HOW TO PLAY A FOOTBALL MATCH AT THE BOTTOM OF THE LAKE, IMOTSKI-STYLE

What is the most extreme sport you have ever played? How about football at the bottom of a lake, one of the most curious sporting attractions in Central Dalmatia. 

The traditional match, played between the Elves and the Werewolves at the bottom of Imotski’s famous Blue Lake, can only take place of course when the lake is totally dry, a natural state that the lake finds itself in every few years, when a hot summer and lack of rain mean that the lake dries out temporarily until water from the mountains restores the lake to its usual wet and blue state.

One intriguing local tradition that has become established during these dry periods is a football match between two local sides, the Elves and the Werewolves, and they play each other on a pitch which is specially marked out for the occasion.   

The match does not take place every year, as it is obviously dependent on a dry lake. The match last took place in 2017, and this year’s encounter was the 15th in history. Check out some of the action in the videos above and below, and to learn more about Imotski and the Blue Lake, click here.