by Céline Valette

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What is Floorball? Like an hockey match but… without the ice : what an easy explanation! That is why Floorball is also called Unihockey. Swedish and finnish floorball are the best ones, and the question is : why? But let’s point this out for you : more and more countries try and adopt this sport.

A Finnish success: why? In Finland ice hockey is the national sport: Finnish people support the national team like Spanish people encourage Real Madrid! So, in other words floorball is an alternative, a derivative from the hockey. Six players for each team on the ring (20 x 40), a very light ball, two goals (but goalkeepers without sticks), a match is able to go for 20 minutes x 3. Faster than hockey, floorball offers new sensations and feelings. It does not matter the season or the weather, you can play it when and where you want : inside, outside, in Winter or in Spring…This sport was born in Sweden where it is called : Innebandy (bandy is like ‘ice-football’). It is tricky to speak about the origines of Unihockey. It is just ice hockey’s development. At the beginning it was a complementary training for hockey. Nowadays more and more people enjoy discovering this sport. Even if Nordic countries like Finland (34 000 players) or Sweden (118 000 players) are the best and win a lot of championships, several countries have also been interested in developing and playing unihockey since the eighties.

Floorball in the world: Fast, technical, funny, exhausting, floorball do not forget women! They have their own official teams and championships. In general, a world championship takes place every two years, and an European Cup every single year. The last world championship took place in Sweden. Let us see the ranking:

  1. Sweden

  2. Finland

  3. Switzerland

  4. Tchequie republic

  5. Latvia

  6. Denmark

  7. Norway

  8. Italy

  9. Russia

  10. Germany

So, not only Nordic countries are appearing! Please look at Italy : an icredible 7th place, right behind Norway! Floorball continues its development all around the world. In France there is not still a federation, but more and more clubs like Marseille or Nantes (8 clubs in total, and about 100 players…). But France has now a national team which took part in the 2004 World Championship. Still, efforts have to be made in France and for sure in some other countries, in order to make unihockey official. That is why a lot of clubs initiate children and young people into this Nordic activity.

Long live Floorball!

Sources : http://www.floorball.org/default.asp

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