GB2441038A

GB2441038A - Sports-based board game

Info

Publication number: GB2441038A
Application number: GB0715601A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Nicholas Ivanoff
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2006-08-11
Filing date: 2007-08-10
Publication date: 2008-02-20
Also published as: GB0715601D0

Abstract

A board game apparatus comprises a game board having a markable playing surface. The game board includes a base layer 11 showing a sports playing field 10 with a plurality of transparent shapes representing different players 21, 22 positioned upon the sports playing field 10. At least one marking device used by both players to mark the playing surface, the resulting trail 50 left by said marking device representing the movement of a ball. The game board preferably has a two transparent layers (20, Fig 3) showing the player positions 21, 22 for each team and a cover layer that forms the playing surface may be used also. The markings can be erasable from the playing surface. The game board may have a support frame used to hold the layers of the board. Scoreboards and grandstands may be provided. The player representing layers 20 may each compose a transparent sheet and a plastics film having a transparent shaded shape to represent a player, the plastics films incorporated with athlete game cards giving information about the athlete.

Description

I

ABOARD GAME

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to games, in particular board games.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is known that many games played by teams of players on large outdoor fields have been miniaturised so that one or two players can play a simulation of the game at home, such as upon a table top. This has occurred for games such as baseball, tennis, hockey, football and the like. Various other games such as shuffleboard, table soccer, require the application of a player's skill in determining the relative effects of inertia and friction to place a sliding puck/ball at a predetermined location. Most of these game apparatus require either a fixed court or a large non-portable table which restricts the play of such inertia/friction games to fixed locations and therefore are not portable or useful in play during unexpected leisure.

Numerous sport board games exist for simulated football games. These usually include a game board depicting a standard football playing field, and a game piece resembling a foothall that is movable on the board game to indicate the position of the football on the playing field. Each player is represented by a game piece which traverses a common path on the board, the distance of travel being determined by the throw of a die.

Also known is a football game apparatus in which a simulated football is thumped by the finger of a player to place the football in play and to move the foothall to various locations on a board provided with the game. The game is played on a playing surface having yard lines and goal lines marked thereon, *5 movable goal posts, and a trough adjacent to the goal lines to catch the simulated a...

football.

: The reference to any prior art in this specification is not, and should not be *: taken as, an acknowledgement or any form of admission that the prior art forms part of the common general knowledge in Australia. a...

* It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a game which * provides an alternative to existing games and which is simple to play and inexpensive to manufacture.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Broadly, the present invention provides a board game apparatus including: a game board having a markable playing surface; said game board including a layer forming said playing surface showing a sports playing field with a plurality of transparent shapes representing different players positioned upon the sports playing field; at least one marking device used to mark the playing surface; wherein the game is played by each player using the marking device to mark the playing surface, the resulting trail left by said marking device representing the movement of a ball.

In a further arrangement the present invention provides a board game apparatus including: a game board having an erasable markable playing surface; said game board including a support means to hold a plurality of layers; said layers including: a first layer representing a playing field; a second layer and a third layer representing teams of different players positioned upon the first layer, said players represented by a plurality of transparent shapes; and a cover layer forming the playing surface; said second, third and cover layers formed from a substantially transparent material; at least one erasable marking device used to mark the playing surface; wherein the at least one erasable marking device is used to mark the playing surface, the resulting trail left by said erasable marking device representing the movement of a ball.

