Creation of the League Prior to the creation of the NAFL, elite floorball was greatly concentrated in Europe, and there was an absence of top-tier leagues to develop talent that was present in North America. The
Canadian Floorball Federation has run the
Floorball League of Canada since 2013, and the
United States has operated a series of club tournaments such as the Golden Gate Cup and the Texas Open; however, there was no cohesive, highly promoted league to showcase the best talent that the two countries had to offer, or to attract international players who wanted to see the sport grow in North America. Because the existing floorball seasons in North America and Europe took place during the fall and winter, an idea was devised to create a summer league that could increase the level of competition in North America for its best players without eliminating the structures already in place. The concept was for a league in which teams from across the United States and Canada could play full seasons while still minimizing travel and limiting budget, attracting fans to the sport and allowing the top floorball players in North America to be celebrated as elite athletes. The idea began to take fruition in June 2020, and the league was publicly announced on August 1, 2020, scheduled to begin play the next summer. However, the inaugural season was postponed to the summer of 2022 due to ongoing border closures as a result of the
COVID-19 pandemic.
Team Creation The first team to be formed was the Fort Worth Jaguars, who were publicly announced on August 17, 2020. They were followed a month later by the Cleveland Bucs, who were announced on September 21, the Texas Tornadoes, who were announced on October 19, and finally the Fresno Force, who were founded on December 16, 2020. Following the postponement of the originally scheduled 2021 season, it was announced on December 8, 2021 that the Florida Vikings would be joining the league as a fifth team for the 2022 inaugural season, and the Utah Raptors were announced as a replacement for the Cleveland Bucs on January 15, 2022. The Texas Tornadoes suspended operations on May 16, 2022, bringing the total team count for the inaugural season back to four.
Inaugural Season The inaugural season included a bye week to account for the
World Games being held in Birmingham, AL. At the conclusion of the regular season, the top seed Florida Vikings defeated the second seed Fort Worth Jaguars in the finals, becoming the first ever Troy Cup champions. The Fresno Force took third place after a playoff victory over the Utah Raptors. Josef Juha of the Vikings was voted league MVP after leading the league in goals and tying for the league lead in points, while the league leader in assists and co-leader in points, Rasmus Pasanen of the Jaguars, finished second. Third place in MVP voting went to Matt Smith of the Fresno Force. == League Structure and Rules ==