Floorball

The game of floorball is also known by many other names, such as (in Estonia), (in Finland), (in Sweden and Norway), unihockey (in Switzerland, Germany and Ireland), unihokej (in Poland) and (in Lithuania). The names and are derived from bandy and translate to "hall bandy" and "indoor bandy" respectively. In Sweden, voices have been raised to get rid of the word as name of the sport, to avoid confusions with bandy. The name unihockey is shortened from universal hockey since it is meant to be a special and simplified hockey form. == History ==

In various forms the game of floor hockey has been played since the early 20th Century in Canada as a recreational sport, especially in high school gymnasiums, as a playful variant of hockey. The basic design of floorball sticks is believed to have come from the ice skating team sport of bandy. By the 1950s and 1960s many public school systems within Michigan in the United States incorporated floorball into their primary and secondary school gym classes. Americans have since claimed to have invented floorball. America held interstate tournaments in the 1960s. Floorball was formally organized as an international and more organized sport in the late 1970s in Gothenburg, Sweden. The sport began as something that was played for fun as a pastime in schools. 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 2025, the IFF has 80 members, in addition to recognizing 11 other countries with ongoing floorball development. Of its members, 58 have national floorball associations that are recognized by the IFF. With the addition of Sierra Leone, Africa's first floorball nation, the IFF has at least one national association on each continent of the world, with the exception of Antarctica. Development 10 years after the IFF was founded, the first world championships were played, with a sold out final of 15,106 people at the Globen in Stockholm, Sweden. In addition to that, the world's two largest floorball leagues, Finland's Salibandyliiga and Sweden's Svenska Superligan were formed, in 1986 and 1995 respectively. Recognition In December 2008, the IFF and the sport of floorball received recognition from the International Olympic Committee (IOC). In July 2011, the IOC welcomed the IFF into its family of Recognised International Sports Federations (ARISF). The IFF hoped that this recognition would help allow floorball to become a part of the 2020 Summer Olympics. As of 2024, the IOC has not announced any plans to add floorball to future Olympic games. In January 2009, the IFF and the sport of floorball received recognition from the Special Olympics. In addition to recognition by the IOC and Special Olympics, the IFF is also a member of the Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF, formerly SportAccord), and co-operates with the International University Sports Federation (FISU). Floorball is now also member of IWGA, which runs the World Games, and floorball was on the programme for the first time in Wrocław 2017. == Rules ==

Core 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 and substitute them for a field player whenever they like, although it usually only happens in the end to increase the chances of scoring with one more outfield player. This can bring an advantage for the attacking side of the team but also disadvantages when it comes to their own defense. Both teams are also allowed to change players any time in the game; usually, a change comprises the whole team. Individual substitution happens sometimes, but usually only when a player is exhausted or hurt. Time A floorball game is played over three periods lasting 20 minutes each (15 minutes for juniors). The clock is stopped in the case of penalties, goals, time-outs and any situation where the ball is not considered to be in play. The signal of a timeout is a triple honking sound. An intermission of 10 minutes (or maximum 15 minutes in some competitions) Goalkeepers Goalkeepers wear limited protection provided by padded pants, a padded chest protector, knee pads and a helmet. Some goalkeepers like to wear gloves and/or wristbands The goalkeeper may also wear other protective equipment such as elbow pads and jock straps but bulky padding is not permitted. Goalkeepers do not use sticks and may use their hands to play the ball when they are within the goalkeeper's box. There, they are allowed to throw the ball out to their teammates provided that the ball touches the ground before the half court mark. They can assist but not score. When they are completely outside the box, goalkeepers are considered field players and are not allowed to touch the ball with their hands. Ball A floor ball weighs and its diameter is . It has 26 holes in it, each of which are in diameter. Many of these balls now are made with aerodynamic technology, where the ball has over a thousand small dimples in it that reduce air resistance. There have been several times where a ball has been recorded to have traveled at a speed of approximately . == Competitions ==

