Years 5, 6 and 7 (primary)
Discovery, two-handed coordination, first rallies. The whole class plays at once, with nobody waiting on the bench.
Schools
Tamburello at school
Equipment given and kept by the school, a trained teacher, supervised sessions, an inter-school tournament. At no cost to the school.
The federation runs a complete school introduction programme, aligned with the International Federation's standards and available in French, Dutch and English. It is designed for an ordinary school gym and requires no alteration. The target is stated plainly: sixty equipped schools across the country by 2029.
From Year 4 of primary to Year 3 of secondary
At school, tamburello is played from Year 4 of primary: pupils have the control and coordination it takes, and they are supervised by their physical education teacher during their lesson. In a club, at the Sunday sessions, the federation takes players from the age of 10. The programme's equipment is allocated from Year 4 of primary upwards.
Years 7, 8 and 9 (secondary)
Structured play, serving, positioning, pupils refereeing each other. This is the level that feeds the inter-school tournament.
Schools that wish to introduce younger classes remain very welcome: we come and run the sessions, but the equipment kit is allocated to the levels above.
What a school receives, free and for good
25 tamburellos
Children's model, a light ring stretched with canvas. They stay at the school: they will serve the following year groups, year after year.
25 indoor balls
Depressurised balls, silent, harmless to windows, furniture and pupils alike.
A teaching manual
A ready-made progression for the PE teacher, in French, Dutch and English.
Certified training
A session for PE teachers, delivered by a coach accredited by the International Federation. After that the school is self-sufficient.
Three supervised introductory sessions
Co-run in class with the teacher by players from the national team, until both the class and the teacher feel at ease.
Access to the schools circuit
A regional inter-school tournament in spring, then the national final. That is what turns an activity into a discipline.
A kit represents €700 given to the school: 25 tambourins at €25 each, 25 indoor balls and the printing of the manual. Training and supervision are provided by the federation. Because the equipment is owned and the teacher trained, the cost divides again with every new year group.
Why this sport in particular at school
It is mixed and not gendered: no girls' group and boys' group. It is non-contact: no injuries, no apprehension. It requires no prior fitness. And above all, no pupil knows it — so nobody dominates the class from the very first session, which completely changes the experience for those whom school sport usually discourages. The child who is never picked for football starts here on a strictly equal footing with the best athlete in the class.
A national programme: 60 schools
The programme targets sixty schools across Belgium over three school years, split equally between the three Regions. Each school is equipped for good and its teachers are trained: the network does not depend on funding being maintained.
20
schools
Brussels-Capital Region — first municipalities approached: Evere, Jette and Ganshoren
20
schools
Flanders — Antwerp, Flemish Brabant, East and West Flanders, Limburg
20
schools
Wallonia — Hainaut, Liège, Namur, Walloon Brabant and the German-speaking Community
Brussels: nineteen municipalities, twenty schools
It all starts with a simple idea: bringing tambourine ball into physical education lessons. In Brussels, the federation is working through the Region's nineteen municipalities one by one, to bring together twenty schools that have a gym or an outdoor pitch and want to offer their pupils this discovery. Evere, Jette and Ganshoren are leading the way. Each school receives its equipment free of charge, introductory sessions suited to its pupils' age, and a guide that lets the teacher carry on alone. Inter-school meetings then give everyone the wish to go further.
- Evere
- Jette
- Ganshoren
- Anderlecht
- Auderghem
- Berchem-Sainte-Agathe
- Bruxelles-Ville
- Etterbeek
- Forest
- Ixelles
- Koekelberg
- Molenbeek-Saint-Jean
- Saint-Gilles
- Saint-Josse-ten-Noode
- Schaerbeek
- Uccle
- Watermael-Boitsfort
- Woluwe-Saint-Lambert
- Woluwe-Saint-Pierre
Three school years
2026-2027 — Getting started
The first fifteen schools: Brussels (Evere, Ganshoren, Jette) and Hainaut. Bedding in the programme, and the first national final.
2027-2028 — Expansion
Twenty-five more schools. Opening up Flanders (Antwerp, Flemish Brabant, Ghent) and Wallonia (Liège, Namur, Walloon Brabant).
2028-2029 — National coverage
The final twenty: West Flanders, Limburg, the German-speaking Community, and deepening coverage where the programme has taken root.
Every school follows the same cycle: agreement, delivery of equipment, teacher training, three supervised sessions, regional tournament, national final.
The school competition circuit
Regional tournaments
In spring, one per Region — or even per province where the number of schools justifies it.
The national inter-school final
In May or June, the qualified schools from the three Regions meet. Mixed event, short format: everybody plays.
A bridge to the national team
Pupils who stand out are invited to the open Sunday sessions in Evere and, in time, to the youth selections.
An international opening
The most active schools can take part in meetings with French and Italian schools, through the International Federation or Erasmus+.
What we ask of the school
An ordinary school gym
No alteration, no permanent marking. A hall floor and enough ceiling height are all it takes.
A lead teacher
A PE teacher who takes the certified training and runs the sessions afterwards.
PE lesson time
The sessions take place during lessons. Nothing to organise outside school hours.
How it starts, in practice
You write to us
An email to info@fbst.be is enough. Tell us the name of the school, the year groups concerned and the number of classes.
We come and give a demonstration
A free session with no obligation, with players from the national team. The PE teacher can judge for themselves.
We sign a simple agreement
It says what the school receives, what it undertakes to do, and for how long. One page.
The equipment arrives and the training is scheduled
Then the three supervised sessions, and the tournament in spring.
The teacher's manual
Every school in the programme receives *Tambourine at school*: fifty-four games, one page each, on half-A4 that fits in one hand during the lesson. Each page gives the playground game the children already know, what changes with the tambourine, the exact words to say to them, and two columns to make the exercise easier or harder within the same class. The school's copy carries its own logo and that of its municipality.
The full programme
The file "Tamburello Schools Programme" sets out the teaching content, the roll-out, the competition circuit and what each school receives. This is the document to pass around the staff room or to your governing body.
Is your school in Flanders or Wallonia? Let us know
The programme will then extend to the other two Regions. Schools in Flanders, Wallonia and the German-speaking Community that come forward now help us decide where it opens first. Fill in this form: we will contact each school to arrange a demonstration, with no commitment. Brussels schools are welcome to use it too.
You run a school, you teach physical education
Write to us. We will travel to you for a free demonstration session, with no obligation, with the players of the national team. We answer every enquiry, including those that only want to know what this is about.