Floorball
A type of floor hockey, is an indoor team sport which was developed in the 1970s in Sweden. Floorball is most popular in areas where the sport has developed the longest, such as the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latwia, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland. The game is played indoors on a wooden or rubber mat floor or just a basketball court, making it a year-round sport at amateur and professional levels. There are professional leagues, such as Finland's Salibandyliiga and Sweden's Svenska Superligan. While there are 55 members of the International Floorball Federation (IFF), the Czech Republic, Finland, Sweden and Switzerland have finished in most of the coveted 1st, 2nd and 3rd places at the World Floorball Championships.
History The game was invented in early 1970s in Gothenburg, Sweden. The sport began as something that was played for fun as a pastime at schools. After a decade or so, floorball began showing up in Nordic countries where the former schoolyard pastime was becoming a developed sport. Formal rules soon were developed, and clubs began to form. After some time, several countries developed national associations, and the IFF was founded in 1986. The game of floorball is also known by many other names, such as salibandy (in Finland), innebandy (in Sweden and Norway), and unihockey (in Switzerland and Germany).
Expansion When the IFF was founded in 1986, the sport was played in mostly Nordic countries, Japan, and several parts of Europe. By 1990, floorball was recognized in 7 countries, and by the time of the first European Floorball Championships in 1994, that
number had risen to 14. That number included the United States, who were the first country outside of Europe and Asia to recognize floorball. By the time of the first men's world championships in 1996, 20 nations played floorball, with 12 of them participating at the tournament.As of 2009, the sport of floorball has been played in almost 80 countries. Of those, 55 have national floorball associations that are recognized by the IFF.
Recognition In December 2008, the IFF and the sport of floorball received recognition from the International Olympic Committee (IOC). In July 2011 the IOC officially welcomed the IFF into its family of International Sports Federations (ISF). This will pave the way for Floorball to enter the official sport programme. The IFF hopes that this recognition will help allow floorball to become a part of the 2020 Summer Olympics.In January 2009, the IFF and the sport of floorball received recognition from the Special Olympics.. This recognition could make floorball an official Special Olympics sport in just two years. As well, the IFF hopes that floorball will be included as a demonstration sport at the 2013 Special Olympics World Winter Games.
Floorball Floorball is a very fast, fun and safe form of indoor hockey. Played in a regular sports hall, about the size of 4 badminton courts, Floorball is maybe best described as a cross between ice hockey and field hockey. Each team is made up of a squad of players but only 6 players take to the rink at a time. This team consists of 3 forwards, 2 defenders and a goalie.
A match consists of 3 periods of play with each period lasting 20 minutes and teams may change players continuously throughout the game. Each player will tend to do a 90 -120 second 'shift' on the rink. This promotes a very fast game as players are generally changed whilst the game is still in motion. Floorball is played by two teams of six to a side, including goalkeeper. A game of floorball is usually officiated by two referees. Floorball takes place indoor, on a rink that varies from 18-22 meters wide and 36-44 meters long. The rink is bordered by 50 cm boards with rounded corners. The goals are 160 cm wide and 115 cm high.
The object of floorball is to score points by hitting a ball in the goal past the goalkeeper using a hockey like stick. A floorball game consists of three 20 minute periods. The team with the most goals at the end of the game wins. Time is stopped for goals, penalties, and timeouts. Each team gets one 30 second timeout per game. Shoulder-to-shoulder contact is allowed, but ice hockey like checking is against the rules. Players can not play the ball higher than knee level. They are also not allowed to use their sticks to raise another player's stick. Infractions lead to two minute penalties, but can be made up to five minutes at the referee's discretion. When play is stopped it is restarted with a faceoff or free hit. If a match ends in a tie, play is continued, and the first team to score wins.
The Equipment Typical equipment for a floorball player consists of a stick, a pair of shorts, a shirt, socks, and indoor sport shoes. In addition to that, players are allowed to wear shin guards, eye protectors and protective padding for vital areas, although most don't. Protective eyewear is in some countries compulsory for junior players. Goalkeepers wear protection that is very limited; padded pants, a padded chest protector, and a helmet. The goalkeeper can also wear other protective equipment, such as gloves, but bulky padding is not permitted. Some of this other protective equipment includes knee and elbow pads. Goalkeepers do not use sticks; instead, they use their hands to play the ball.
The Ball is similar to a whiffle ball and is made of hard plastic with 26 evenly distributed holes. It is 72 mm in diameter and weighs 23 grams. The Sticks are lightweight, durable, around 100 cm in length and vary in flexibility. Shorter than hockey sticks, floorball sticks are engineered for superior stick-handling, ball control and shooting. The Nets are at either end of the rink, 160 cm wide x 115 cm high. They are similar to hockey nets except they are a little smaller to compensate for the lack of large protective gear for goalies. The Rink is officially 40 m long x 20 m wide but can vary in size. It is surrounded by plastic or fibreglass boards 50 cm high. The goalkeeper area is 2.5 m x 1 m and the goal area is 5 m x 4 m.
Rules - A player cannot play the ball above knee level and when shooting, the stick can't be raised above the waist. Unlike hockey, player obstruction or body checking is not allowed; only controlled shoulder-to-shoulder contact. - A player cannot intentionally hit an opposing player's stick; he must play the ball. - There are no offside or icing calls. - The ball cannot be played with the hand or head except for goalies, who can also throw the ball with one bounce before the centre line. - Whenever an infraction is committed, possession is given to the opposition, just like in soccer.
Each team can field six players at a time on the court, one player being a goalkeeper. But the coach can take the goalkeeper off for a short amount of time, and switch him with a field player. This can make advantages for the attacking side of the team, and disadvantages when it comes to their own defence. The team is also allowed to change players any time in the game, usually they change the whole team. Individual substitution happens sometimes, but it usually happens when a player is exhausted or is hurt.
A floorball game is officially played over three periods lasting 20 minutes each (15 minutes for juniors). The time is stopped in the case of penalties, goals, time-outs and any situation where the ball is not considered to be in play. An intermission of 10 minutes takes place between each period, where teams change ends and substitution areas. Each team is allowed one timeout of 30 seconds (which is often used late in matches). There are two referees to oversee the game, each with equal authority. Checking is disallowed in floorball. Controlled shoulder-to-shoulder contact is allowed, but ice hockey-like checking is forbidden. Pushing players without the ball or competing for a loose ball is also disallowed, and many of these infractions lead to two minute penalties. The best comparison in terms of legal physical contact is flootball, where checking is used to improve one's positioning in relation to the ball rather than to remove an opposing player from the play. In addition to checking, players cannot lift another opponents stick or perform any stick infractions in order to get to the ball. As well, players may not raise their stick or play the ball above their knee level, and a stick cannot be placed in between a player's legs (to avoid tripping).
When a player commits a foul, or when the ball is deemed unplayable, play is resumed from a free-hit or a face-off. A free hit involves a player from one team to start play from the place where the ball was last deemed unplayable. A comparison of this is a free kick in soccer. For many fouls, such as stick infractions, a free hit is the only discipline provided. However, at the referee's discretion, a penalty may be worth either two or five minutes. At that point, the player who committed the foul sits in the penalty area, and his team is short handed for the time of the penalty. If an 'extreme' foul is committed, such as physical contact or unsportsmanlike behavior, a player may receive a 10 minute penalty or even a match misconduct.