In a further arrangement the present invention provides a board game apparatus including a game board having an erasable markable playing surface; said game board including a support means to hold a plurality of layers; said layers including: a first layer representing a playing field; a second layer and a **25 third layer representing teams of different players positioned upon the first layer, said players represented by a plurality of transparent shapes; said second and : third layers formed from a substantially transparent material; and either said second layer or said third layer forming said playing surface; at least one erasable : marking device used to mark the playing surface; wherein the at least one :. 30 erasable marking device is used to mark the playing surface, the resulting trail left * *: by said erasable marking device representing the movement of a bal In still a further arrangement the present invention provides a method of playing a board game including the steps of a) providing a playing field on a markable game board; b) providing at least one erasable marking device; c) providing a support means to hold a plurality of layers, said layers including a first layer showing a playing field, a second layer and a third layer representing teams of different players positioned upon the first layer, said players represented by a plurality of transparent shapes, and a cover layer forming a playing surface; d) placing said erasable marking device on said playing surface at a first position; e) flicking said erasable marking device from said first position to a second position on said playing surface to provide a marked pathway, said marked pathway representing the movement of a ball.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will be understood more fully from the detailed description given hereinafter and from the accompanying drawings of the preferred embodiment of the present invention, which, however, should not be taken to be limitative to the invention, but are for explanation and understanding only.

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of the assembled board game apparatus.

Figure 2 showing the first layer according to one aspect of the present invention Figure 3 showing a player layer according to one aspect of the present :. invention. * .*.

Figure 4 showing the board game apparatus in play according to one **.

aspect of the present invention.

Figure 5 shows a perspective view of the board game apparatus in play according to another aspect of the present invention.

* DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

****** *.30 The present invention will be discussed hereinafter in detail in terms of the preferred embodiment of a board game according to the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. It will be obvious, however, to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details.

Numerous sport games can be played using this apparatus, for example, Australian Rules Football (AFL) figures 1 to 4, football (soccer) figure 5, hockey, ice hockey and any similar games which involve teams of players competing against each other.

Preferably the board game includes a support means (not shown) in which four layers are positioned and on which the game is played. Preferably the support means can include a frame in which the four layers are positioned.

The four (4) layers are: 1) The Base Layer 11 (e.g. AFL oval figures 1, 2 and 4) which provides an

outline 10 of the playing field.

2) Player A Layer 20 (figure 3) consisting of transparent circles (or shapes) 21 with a distinctive colour or shading to represent the possession areas of that team.

3) Player B Layer (not shown) a similar layer to Player A's layer 20 however may vary in placement of shapes 22 but must be easily differentiated in colour and/or shading of team A's layer.

4) The cover layer (not shown), which is totally transparent and acts as a protection sheet for the top player layer. It is also possible to have no cover layer and have either the player A or player B layer forming the top surface upon which the game is played.

Ideally to play the game you also require one thin (approximately) 50mm diameter soluble pen, at least one dice (or a coin), a timer and a score card (counter). Preferably the game can be played using two thin soluble pens (preferably of different colours).

The base layer 11 is designed to be a scale representation of a sports playing field in this case an AFL match ground showing the centre bounce 12, : centre square 13, 50m markings 14, goal square 15 and goal posts 16. There are no exact proportions for an AFL ground however this provides options to have different grounds proportionally sized to represent local grounds around Australia.

The base layer 11 is the foundation for the game and therefore can be made from paper, cardboard or plastic or any material that can provide a base for the game apparatus. Obviously for different sports different representations will depict the respective ground and sport to be played. For example a soccer base layer 30 (figure 5) would be used when playing soccer.

Alternatively the AFL oval can be formed in the bottom of a box or a frame in which the game apparatus would be marketed in. The base of the display box can be used as the base layer 11 for an AFL oval or any other oval, court or field for a respective sport to be played, effectively the box can be an alternative to the frame which the layers are placed in to play the game and the base of the box forms the foundation layer. Preferably the frame (or box) can depict the setting of a stadium with scoreboards, people (very small) and other qualities to enhance the authenticity of the experience. Also the frame or box can be in the form of a case which can be used to play the game and used to store the game when not in use.

Both player A layer 20 and player B layer (not shown) are similar in materials and design, but they represent different teams and a set of different players, team B's layer is positioned on top of team A's layer 20 or vice versa.

The layers are positioned in the frame so that the circles 21 representing team A players attacking positions are matched up against the circles 22 representing team B defensive players positions. As both layers have shapes 21, 22 which have distinctive colours or shading this will allow players to recognise their possession areas and any overlap with the opposing players layer.

