platform to showcase our beautiful country and boost tourism”

For more information about the World Freestyle Football Championship, follow the official channels of the WFFA or visit the corresponding Event Page.

For more information about the activities of the WFFA, follow its official channels to get the latest updates!
November 14, 2023
The WFFA announces a global programme to protect the credibility of Freestyle Football competitions

The World Freestyle Football Association has announced the implementation of a global programme designed to protect the credibility and integrity of Freestyle Football tournaments around the globe. The first step in this plan has been the publication of the full List of Champions in official 1×1 battle competitions since the year 2007, an action aimed at safeguarding the reputation of actual winners and preventing fake championship claims from other participants.

The WFFA has announced that it will not recognise any other champions than those featured in the official list, available on the website of the Association. Any fake claims by other athletes will not be backed by the WFFA: furthermore, these claims will be considered a misappropriation, an idea that goes against the very foundations and values of the sport of Freestyle Football.

In the coming months, the WFFA will keep expanding the official list of champions to include all Regional and National competitions, with the objective of offering a complete and reliable source of truth not just to the Freestyle Football community but also to its current and future partners.

Steve Elias, President of the WFFA, said: “Since the establishment of our Association, we’ve striven to protect our athletes and ensure they get the recognition they deserve for their dedication. We are convinced that the publication of the list of Champions is a key step to prevent a tortious use of our tournaments, and we are ready to enact any necessary measures to reinforce the credibility of Freestyle Football as a competitive sport around the world”.

Lucaso Škoda, Head of Operations at the WFFA, said: “The list of Champions is an ambitious project, aimed not only at protecting the winners of official competitions but also at compiling a comprehensive guide to all tournaments in the history of Freestyle Football. In the coming months, we will work together with the global community to polish and expand this directory, a vital tool to prevent misappropriations and pay tribute to the rightful champions.”

Pekko ‘PeGe’ Piirto, Head of the Global Network at the WFFA, said: “We are tremendously proud to offer the list of Champions as an educational resource for our community and a recognition to our hard-earned champions. It’s doubtlessly an essential milestone in the development of the sport of Freestyle Football.”

Stay tuned to the official channels of the WFFA to follow the latest updates!

January 26, 2022
The WFFA confirms the team of judges for the Red Bull Street Style 2021 World Final

The stage is set, the lights are on and the battles are about to begin: the Red Bull Street Style World Final has finally arrived!

This year, apart from a line-up of absolute superstars battling for the title of world champion on Saturday, November 20th in Valencia’s Palau de la Música, the event will also feature an incredible team of judges evaluating their tricks. Check the definitive list below!

Remember to follow all the action of the Red Bull Street Style World Final in the Red Bull and WFFA channels: don’t forget to tune in to the WFFA Twitch for the pre-show on Saturday, November 20th at 18h CET!

Stay tuned to the official channels of the WFFA to follow the latest updates!

November 18, 2021
World Youth Freestyle Football Championship
The Freestyle Football community will celebrate the birth of a new competition this year: the best young freestylers on the planet will be offered a platform to showcase their talent in the World Youth Freestyle Football Championship, a global tournament aimed at male and female athletes under the age of 16.

This competition, which will open its registration process on August 16th and kick off in September through the official WFFA App, will happen on a fully digital basis. Participants will be asked to upload their videos in a dedicated section of the App between September 15th and September 21st; the judges will then evaluate their routines and select the best 16 athletes of the male and female categories, who will then face each other in a knockout stage consisting of quarterfinals, semifinals and a third-place battle. Each of these heats will feature battles of 3 rounds, all through the official App.

The World Youth Freestyle Football Championship will culminate in a Final that will be held online between November 1st and November 9th, 2021. The winners of this decisive showdown will have the opportunity to receive a full-year sponsorship of the WFFA partner SWRL and, most importantly, the title of most promising male and female u16 freestylers: the very future of the sport of Freestyle Football! Besides this, a total prize money amount of 3,000€ will be split between the winners, the runners-up and the third-placed athletes of the tournament in both the male and the female categories.
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Here is the full rundown of the tournament:
- Registration period (From August 16 to September 15): All athletes wishing to participate will need to enter the official WFFA App (available for Android and iOS in the respective app stores) and register
- Qualification round (From September 15 to September 21): All participants will need to upload their routine as a horizontal, 30-second video to the dedicated space in the App
- Top16 announcement (September 27): The selected participants for the knockout stage will be officially announced on the WFFA channels and notified in the App itself
- Round of 16 (From September 30 to October 11): Competitors will need to upload their 30-second routines to the dedicated space in the official WFFA App, and their opponents will have 24 hours to respond to them
- Quarterfinals (From October 11 to October 21): Same format as above
- Semifinals (From October 21 to November 1): Same format as above
- Third-place battle (From November 1 to November 9): Same format as above
- Final (From November 1 to November 9): Same format as above
- Winners announced (November 10): The WFFA channels will disclose the names of the male and female u16 World Champions!
The World Youth Freestyle Football Championship will be judged using the official WFFA rules (available here) by a list of renowned, first-class freestylers led by World Champions Melody Donchet (France) and Charly Iacono (Argentina). The luxury lineup will also feature another World Champion, Ricardo Chahini (Brazil), as well as huge names of the sport of the likes of Laura Biondo (Venezuela), Paloma P. Mayo (Spain) and Javi Sanz (Spain).

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If you have an Android phone, click here to download the WFFA App from Google Play

If you have an Apple phone, click here to download the WFFA App from the Apple Store

For more information about the activities of the WFFA, follow its official channels to get the latest updates!
June 17, 2021

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	If you have an Android phone, click here to download the WFFA App from Google Play
	If you have an Apple phone, click here to download the WFFA App from the Apple Store

Tag: judges

The vibrant city of Nairobi to crown the best freestylers on the planet at the World Freestyle Football Championship 2023

The WFFA announces a global programme to protect the credibility of Freestyle Football competitions

The WFFA confirms the team of judges for the Red Bull Street Style 2021 World Final

World Youth Freestyle Football Championship