Floorball is a fun, fast-paced hockey game that is played on foot with lightweight sticks and a plastic ball. It has its origins in the United States where it was played in physical education classes during the 1950s. However, the popularity of the sport did not take off until it was introduced to students in Sweden and Finland.
Floorball quickly became popular in schools and youth clubs throughout Scandinavia and parts of Europe where in 1986, the International Floorball Federation was founded by the federations of Sweden, Finland, and Switzerland. The sport is known by many names in many different countries -salibandy, innebandy, unihockey - but it’s all simply floorball.
One of the absolute advantages of Floorball is that it is very easy to become a player. Anyone regardless of age, physical condition, or gender can grab a floorball stick and join in the fun. It certainly has the potential to fill a niche for people who love hockey because it is played very similarly to hockey; however, Floorball does not require the skill of skating and with rules that prohibit hitting and checking, the sport is safe to play coed and with mixed age levels. It is also inexpensive compared to inline or ice hockey because the only equipment requirements for a field player is a stick and a pair of good indoor court shoes. Goalies require helmets and pads but they don’t play with a stick.
Floorball is very similar to ice hockey minus the ice, which is why many professional hockey clubs in Europe use it for off-season training to improve stick skills and foot speed. A floorball game is played between two teams that can use a maximum of 20 players each with lines of 5 players and a goalie. The usual formation is two wings, one center, two defenders, and one goalie. Games consist of three
20-minute periods of play.
Other benefits of playing Floorball include getting to know other players through local games during travel to tournaments, a great cardiovascular
workout, a means of relieving stress, and numerous opportunities to play at different levels from recreational to international with the U.S. men’s and women’s, or U-19 national teams.
Learn more about floorball [here]
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