CONWAY, N.H. While college football players dream of bowl games and professionals eye the Super Bowl, a group of amateur athletes in New Hampshire have their sights set on something far messier—the Mud Bowl. This annual football tournament, held in North Conway, celebrated its 50th year this past weekend, with teams battling it out in knee-deep mud for three days of dirty fun.
For these athletes, the mud is not just a challenge but a nostalgic return to childhood joy. “You’re playing football in the mud, so you’ve got to have a smile on your face,” said Jason Veno, the 50-year-old quarterback of the North Country Mud Crocs. “It’s just a different game in the mud. It doesn’t matter how good you are on grass. That doesn’t matter in the mud.” Veno, like many players, sees mud as the great equalizer.
A Weekend of Muddy Tradition
The Mud Bowl takes place at the aptly named Hog Coliseum, right in the heart of North Conway. Festivities kicked off on Friday night with live music and continued into Saturday with the lively Tournament of Mud Parade. A total of 12 teams, made up of men and women, competed for the coveted title of mud champion.
Ryan Martin, a nearly 20-year veteran of mud football, reflected on the event as a chance to reconnect with old friends. “You get to a point where you’re just like, I’m not going pro on anything, I might as well feel like I’m still competing day in and day out,” he shared. The mud, however, leaves its mark. “It gets in the eyes. You get cracks in your feet. And you get mud in your toenails for weeks. You’ll be cleaning out your ears for a long while … blowing your nose and finding dirt you didn’t know was there.”
More Than Just a Game
For players like Mahala Smith, the Mud Bowl is about more than competition—it’s about community. Smith, who started playing football in first grade and later joined a women’s tackle football team in 2018, was invited to play in the Mud Bowl and quickly fell in love with the experience. “It’s like a little mini vacation and everyone’s all friendly,” she said. “People hang out at the hotels and restaurants, people camp, we all have fires and stuff. It’s just a nice group event.”
Although the atmosphere is friendly, the teams remain serious about winning. The two-hand touch football games can get intense, but once the final whistle blows, the focus shifts back to fun. Many participants, including former high school and college athletes, relish the chance to relive their glory days. Over the years, a few retired professional players have even joined in, Veno noted.
Raising Funds and Spirits
The theme of this year’s Mud Bowl was “50 Years, The Best of Five Decades,” a celebration of the tournament’s rich history. Since its inception, the event has raised over $1 million for charity, a tradition that continues to be a point of pride for organizers and participants alike.
As the mud settles and the players clean off, the Mud Bowl remains a testament to the joy of football, camaraderie, and a little bit of mess. After all, as Veno put it, “You can’t play football in the mud without a smile.”
Gary P Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