Players A and B layers and the cover sheet are made of material such as a clear sheet of plastic for example, an overhead projector plastic sheet or similar substantially transparent material. This allows the layers to appear see-through and when all layers are placed on top of each other the base layer 11 playing field can still be clearly seen. The Player layer is not restricted to the number or the .. : type, size, colour or shading of shapes 21, 22. For example, the game can include 14 squares of varying size.

For AFL it is proposed that the player A layer 20 and player B layer each *:*J0 contain 15 circles 21, 22 each with a similar diameter, representing some of the athletes for a particular AFL club. Each of these circles 21, 22 will represent the position and the possession areas of players on the football field of a particular AFL team.

In figure 3 the particular AFL example for the players layer is made up of the circles 21 which represents for example the Fremantle Football club, these layers are transparent in nature and are outlined in such a way that upon being superimposed onto the base layer 11, the circles 21, 22 are easily identified on the base layer 11 with different shadings or colours to clearly outline possession areas on the field which by each of the opposing sides can begin playing the game. This "club" sheet (figure 3) is one such representation of the Player layer.

It is proposed that each AFL club will have their own "club" sheets with logos 40, etc outlined to clearly identify their sheet. Similarly other teams in other sports could also have their own club sheets. The "club" sheet (which depicts players from a particular club) should have all circles (or shapes) 21, 22 within the boundary of the AFL playing field and when positioned on the base layer 11 forms the basis of the player's layer.

The two player layers which represent the opposing team's possession areas are outlined on a standard "club" sheet where the circles 21, 22 are already transparently outlined for a standard AFL team as described above. The "club" sheets represent a whole team. An alternative to a "club" sheet is a "team" sheet (not shown). The "team" sheet is a sheet without any shapes or shading however would possibly incorporate logos 40 and team names (to maintain the authenticity with the marketing of the AFL). Game players will need to either acquire, collect, purchase or draw the shapes of the possession areas onto their own "team" sheet. A player can either play with a "club" sheet or their own "team" sheet (as both represent a player's layer), the opposing player can also do the same. It will be possible to play player A's "club" sheet against Player B's "team" sheet.

To construct a "team" sheet it is proposed that the shapes of player's possession areas will come with game cards. The preferred method of providing S...

s..' : shapes with cards will be to provide a plastic film which are peeled off the card and has an outline and shading of the athletes shape eg a circle. The plastic film shapes can then be placed by players in any position within their transparent *:...?0 "team" sheet and allow players to position and play their own distinctive and unique team. Currently cards are collected for AFL players, however by applying the plastic film shapes with cards (representing the players) this will allow individuals to construct their own team or even an "all-star" team.

The rules described below outline how these circles/shapes 21, 22 are allowed to be positioned in relation to the base layer 11 playing field. There are certain rules on how these circles 21, 22 are placed on a player's layer as this is of importance to maintain a true representation of the players on the field but also provide suitable boundaries of play and possession. When placing circles 21, 22, the circle 21, 22 closest to the player represents the teams full back position 23 while the top circles represent the forward pockets 24.

The cover layer is the top layer on the board and is where the "flicking" and the game is played. This layer is made of see-through plastic material (preferably an over-head projector sheet) or any similar substantially transparent material.

The cover layer is only used for protection of the top player layer, this is the surface upon which the markings 50 are applied (figure 4). After a certain amount of play the cover layer will have numerous markings 50 of game play. This will need to be cleared and wiped down after a period of time, this is made possible by using a soluble pen and may occur at the end of each period of play (quarter, half etc.).

In a further arrangement the board game apparatus may incorporate all layers into a single layer on which the game is played. The single layer includes the layout of a field 10, oval or court which represents the sport to be played. The single layer also has shapes 21, 22 drawn on the layer to represent each player from each respective team. However this will not allow players to change "clubs" or "teams".

In a further arrangement the board game apparatus may incorporate all layers into a single layer and further include a top layer which is transparent and *::::25 upon which the game is played. Once the game has been played the top layer may be removed and disposed of and replaced with a new top layer.

