(Courtesy of Kasey Kirby)

When local filmmaker Kasey Kirby set out to make a documentary about his D.C.-based broomball team, The Nomadic Horde, he wasn’t sure of the scope the production would take. ”It can’t exist as a promotion of broomball, because you’re fighting an uphill battle,” Kirby said. “It can never be ‘this is why you should care about broomball.’” Rather than just shine a light on an obscure sport, Kirby’s film, The Nomadic Who, is a meditation on the nature of victory, and how fans connect to the success (or failure) of their local sports teams.

If you don’t know anything about broomball, The Nomadic Who paints a succinct picture. Just ask one of the film’s greek chorus of casual D.C. sports fans. When asked about about broomball, one woman remarks that it sounds like quidditch. Nomadic Horde defenseman Dan Pall calls it “a ballet mixed with a slasher film.” Perhaps the simplest distillation of the pastime’s appeal can be found on the flyers that Kirby and his cohorts have plastered around town: “Love hockey? Can’t skate? Broomball is for you.”

Like hockey, broomball is played on ice. But that’s where the similarity ends. Broomball equipment consists of comical padded shoes, a rubber ball, and plastic broom-like instruments instead of skates, a puck, and sticks.

Not unlike kickball, broomball seems like a fun after-work activity for adults looking to unwind. And at first, that’s just how the Horde treat the game. The assortment of teachers, number crunchers, and systems analysts on the team present themselves as hockey misfits who found a real calling with the sport (many of them were introduced to the game at different universities before linking up here in the District). But after traveling to larger competitions and repeatedly coming up short to Minnesota-based teams, the Horde tired of what Pall calls “the heinous, alkaline taste of defeat” and began to take the squad more seriously. The Nomadic Who follows the team’s journey to the national championship in 2012.

A broomball match. Courtesy of Kasey Kirby.

While the success of the Nomadic Horde resembles a familiar sports movie arc, it unfolds with the charm of an underdog comedy about an underdog sport. “I figured the only way it would find an audience outside of the broomball community is if we sort of poked fun at the fact that no one is in the stands,” said Kirby. The film does exactly that, illuminating the the broomball world with a self-deprecating tone. But conversational wit is balanced by a legitimate sense of prestige, thanks largely to a gravitas that comes from the narration of ESPN’s Tony Kornheiser, who joined the project after he saw footage of the game.

Kornheiser’s involvement was a real coup for the director. ““My dream job would be to make 30 for 30 type films,” said Kirby, referring to the ESPN documentaries that focus on historical sporting events. “I just didn’t think broomball had the draw to be that kind of film, because it doesn’t have a Michael Jordan or Wayne Gretzky.” But what The Nomadic Who lacks in legendary athletes, it more than makes up in heart. This is a sports doc that evokes laughter and inspiration in equal measure. It also might be on the tipping point of broomball’s growing popularity.

“Al Jazeera had an article a couple of years ago about the next three sports they considered adding to the Winter Olympics, and broomball was one of the three,” said Kirby. If curling can move the needle on the national radar, there’s no reason this charming hockey offshoot can’t do the same. The Nomadic Who is a fine starting point for anyone who wants in on the ground floor.

The Nomadic Who premieres tonight at Landmark’s E Street Cinema at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are on sale now. The film is currently available for pre-order on iTunes, which will release it on April 12, to be followed by release on Amazon and Google Play later this month.

Watch a trailer for The Nomadic Who

The Nomadic Who? Trailer from Kasey Kirby on Vimeo.