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A floorball match between Sweden (yellow) and Finland (white)
Floorball is an indoor team sport played using composite or carbon sticks with a plastic vented blade where the aim is to put a light plastic ball into the opponent\'s goal. Floorball is most popular in Sweden, Finland and Switzerland, and is also played in several other countries, such as Norway and the Czech Republic. It is gaining popularity in many other places as well, including some countries outside Europe, such as Canada, Singapore, Japan, Australia and the United States.
Floorball is played in a court by six players per side. The objective of the game is to score goals by playing a plastic ball into the opponent\'s goal net, which is placed at the opposite end of the rink. The players may control and redirect the ball using a stick with a blade that is often curved at one end. Players must not use their hands, arms or head to manipulate the ball on purpose. Although you may use other body parts. It is permitted to touch (esentially stop) the ball once by foot, but not to use your feet to score goals or pass to team-mates.
A floorball team consists of 5 field players and one goalkeeper, whose primary job is to stop the ball from entering the net. The goalkeeper wears protective clothing, but is not permitted a stick. The playing field is 40 x 20 metres and enclosed by a board with rounded corners (50 cm tall). The goal cages are 1.60 x 1.15 m and 65 cm deep. The sticks are made of plastic or carbon and a bit over 1 metre long. The shaft is no longer than 99 cm and a blade of a different kind of plastic is attached to its end. The ball is made of plastic, is 72 mm in diameter, has a maximum weight of 23 grams, and has 26 holes in it.
A world championship tournament is played every two years. The current reigning world champions are Sweden (women, 2007) and Sweden (men, 2006). In the 2006 tournament Gary Gash was awarded most valuable player by the Association d\'auteurs de Floorball (Floorball writers association).
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The dimensions of a floorball rink
Floorball as a game comes from northern Europe. It is similar to Bandy, a kind of sport considered the predecessor of ice hockey. Floorball is sometimes likened to ice hockey without the ice skates, but there are considerable differences in the rules. In Switzerland, floorball is commonly considered to be a kind of hockey.
Floorball is usually played on a standard size court (40 x 20 metres) or on a smaller court measuring 24 x 14 m. On a smaller court a team consists of three players and one goalie. The rules do not differ, except for some adjustments that take account of the smaller court. In the initial years of floorball, the goalkeeper was permitted to use a special kind of stick, but today no stick is used.
On the standard court, the game is played by five players and one goalie on each side. The team consists of a larger number of players which can be substituted at any time. A floorball game is usually played over 3 periods of 20 minutes. Time is stopped in the case of time penalties, goals and time-outs. There is a break of ten minutes between the thirds. If the game is part of a tournament, the time may be shortened to 2 x 20 minutes and the break to 5 minutes. In tournaments the rules can vary so that in the last three minutes the clock is only running when the ball is in play, otherwise the clock is now stopped for all stoppage in play in regular games. Each team is allowed a timeout of 30 seconds. There are two referees to oversee the game, each with equal authority.
A floorball. This is a precision type ball, characterized by 1516 tiny dimples that reduce air resistance, as well as friction on the floor.
The stick used in floorball is strictly regulated. The shaft may be at most 105 cm long, and the whole stick must not weigh more than 350 grams. Its material is composite or carbon and it is hollow. Generally lighter sticks are preferred. The ball is made of plastic and is found in a wide variety of colours, the ball is also hollow. It has a diameter of 72 mm and weighs between 20 and 23 grams. There are 26 holes, each of which measuring 11 mm. The goals are 160 cm wide and 115 cm high; their depth is 65 cm.
The goalie wears special equipment. Goalie trousers are long and padded. The shirt is padded and might be long. The goalie is allowed to wear gloves, but a mitt is not permitted. The goalie wears a helmet to protect his/her face. All the equipment worn by the goalie has the purpose to protect the goalkeeper and must not augment the area as covered by the goalie without the protective wear. The goalie does not have a stick. The field players on the other hand only wear shorts, a shirt, socks and indoor sport shoes. They are allowed shin guards, eye protectors and padding (vital areas).
Although floorball is not as physical as ice hockey, the sport has evolved in recent years to allow increased levels of bodily contact. For example, shoulder to shoulder checking is permitted when opposing players are competing for a loose ball. Floorball has also seen a rise in checking when the play is concentrated in the corners or along the boards. The best comparison in terms of legal physical contact is soccer, where checking is used to improve one\'s positioning in relation to the ball rather than to remove an opposing player from the play.