.. : The layers are assembled in the support means to form the game. The final result is a flat surface with the base field represented and 2 distinctly shaded or coloured types of circles/shapes 21, 22 positioned on the field. The circles 21, 22 from both player A's and B's layers tend to overlap around various parts of the oval. As the A and B layers may be shaded/coloured differently it should be clear to determine which circles 21, 22 represent the different teams and where there is an overlap between the two teams.

As stated above it is proposed that the circles 21, 22 are positioned to depict the position of players in a standard AFL team as follows: * Back Line circles 23, 25 are placed within or anywhere upon the defensive 50m area mark, one circle 23 must be positioned somewhere within the defensive goaI square 15.

* The Half Back's 26 are positioned between the centre of the field 12 and the defensive 50m. So, no part of their circle can be within the defensive 50m or anywhere within the offensive half.

* The Centres 27 are placed anywhere along the centre of the field 12.

Their circle 27 must touch an imaginary line which divides the two halves of the playing field. One of these circles 27 must also overlap the centre bounce area 12.

* The Half Forwards 28 are positioned between the centre of the field and the offensive 50m. So, no part of their circle 28 can be within the offensive 50m or anywhere within the defensive half.

* Forward Line circles 24 are placed within or anywhere upon the offensive 50m area mark however at no point are the circles 24 allowed to touch the offensive goal square.

However as described above the positions of the players on the field can be varied to suit the individual player and team, and those playing the game may elect to remove some of these restrictions.

The above example refers to the game of AFL, it will be appreciated that for other games; for example soccer (figure 5), the club layer will consist of separate placement rules, shapes 61, 62 and sizes that will depict the position of *::::25 players of a standard soccer team during a game.

The game is played using the soluble pens to move about the game and to represent the motion of the ball during a game. The act of "flicking" the pen S..

determines the play of the ball with each player preferably having different colour soluble pens.

A pen is placed with the nib directly on the flat surface of the cover layer, a forefinger (or if you wish to be inventive, any other finger) is positioned at the top of the pen to hold it stationary; no other fingers should be in contact with the pen.

In one motion the pen is tapped (i.e. a momentary contact with the pen) so that the pen is pushed, and it falls away from the finger which was used to keep the pen vertical The pen will fall and leave a trail of ink 50, the trail left by the pen will represent the movement of the ball in the game.

When the trail of the ink 50 left by the pen representing a player kicking the ball ends clearly (or as agreed by the players) within a circle 21, 22 of the same player's team they retain possession of the ball and the game continues. If the trail of ink 50 ends in an opponent's possession circle 21, 22 then the possession of the ball is turned over to the opposition and the game continues.

Where two circles 21, 22 from opposing teams overlap this represents a contested area and therefore a contested situation where players must roll the dice to determine which team has won the ball and therefore gains possession of the ball. Contested situations also occur where the oval is not covered by any circles, when this occurs this still represents a contested situation and the dice must be rolled. The dice is rolled in contested situations and bounce downs to begin play either at the start of a quarter or after a goal has been scored.

The main objective is for players to "pass" the ball to each of their areas of possession which are outlined on the field, while trying their best to avoid the oppositions contested areas.

It is proposed for an AFL version of the game that it only has 15 circles 21, 22 for each team. There are generally 18 players on an AFL field at any one time however the remaining 3 players in a team (which are not represented by circles 21, 22) are represented in the spaces which are not defined. These roaming players (such as rovers etc) are restricted to one part of the field which is defined as the offensive 50m the centre field and the defensive 50m. Therefore in the I **.

*:::: example of the AFL game a total of 18 players per side will be represented.

The game also provides the ability to differentiate between different types I...

.. : of possession areas on the player's layer by varying the size of the shape 21, 22.

For example, an AFL athlete with superior skills and ability may be represented by a circle 21, 22 of larger diameter than that of a standard player. This would seek to represent their increased ability of contesting an area of play. Each possession area may have a combination of one or all of the following characteristics: a) The circumference of the circle 21, 22 of the player may be a larger diameter circle 21, 22 (than a standard player), this will allow an increased chance of possession. This characteristic would be given to players that are faster around the ground or

can cover a lot of area on the field.

b) The pen size can be modified (by putting on the pen lid) so that more leverage is given during the "flick" and thus more distance is covered by the pen marking 50. Applying the top to the pen will provide this additional leverage and represent this long distance kick characteristic.

