Who counts as a teammate in Pass the Ball?

Anyone who made a league appearance for the same club in the same season as the player with the ball, in the leagues we cover. Cup and international games are not in the data, and a loan spell counts as much as a long one.

What is the back pass for?

When you are on your own and stuck, the back pass returns the ball to the previous player so you can try a different route. It costs five seconds off the clock, so use it when the alternative is staring at the screen.

How does Pass the Ball work at a table?

It is a knockout. Each player has fifteen seconds to name a teammate of whoever has the ball. A wrong name, a player already in the chain or running out of time puts you out, the ball stays where it was, and the last player in wins.

Does a slow connection cost me time?

No. Each player's teammates load when the ball reaches them, and the clock is held while that happens. It only runs while you can actually type an answer, so a slow phone never costs you a pass or a turn.

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Pass the Ball

Pass the Ball is football trivia as a game of keep-ball. The ball starts with a well-known player. Name anyone who played alongside him at the same club in the same season and the ball passes to that player; then name one of his teammates, and so on. Nobody can be used twice, and every pass shows the club and season the two players shared.

On your own you have sixty seconds to make as many passes as you can, with stars at five, nine and twelve, and a back pass that returns the ball to the previous player for five seconds of the clock. At the table it becomes a knockout for up to six people on one phone: fifteen seconds each, and a wrong name, a repeat or running out of time puts you out until one player is left.

How to play

The ball starts with a well-known player. Name anyone who played alongside him, same club and same season, and it passes to them.
Keep going from whoever has the ball. Nobody twice. Each pass shows where the two played together.
On your own you have a minute and a back pass for five seconds. At the table it is a knockout: miss and you are out.

From the coach
Pass to the players who moved clubs a lot. They open up the most new teammates for the next pass.

Where to start

Read the starting player and think of the club you know him best at, then the season you remember most clearly. Name the teammate who comes to mind first. The clock does not start until your first letter, so take a moment before you type, and use the suggestion tray to save keystrokes once the clock is running.

Your first minute will probably stall after three or four passes, usually because the ball has reached a player whose career you do not know well. That is what the back pass is for: spend five seconds, return to the previous player and take a different route. Most good chains are a series of short loops through clubs you know, rather than one long line.

How to get better at Pass the Ball

Pass to the travellers. A player who spent a decade at one club gives you that club and nothing else, but a striker who played for six clubs in four countries opens six dressing rooms for the next pass. When you have a choice of teammates, take the one with the busiest career, and the chain will have somewhere to go however obscure the next player is.

Stay inside a club you know. You can pass back and forth through one squad for several passes: from a goalkeeper to his centre-back, from the centre-back to the captain, from the captain to the manager's favourite signing. Each of them was a teammate of the next, and you never have to leave a dressing room you can picture. Only move to a new club when you run out of names there.

At the table, think about the next player as well as yourself. You only have to name one teammate, but the player you pass to decides what the next person faces. Passing to a one-club legend at a club nobody else follows is a quiet way to put an opponent under pressure, while passing to a famous journeyman gives them an easy turn. In a knockout, that choice wins games.

Where rounds get lost

Same club, different season — Two players at the same club years apart were never teammates. The pass is only good if their seasons overlapped, which is the miss almost everyone makes first.
Saving the back pass too long — Five seconds feels expensive, but staring at a player whose career you cannot remember costs far more. If nothing comes in a couple of seconds, pass back and try another way.
Repeating a player — A name already in the chain cannot be used again. On your own it just costs a guess, but at the table a repeat knocks you out, so glance at the chain before you pass back to someone.

Common questions

Who counts as a teammate in Pass the Ball?: Anyone who made a league appearance for the same club in the same season as the player with the ball, in the leagues we cover. Cup and international games are not in the data, and a loan spell counts as much as a long one.
What is the back pass for?: When you are on your own and stuck, the back pass returns the ball to the previous player so you can try a different route. It costs five seconds off the clock, so use it when the alternative is staring at the screen.
How does Pass the Ball work at a table?: It is a knockout. Each player has fifteen seconds to name a teammate of whoever has the ball. A wrong name, a player already in the chain or running out of time puts you out, the ball stays where it was, and the last player in wins.
Does a slow connection cost me time?: No. Each player's teammates load when the ball reaches them, and the clock is held while that happens. It only runs while you can actually type an answer, so a slow phone never costs you a pass or a turn.

It’s you if you can name the dressing room of any club you have ever watched, and the one next door too.

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