If a player commits a foul, a free shot is awarded to the opposing team. There are time penalties of two and five minutes for harder fouls; ten minutes are reserved for unsportsmanlike behaviour. For extreme cases there are match penalties (red card).
The new sport with the name floorball was first played in Sweden and Norway in the early 1970s. It soon gained popularity at schools and in leisure clubs. At that time, the goals were much smaller, but there was no goal keeper. This form is still very common when playing recreationally.
Floorball soon caught on and in the late 1970s the sport spread across Europe. In the early 1980s many national associations were founded. This created the structures that enabled the young sport to grow faster. At the time of writing (2006) only four countries dominate the international game: Sweden, Finland, Switzerland and the Czech Republic. The gap to other countries, however, is narrowing year by year.
The following list shows the year in which a national association was founded.
World championships are organised by International Floorball Federation (IFF) and are played in alternate years, with even years for men, and odd years for women.
| Country | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Medals | Participations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Sweden
| 6 100% | 0 | 0 | 6 100% | 6 |
 Finland
| 0 | 4 66.7% | 2 33.3% | 6 100% | 6 |
 Switzerland
| 0 | 1 16.7% | 3 50.0% | 4 66.7% | 6 |
 Czech Republic
| 0 | 1 16.7% | 0 | 1 16.7% | 6 |
 Norway
| 0 | 0 | 1 16.7% | 1 16.7% | 6 |
Notes
| Year | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Venue | Notice |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Sweden
| Finland
| Norway
| Godby/Mariehamn | |
| 1999 | Finland
| Switzerland
| Sweden
| Borlänge | |
| 2001 | Finland
| Sweden
| Norway
| Riga | HomePage |
| 2003 | Sweden
| Switzerland
| Finland
| Berne/Gümligen/Wünnewil | HomePage |
| 2005 | Switzerland
| Finland
| Sweden
| Singapore | HomePage |
| 2007 | Sweden
| Finland
| Switzerland
| Frederikshavn | HomePage |
| 2009 | Sweden | ||||
| 2011 | Switzerland |
| Country | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Medals | Participations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sweden
| 3 50.0% | 1 16.7% | 2 33.3% | 6 100% | 6 |
| Finland
| 2 33.3% | 3 50.0% | 1 16.7% | 6 100% | 6 |
| Switzerland
| 1 16.7 | 2 33.3% | 1 16.7% | 4 66.7% | 6 |
| Norway
| 0 | 0 | 2 33.3% | 2 33.3% | 6 |
Notes
| Year | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Venue | Notice |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Sweden
| Switzerland
| Finland
| Germany | |
| 2003 | Finland
| Sweden
| Czech Republic
| Prague | HomePage |
| 2005 | Sweden
| Finland
| Switzerland
| Cesis and Valmiera | HomePage |
| 2007 | Sweden
| Czech Republic
| Finland
| Switzerland | HomePage |
| 2009 | Finland | ||||
| 2011 | Norway |
| Year | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Venue | Notice |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Sweden
| Finland
| Switzerland
| Tampere | HomePage |
| 2006 | Sweden
| Finland
| Switzerland
| Naunhof / Leipzig | HomePage |
| 2008 | Poland | ||||
| 2010 | Czech Republic | ||||
| 2012 | Norway |
Before playing world championships, the European championship was held twice. In 1994 Sweden\'s men were crowned European champions in Finland; in 1995 Finland\'s men and Sweden\'s women were victorious in Switzerland.
The North American Floorball Championship, created by the Ontario Floorball/Unihockey Federation in association with the United States Floorball Association, is contested each year, currently based on an aggregate scoring system played over two tournaments - East Coast Tournament (Raleigh, NC) and the Canada Cup Floorball Championship (Toronto, Canada).