World Games Floorball has been a sport of the World Games since the 2017 edition. Only a men's tournament was featured in 2017 and 2022. Starting with the 2025 edition, a women's tournament is held too. All men's tournaments so far have been won by Sweden. Finland won the inaugural women's tournament in 2025. World championships celebrating victory at the 2022 World Championship , a Finnish floorball player and a four-time world champion in the sport, was voted best floorball player in the world in 2005, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012. The world floorball championships is annual event, but each class only meet every other year—the men and women under 19 meet in even years, and the women and men under 19 meet in odd years. The Czech Republic, Finland, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland remain the only five countries to have ever captured a medal at a World Championship event. • The Men's World Floorball Championship takes place every December (since 2008) in every even year. • The Women's World Floorball Championship takes place every December (since 2009) in every odd year. • The Men's under-19 World Floorball Championship takes place every May (since 2009) in every odd year. • The Women's under-19 World Floorball Championships takes place every May (since 2008) in every even year. From 1996 to 2009, the IFF used a World Floorball Championship format where the last team in the A-Division was relegated to the B-Division, while the top team in the B-Division was promoted to the A-Division. This format caused much hardship for countries such as Australia, Canada, Slovakia, and Spain, who have all been trying to get to the B-Division from the C-Division since 2004. In 2010, the IFF adopted a FIFA-like continental qualification system, where teams must qualify to play at the world championships. Depending on the number of countries registered per continent or region, the IFF gives spots for the world championships. In addition to the Floorball World Championships, there are other IFF Events for club teams such as the Champions Cup which is for the national competition winners from the Top-4 ranked nations, and the EuroFloorball Cup for the national competition winners from the 5th and lower ranked nations. There are also many international floorball club competitions. Asia Pacific Floorball Championship The Asia Pacific Floorball Championships are played every single year in New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, or Japan. The event was created by the Singapore Floorball Association together with the cooperation of the Asia Oceania Floorball Confederation (AOFC). Members of the AOFC get together during this tournament to play for the Asia Pacific Floorball Championship every year. As of 2010, the Asia Pacific Floorball Championship is also the qualifying tournament for the World Floorball Championships. Czech Open The world's largest club team tournament, the Czech Open is a traditional summer tournament held in Prague, Czech Republic. It is famous not only for its on-court activities, but also for those off-court. The tournament attracts 200+ clubs every year from 20 countries. Champions Cup The Champions Cup was played for the first time in 2011. It is now the premier IFF event for Men's and Women's Club teams. The national championship winners from the Top-4 ranked nations compete in the event. EuroFloorball Cup The EuroFloorball Cup (formerly European Cup) is an IFF-organised club event for both men's and women's teams. It has taken place every single year since 1993, and in 2000 it changed its format to a 2-year event (i.e. 2000–01). In 2008, the tournament switched back to its one-year format. In 2011 it underwent another change when the Champions Cup was introduced for the first time. The EuroFloorball Cup (EFC) is now for the national competition winners from the 5th and lower ranked nations. Qualification can be made via a number of processes. Firstly, the teams from the 5th, 6th & 7th ranked nations receive automatic qualification. A team nominated by the local event organiser also gets automatic qualification, and then the last two spots are determined by qualification tournaments. North American Floorball League The North American Floorball League is the first and only semi professional floorball league outside of Europe. It is not affiliated with any federation, so it has players from around the world. The inaugural set of teams are entirely based in the United States, though there is potential for expansion into Canada. == Variations ==

3v3 This variant works almost the same as the normal 5v5 one, but with only 3 field players per team. Goalkeepers have a bag full of balls behind the goal, and they will play one if the current ball goes out the field. They can score directly if the ball bounces before the midfield line. Game time is divided in 2 parts of 10 minutes each with semi-effective time (only stops on goals or interruptions led by the referee) and a 2-minute break. 3v3 World Floorball Championships are being held since 2024 as part of the Under-19 World Floorball Championships. Freebandy Freebandy is a sport that developed in the 2000s from floorball fanatics who specialize in a technique called "zorro", which involves lifting the ball onto a stick and allowing air resistance and fast movements to keep the ball "stuck" to the stick. This technique is also referred to as "airhooking" or "skyhooking". In freebandy, the rules are very much the same of those of floorball, with the exception of high nets and no infractions for high sticking. As well, the sticks are slightly tweaked from those of a floorball variety to include a "pocket" where the ball can be placed. Special Olympics Floorball at the Special Olympics is slightly modified from the "regular" form of floorball. Matches are played 3-on-3 with a goaltender, on a smaller court that measures long by wide. This form of floorball was developed for the intellectually disabled, and has yet to be played at the Special Olympics. Floorball was played as a demonstration sport at the 2013 Special Olympics World Winter Games, and was played as an official sport at the games in 2017. Streetbandy , Finland A simplified less formal version of floorball, played with smaller team numbers and shorter periods, and typically outdoors on various surfaces, including AstroTurf. In its most basic form, it is an informal pick up game amongst friends. However, a more formal version is played in Sweden, with the following structure: • three field players on each team, with smaller overall team sizes (including subs.) • small goals, with no goalie • smaller playing area, usually closer to a half rink. • 10-minute length. • tendency towards "first team to score 5 goals in the time limit" rather than traditional scoring. Sudden death on a draw. • penalties are taken from the centre line. • most situations arising from the ball leaving play are resumed from a fixed point (e.g. corner, centre line) • no physical contact, high sticks or dangerous activity allowed. Swiss floorball Swiss floorball called unihockey is a revised version of a floorball match. The match is played on a slightly smaller court and often involves only three field players playing on each side, in 3-on-3 floorball. This form of floorball is also slightly shorter, with only two periods of 15 to 20 minutes each played. In Switzerland this form of playing is called "smallcourt" (Kleinfeld), opposed to the usual style of playing on a bigger court, which is called "bigcourt" (Grossfeld). Wheelchair floorball Originally developed for players with disabilities, wheelchair floorball is played with exactly the same rules as "regular" floorball. Players use the same stick and ball, and goaltenders are also allowed to play. The first ever IFF-sanctioned wheelchair floorball matches were played between the men's teams of the Czech Republic and Sweden during the 2008 Men's World Floorball Championships in Prague. In addition to this, there is also an electric wheelchair variation. == See also ==