Hunnyball may be the next big outdoor game, and if it is, the world will have Fairfield to thank!
Hunnyball was created by the Hallidays, a family that lives right here in Fairfield. And they are beginning
their second full summer season of bringing an exciting new game to families and summer camps everywhere.
Take a look here
Dad (Jim) and Mom (Kathleen) and their 20-something kids (Nick, Kevin, and Zach) have teamed up to create a portable version of games they played in their backyard growing up. Nick, a former Bentley
University soccer player, came up with the idea while commuting to an internship. Guy Raz’s “How I Built
This” podcast was his companion during the long drives, and he realized that the games he and his
brothers played for hours in the yard could be shared with a much broader audience.
After all, what’s more fun than kids, a ball and a wall….in this case, the “wall” is a well-designed set of
high-quality wood panels that fold up neatly into a shoulder-carrying board – so it can go pretty much
anywhere.
When Nick brought his idea home, Dad built the initial prototype the next day in the basement. That first
design was pretty rough, but the goal was just to make sure the napkin-sketched concept could be
brought to life.
After that, Nick and his brothers (both also college soccer players, at Tufts University) played all summer
with their friends (think early COVID outdoor fun) to perfect the game play, the rules, and the board
design.
(Caption: The Hallidays testing an early prototype in their backyard)
When all their friends kept asking to play Hunnyball instead of Spikeball they knew they were on to
something! They also got over 900k views on one of their first TikTok videos, which helped keep them
motivated in the early days.
As Hunnyball enters its second full summer, they are starting to ramp up marketing.
This early in the spring, it’s mostly a focus on summer camps and parks & rec departments (but keep
reading; there’s a discount for Fairfield families at the bottom of this article).
The Hunnyball crew just got back from the Tristate American Camp Association conference. The
reception from camps was encouraging, as camp counselors and directors loved that Hunnyball is family-
owned, that it’s something new, and that it’s more accessible and flexible than many of the other outdoor
games out there.
As Kevin explained to the conference participants, “a lot of newer/active outdoor games like Spikeball,
Crossnet, and Boardball require a level of skill that is beyond younger kids, and even some teenagers
and young adults. With Hunnyball, all you need is to be able to catch and throw, and you will have fun!”
Its design also lets it flex for different age levels and skill levels that make it perfect for almost any age
group.
Take for example the players at the first ever Hunnyball tournament in Destin Florida. The participants
were all college level players linked to a youth group from University of Texas (Austin campus). Nick
attended the conference and was impressed with the level of skill and athleticism he saw on display. That
was fantastic payback since just over 2 years ago he was dreaming his first Hunnyball dream.
Hunnyball is excited to share the fun with Fairfield, and is offering a $25 discount to the first 50 families
who purchase before May 31ST. Just use code FFLD25 when you checkout to receive the discount. Check out Here!
Extra: If you want to know why it’s called “Hunnyball,” you should know that Hallidays rescued their dog
Hunny over 12 years ago. And just like pickleball is supposedly named after a family dog, the Hallidays
followed suit. The payback is that a portion of all Hunnyball sales goes to non-profit pet rescue
organizations.