Floorball
Indoor team sport invented in Sweden in the late 1960s.
Floorball is an indoor team sport invented in Sweden in the late 1960s, with basic rules established in 1979 and official rules first written in 1981. It is played on a 40 by 20-meter court enclosed by boards, using a lightweight plastic ball and specialized sticks, with five outfield players and one goalkeeper per team. The sport is organized internationally by the International Floorball Federation (IFF) and has grown to include about 330,000 registered players worldwide as of 2022.
- Invented
- Late 1960s in Sweden
- Basic rules established
- 1979 in Sweden
- Official rules written
- 1981
- Court dimensions
- 40 by 20 meters
- Match duration
- Three 20-minute periods
- Governing body
- International Floorball Federation (IFF)
- Registered players (2022)
- Approximately 330,000
Lore & Background
Floorball originated as a recreational pastime in Swedish schools during the late 1960s. The basic rules were established in Sweden in 1979, and official written rules followed in 1981. The sport spread to other Nordic countries and beyond, leading to the formation of national associations and the founding of the IFF in 1986. By 1990, floorball was recognized in seven countries, and by the first men's world championships in 1996, 20 nations played the sport.
Reader's Guide
Floorball's significance lies in its rapid international expansion from a schoolyard game to a globally organized sport with 80 IFF member nations as of 2022. It has been included in the World Games since 2017 and received recognition from the International Olympic Committee in 2008. The sport features major club competitions such as the annual Champions Cup, EuroFloorball Cup, and EuroFloorball Challenge, as well as biennial World Floorball Championships for men and women. Semi-professional leagues exist in Finland, Sweden, Switzerland, and the Czech Republic for both men and women. Floorball is most popular in countries where it has been developed longest, including the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland, while gaining popularity in many other nations across multiple continents.
Did You Know?
- Floorball is also known as saalihoki in Estonia, salibandy in Finland, innebandy in Sweden and Norway, and unihockey in Switzerland, Germany, and Ireland.
- The IFF has 80 members as of 2022, with at least one national association on every continent except Antarctica.
- The first men's world championships in 1996 had a sold-out final of 15,106 people at the Globen in Stockholm, Sweden.
- Floorball received recognition from the International Olympic Committee in December 2008.
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