The Asia Pacific Floorball Championships are played every year in Singapore, created by the Singapore Floorball Association together with the Asia and Oceania Floorball Confederation (AOFC).
| Year | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 |  Australia
|  Singapore
| Singapore | |
| 2004 |  Japan
| Singapore
| Australia
| Singapore |
| 2005 | Japan
| Australia
| Singapore
| Singapore |
| 2006 | Singapore A
| Australia
| Singapore B U19
| Singapore |
| 2007 | Singapore A
|  South Korea
| Japan B
| Singapore |
| Year | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Singapore
| Australia
| Singapore | |
| 2004 | Singapore
| Japan
|  Malaysia
| Singapore |
| 2005 | Singapore
| Japan
| Australia
| Singapore |
The European Cup is organized every year in order to establish the best team in Europe. The championship was adjusted to the sports year which runs across two calendar years in 2000. The originally named European Cup is going to be renamed to EuroFloorball Cup in 2008.
| Year | Men champion | Women champion | Venue | Notice |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Balrog IK
| VK Rasket
| Stockholm (men) / Helsinki (women) | |
| 1994 | Balrog IK
| Sjöstad IF
| Chur | |
| 1995 | Kista IBK
| Sjöstad IF
| Karlstad | |
| 1996 | Balrog IK
| Högdalens AIS
| Stockholm | |
| 1997 | Fornudden IB
| Högdalens AIS
| Stockholm | |
| 1998 | Warbergs IC-85
| Högdalens AIS
| Helsinki / Vantaa | |
| 1999 | Warbergs IC-85
| Tapanilan Erä
| Bern / Sarnen / Zuchwil / Winterthur | |
| 2001 | Helsingin IFK
| Balrog IK
| Gothenburg | |
| 2002 | Haninge IBK
| Balrog IK
| Solna / Botkyrka | |
| 2003 | Haninge IBK
| Balrog IK
| Prague | HomePage |
| 2004 | Pixbo Wallenstam IBK
| SC Classic
| Weissenfels / Merseburg / Hohenmölsen | HomePage |
| 2005 | SV Wiler-Ersingen
| Red Ants Rychenberg
| Zurich / Adliswil | HomePage |
| 2006 | Warbergs IC-85
| IKSU
| Ostrava | HomePage |
| 2007 | AIK
| UHC Dietlikon
| Varberg | HomePage |
| 2008 | AIK
| UHC Dietlikon
| Vantaa | HomePage |
| 2009 | Switzerland | |||
| 2010 | Denmark | |||
| 2011 | Czech Republic | |||
| 2012 | not decided yet |
The biggest club team tournament the Czech Open is a traditional summer tournament held in Prague, Czech republic. It\'s famous not only for its on court activities, but also for those off court.
| Year | Men | Women | Junior | Men "B" | Women "B" | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | IKSU IB
| Kristineberg AIS
| ||||
| 1994 | Sjostad IF
| Sjostad IF
| ||||
| 1995 | Fornudden
| HC Rychenberg Winterthur
| Challengers-93
| |||
| 1996 | Pixbo IBK
| HC Rychenberg Winterthur
| Kirkkonummi Rangers
| |||
| 1997 | Fornudden
| Tatran Střešovice
| Baldersnas IK
| IBK Succe
| ||
| 1998 | FBC Ostrava
| Jona-Uznach Flames
| Team 88 Konolfingen
| Storvreta IK I.
| ||
| 1999 | Tatran Střešovice
|  VIKA Niznyj Novgorod
| Niznyj Novgorod
| Kirkkonummi Rangers
| ||
| 2000 | Helsingin IFK
| SSV
| SSK Future
| Röke IBK
| ||
| 2001 | Pixbo Wallenstam IBK
| UHC Bern OST
| Frosta IBF
| SSK Future
| ||
| 2002 | Pixbo Wallenstam IBK
| Husqvarma IK
| SSK Future Exel
| Roke IBK
| ||
| 2003 | Pixbo Wallenstam IBK
| Balrog Oilers
| SSK Future Exel
| 1. FB Topgrandma
| ||
| 2004 | Balrog Oilers
| Tatran Techtex Střešovice
| Tapanilan Erä
|  Rubene
| ||
| 2005 | IBK Dalen
| Galna Finnar
| SSK Future
| SK Cesis/Lekrings
| Koo-Vee
| |
| 2006 | Pixbo Wallenstam IBK
| Triggers CON INVEST
| Tatran Střešovice
| FBC Liberec
| Sagene Ladies
| |
| 2007 | SSV
| Děkanka
| FBC Pepino Ostrava
| Sokol Pardubice
| Sagene Ladies
|
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