Who invented the sport called Cycle Ball?

Nicholas Edward "Nick" Kaufmann (Rochester, New York, United States, November 10, 1861 - Berlin, Germany, January 10, 1943) was an American artistic cyclist.

He first tried swimming, then gymnastics and roller skating. He came into contact with cycling in July 1881 when a neighbor of his employer lent him a penny. He then bought a used bike and practiced stunt tricks on it from the beginning.

Just a year later, he made his first public appearance in his hometown. A member of the "Rochester Bicycle Club", Reuben Punnett, took notice of him, supported and trained him from then on.

Kaufmann is credited with inventing the wheel ball. The idea came to him after a pug ran in front of his bike on a ride. He carefully pushed the dog out of the way with the front wheel. This gave rise to the idea of taking a ball instead of the dog.

Cycle Ball, also known as "radball" in German, is a bicycle-based version of association football. Each teamride a fixed-gear bicycle with no brakes or freewheel. Except in the defense of the goal, the ball is controlled by the bike and the head. The player’s foot must not touch the ground, failing which results in a penalty. The team that scores the most goals wins the match.

It's played on a rectangular field about half the size of a basketball court, and the goals are at both ends. A match has two 20-minute periods.

The first game was Nick Kaufmann vs. John Featherley, and took place on September 14, 1883 in Rochester.