Floorball
Floorball as a sport has been rapidly growing in several countries in the past years. There are a number of groups playing floorball in London area at the moment, couple of which are taking part in the GBFF organised events.

Floorball is a fast-paced indoor competition and leisure sport developed from Unihoc. There are slight differences between the disciplines, although the equipment and general ideas are rather similar.

In floorball, five outfield players and one goalkeeper can be on the field at the same time. Each team can have a maximum of 15-20 players with unlimited substitutions. The size of the field is 40 x 20 m and the field is surrounded by a rink that is 50 cm high. The playing surface is usually wood parquet or plastic cover. Each outfield player has a stick made from synthetic material such as carbon or plastic. The goalkeeper is not allowed to use a stick but wears a helmet and special padding to guard against the shots that can come at over 100 mph. The goal is 160 cm wide and 115 cm high. The light plastic ball is about the size of a tennis ball, but hollow, with 26 holes on it.

The match is supervised by two referees. Boarding and rough body contact are forbidden and the stick may only be used to hit the ball. For a rule violation, a penalty of 2, 5 or 10 minutes can be given to the fouling player or a free hit awarded to the opposing team. When the foul happens on a player in a clear position to score a penalty shot will be awarded. There’s no off-side rule in floorball.

Each match consists of 3 x 20 minutes at the top level. The time is free-running, apart from the last 3 minutes of the final period when the clock is stopped every time the play is stopped. The match time at lower and junior levels is either 3 x 15 or 2 x 15 minutes.

IFF Teaching Booklet for Floorball - Download booklet

For more detailed information check

• IFF (International Floorball Federation)
• GBFF (Great Britain Floorball Federation)
• Wikipedia (Online encyclopedia)