Imagine a game of soccer in which hands are used and tackling is legal. Now, throw that sport into the pool, and the ferocity of waterball is created.

A campus intramural favorite, waterball, is returning again to ACU. After missing a year because of the construction of the Royce and Pam Money Student Recreation and Wellness Center, waterball will make its reappearance when the season begins Nov. 8.

Kenli Edwards, director of intramural sports, said she expects the sport to get a lot of attention on campus.

“It’s the most popular sport for all the students to come watch,” Edwards said. “The viewing deck is always full.”

Edwards expects even more students to attend waterball games this year. The construction of the Rec Center added more space to watch from and students will be able to watch from the leisure pool.

Despite being the most popular sport to watch, Edwards said waterball is not the most popular sport to play. There were only 13 waterball teams in the fall of 2009, the last time waterball was on campus.

Aaron Gill, senior health promotions major from Fort Worth, played waterball in 2009, and he is looking forward diving back into the pool this semester.

“It can get pretty rough, but it is always a good way to let out some aggression,” Gill said.

While Gill mentioned the physicality of the sport, he also said there is a lot of strategy that goes into game play.

“If you don’t go in with a game plan, you’re going to get beat,” Gill said.

In the past, waterball had been excommunicated from ACU intramurals because it had become too violent and had limited regulation. In order to restore the sport in 2009, Edwards had to add some rules. With relatively little conflict and only two injuries in the last season, the rules of waterball will remain the same this upcoming season.

The team registration deadline for waterball is Wednesday, and the cost for each team is $100.  For more information about intramural sports and schedule visit www.acu.edu/campusoffices/intramurals/index.html.