C) The die roll cannot be altered however by adding to the die roll score (with either a one or two) this will allow the player to have more chance of winning contested balls. Players with this characteristic would be a player that is good at getting contested balls These variations to the shapes and devices used in the game can be applied to the "team" sheet.

The game is also provided with an instruction leaflet or booklet (not shown) which includes the playing and scoring rules (below have been devised specifically for AFL) as follows: Beginning the game 1. Two or more players (forming teams) can play the game 2. Each player has a different colour pen of the same size.

3. Each player has a die.

4. Each player must have a club sheet or a team sheet with 15 circles 21, 22. S...

*.** : 5. To begin the game a "bounce down" is carried out. The "bounce down" is a roll to determine who will begin possession. The player that gets the highest roll of the dice retains possession and the first :5.J0 kick is then taken from the centre circle 12.

6. A Kick: is the use of the pen to make a marking 50 as described as flicking. The start of the kick is the starting point and the end of the kick is where the pen mark 50 is no longer visible. This represents the tracing of the kick.

7. A Possession is decided upon the mark 50 at the very end of a kick.

The possession is then determined by.

(a) If the end of the ink mark 50 is left in part of circle 21, 22 then the possession goes to the team which circle 21, 22 it ends.

(b) If the end of the ink mark 50 is in an area which is covered by 2 circles 21, 22 overlapping then this is a "contested area" and the possession is decided by a roll of the dice.

The player that gets a higher result wins possession.

(c) If the end of the ink mark 50 lands in an area which is not covered by any circles 21, 22 then the possession is decided by a roll of the dice. The player that gets a higher roll wins possession.

8. A "Bounce down" will occur at the start of each quarter and after a goal has been scored.

9. Each player must roll the dice at the same time to decide the outcome of a contested area.

10.lf the pen marking 50 is disrupted (i.e. is not a full line) then it is regarded to continue if, between where the line is first disrupted and subsequently recommences marking a finger can be placed to cover the area that is not a full line.

Free Kicks or Penalties * *** *:::: 12. If the player takes a shot and the end of the pen does not leave the paper or the pen remains pressed down by the finger then this is * regarded as a foul kick and a free kick is offered to the opposing I.e * team.

13.lf a kick goes beyond the bounds of play a free kick is awarded to *:*! the opposing team from the point where the kick crossed the boundary 10.

Scoring 14. If a kick touches the dots which represent the posts 16 then this is regarded as a point.

15.The kick must go cleanly through the centre posts 16 to register a goal.

Game Winner 16. The game is made up of 4 quarters and is timed or determined by reaching a predefined score as agreed by the players. The individual with the highest score at the end of the last quarter is the winner. The individuals must determine how many minutes in each quarter before starting the game.

Variations for a soccer version of the game would include different rules and different player representations (shapes) 61, 62, so that the game can retain characteristics of match play. Figure 5 shows the outline of a soccer field 60 with team sheets applied. Notice the possession shapes 61, 62 and the field 60 are completely different.

Although the present invention has been illustrated and described with respect to exemplary embodiment thereof, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing and various other changes, omission and additions may be made therein and thereto, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention should not be understood as limited to the specific embodiment set out above but to include all possible embodiments which can be embodied within a scope encompassed and equivalent thereof with respect to the feature set out in the appended claims. * S * * *5 * S *es* IS.. * S S S. S

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*ISS.S * S 5. 5 * I S S S.

Claims

CLAIMS: 1. A board game apparatus including: a game board having a

markable playing surface; said game board including a layer forming said playing surface and showing a sports playing field with a plurality of transparent shapes representing different players positioned upon the sports playing field; at least one marking device used to mark the playing surface; wherein the game is played by each player using the at least one marking device to mark the playing surface, the resulting trail left by said marking device representing the movement of a ball.

