What is Floorball? 

Floorball is an exciting new sport brought to the United States by European enthusiasts. Floorball is one the most rapidly growing sports in the world, with the number of participants now outnumbering those playing hockey in Sweden, Finland, Switzerland and the Czech Republic. Today there are 1.5 million people playing Floorball worldwide. A very fast-paced team game, Floorball is also one of the safest sports in the world.

Floorball is an indoor sport with five field players and one goalie on each team. Each field player has a carbon graphite stick, which is about 3 feet long. The ball is 3 inches in diameter, white, and made of plastic. To make the ball light there are 26 little holes on the sides, much like a whiffle ball.

The Floorball court is analogous to a hockey rink but smaller, 120 feet x 60 feet with 20-inch sideboards. There is a goal at each end, which is guarded by a goalie without a stick. The goalie sits on his knees and can touch the ball over any part of the court as long as he has one part of his body in the goal area.  

The aim of the game is to shoot the ball into the other teams goal but you cannot touch the ball with your head, hand or with your arm. However, you can kick the ball forward onto your own stick. You cannot hit the ball with your stick above knee level. The team structure allows for substitutions and line changes, which are encouraged because of the fast pace of the games. Penalties leading to power play situations are also part of the game. The major difference between Floorball and Hockey is that players are on foot, as opposed to inline/ice skates and physical contact is not permitted.  

So … Why Floorball?

Floorball is a fast game with many goal situations and quick turns in the game. The game has exploded from nothing to one of the biggest sports in Europe, and the same explosion is set to occur in North America. Already there are in excess of a thousand players playing Floorball in over 20 states and provinces in the US and Canada.

 Floorball is a very easy game to play even for the first time. Floorball equipment is relatively cheap compared to hockey; in addition to a stick you only need a pair of sneakers and sports clothes. Floorball is both a highly competitive and social sport, many people play it at amateur level just to meet friends and have fun. The World Championships are now held every two years attracting up 15,000 paid spectators for a single game.

Text - Copyright © 2000-2004 Floorball-USA.com
Reproduction of this text in its entirety is authorized, provided the source (Copyright © 2004 Floorball-USA.com) is acknowledged. Reproduction of parts of this text is unauthorized without prior written consent. You must include this copyright notice in any copy, reproduction or redistribution of this text that you make. Thanks, and enjoy.

Images - http://wfc2002.ip-finland.com/gallery/albums.php