2. The board game of claim 1, said game board further includes a support means to hold said layer.

3. The board game of claim 2, wherein said support means includes a frame to hold said layer.

4. The board game of claim 1, wherein said marking device is an erasable marking device.

5. The board game of claim 3, wherein said frame further includes at least one projection attached to at least one side of said frame to support a scoreboard and grandstands to enhance the reality of said board game. S. * S

*..::?0 6. The board game of claim 1, wherein said at least one marking device S...

further includes: S...

 : a marking end, and a top end located at the opposite end to the marking end, said marking device is used by each player according to the following steps: a) said marking end is placed in contact with the playing surface; b) a finger of said players hand is positioned at the top of the marking device; c) the marking device is held stationary with the marking end in contact with the surface of the playing surface; d) in one motion the marking device is tapped so that the marking device is pushed, and it falls away from the finger positioned on the top end of the marking device, allowing said marking device to fall and mark said playing surface.

7. The board game of claim 6, wherein said marking device is an erasable marking device.

8. The board game of claim 1, wherein said playing field is an Australian Rules Foothall match ground.

9. The board game of claim 1, wherein said playing field is a football (soccer)

field.

10. A board game apparatus including: a game board having an erasable markable playing surface; said game board including a support means to hold a plurality of layers; said layers including:

a first layer representing a playing field;

a second layer and a third layer representing teams of different players positioned upon the first layer, said players represented by a plurality of transparent shapes; and a cover layer forming said playing surface; said second, third and cover layers formed from a substantially transparent material; S... . at least one erasable marking device used to mark the playing surface; wherein the at least one erasable marking device is used to mark the *5** playing surface, the resulting trail left by said erasable marking device * 25 representing the movement of a ball. *

11. The board game of claim 10, wherein said support means can include a frame to hold said layers.

12. The board game of claim 10, wherein said second and third layers are blank transparent sheets and a plastic film incorporating a transparent shaded shape is placed on said blank transparent sheet representing a player.

13. The board game of claim 12, wherein said plastic films are incorporated with athlete game cards wherein said athlete game cards provide information relating to each player including characteristics of the athletes.

14. A board game apparatus including: a game board having an erasable markable playing surface; said game board including a support means to hold a plurality of layers; said layers including:

a first layer representing a playing field;

a second layer and a third layer representing teams of different players positioned upon the first layer, said players represented by a plurality of transparent shapes; said second and third layers formed from a substantially transparent material; and either said second layer or said third layer forming said playing surface; at least one erasable marking device used to mark the playing surface; wherein the at least one erasable marking device is used to mark the playing surface, the resulting trail left by said erasable marking device representing the movement of a ball.

15. The board game of claim 14, wherein said support means can include a frame to hold said layers. S..

16. The board game of claim 14, wherein said second and third layers are S..

* 25 blank transparent sheets and a plastic film incorporating a transparent shaded shape is placed on said blank transparent sheet representing a player. * S

* 17. The board game of claim 16, wherein said plastic films are incorporated with athlete game cards wherein said athlete game cards provide information relating to each player including characteristics of the athletes.

18. A method of playing a board game including the steps of: a) providing a playing field on a markable erasable game board; b) providing at least one erasable marking device; C) providing a support means to hold a plurality of layers, said layers including a first layer showing a playing field, a second layer and a third layer representing teams of different players positioned upon the first layer, said players represented by a plurality of transparent shapes, and a cover layer forming said playing surface; d) placing said erasable marking device on said playing surface at a first position; e) flicking said erasable marking device from said first position to a second position on said playing surface to provide a marked pathway, said marked pathway representing the movement of a ball.

-----. 19. The method of claim 14, wherein said support means includes a frame to -----hold said layers. * * * *** S... * . S... a.. * SS

S

S S..

S

SSSSS* * S S. * S S* CLAIMS: 1. A board game apparatus including: a game board having a markable playing surface; said game board including a layer forming said playing surface and showing a sports playing field with a plurality of transparent shapes representing different players positioned upon the sports playing field; at least one marking device used to mark the playing surface; wherein the game is played by each player using the at least one marking device to mark the playing surface, the resulting trail left by said marking device representing the movement of a ball.

2. The board game of claim 1, said game board further includes a support means to hold said layer.

3. The board game of claim 2, wherein said support means includes a frame to hold said layer.

4. The board game of claim 1, wherein said marking device is an erasable marking device.

5. The board game of claim 3, wherein said frame further includes at least one projection attached to at least one side of said frame to support a scoreboard and grandstands to enhance the reality of said board game. S. * .

*S11?0 6. The board game of claim 1, wherein said at least one marking device **.* further includes: S...

 a marking end, and a top end located at the opposite end to the marking end, said marking device is used by each player according to the following steps: a) said marking end is placed in contact with the playing surface; S.....

b) a finger of said players hand is positioned at the top of the marking device; c) the marking device is held stationary with the marking end in contact with the surface of the playing surface; d) in one motion the marking device is tapped so that the marking device is pushed, and it falls away from the finger positioned on the top end of the marking device, allowing said marking device to fall and mark said playing surface.

7. The board game of claim 6, wherein said marking device is an erasable marking device.

8. The board game of claim 1, wherein said playing field is an Australian Rules Football match ground.

9. The board game of claim 1, wherein said playing field is a football (soccer)

field.

10. A board game apparatus including: a game board having an erasable markable playing surface; said game board including a support means to hold a plurality of layers; said layers including:

a first layer representing a playing field;

a second layer and a third layer representing teams of different players positioned upon the first layer, said players represented by a plurality of transparent shapes; and a cover layer forming said playing surface; said second, third and cover layers formed from a substantially transparent i'.,.. material; I... . at least one erasable marking device used to mark the playing surface; wherein the at least one erasable marking device is used to mark the playing surface, the resulting trail left by said erasable marking device S..

* 25 representing the movement of a ball.

S

**SS*S 11. The board game of claim 10, wherein said support means can include a frame to hold said layers. t9

12. The board game of claim 10, wherein said second and third layers are blank transparent sheets and a plastic film incorporating a transparent shaded shape is placed on said blank transparent sheet representing a player.

13. The board game of claim 12, wherein said plastic films are incorporated with athlete game cards wherein said athlete game cards provide information relating to each player including characteristics of the athletes.

14. A board game apparatus including: a game board having an erasable markable playing surface; said game board including a support means to hold a plurality of layers; said layers including:

a first layer representing a playing field;

a second layer and a third layer representing teams of different players positioned upon the first layer, said players represented by a plurality of transparent shapes; said second and third layers formed from a substantially transparent material; and either said second layer or said third layer forming said playing surface; at least one erasable marking device used to mark the playing surface; wherein the at least one erasable marking device is used to mark the playing surface, the resulting trail left by said erasable marking device representing the movement of a ball.

n... 15. The board game of claim 14, wherein said support means can include a S...

.... frameto hold said layers. *5SS

16. The board game of claim 14, wherein said second and third layers are * 25 blank transparent sheets and a plastic film incorporating a transparent shaded shape is placed on said blank transparent sheet representing a player. S. *

S S

* 17. The board game of claim 16, wherein said plastic films are incorporated with athlete game cards wherein said athlete game cards provide information relating to each player including characteristics of the athletes.

18. A method of playing a board game including the steps of: a) providing a playing field on a markable erasable game board; b) providing at least one erasable marking device; C) providing a support means to hold a plurality of layers, said layers including a first layer showing a playing field, a second layer and a third layer representing teams of different players positioned upon the first layer, said players represented by a plurality of transparent shapes, and a cover layer forming said playing surface; d) placing said erasable marking device on said playing surface at a first position; e) flicking said erasable marking device from said first position to a second position on said playing surface to provide a marked pathway, said marked pathway representing the movement of a ball.

--19. The method of claim 14, wherein said support means includes a frame to -----hold said layers. S. * S * *** S... * S S... *

..CLME: S

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S..... * . S. S

S S S.