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Floorball is a popular European indoor sport. A team game, a plastic vented blade attached to composite or carbon sticks are used send a light plastic ball into the opposition’s goal. Most commonly played in the Czech Republic, Finland, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland, the popularity of floorball is increasing in non-European countries. You can now find floorball being played in Australia, Canada, Japan, Singapore and the United States. A team of six players takes to a court in floorball. The aim is to score as many goals as possible using their sticks by sending the plastic ball down to the other end of the court and into the oppositions’ goal net. During a game of floorball the ball must be controlled and directed by the players using the bladed stick. The arms, hands and heads of the players cannot be used, though other body parts can be used. It is ‘legal’ to use your feet, though you cannot kick the ball to a teammate, or to score a goal. Most commonly, players use their feet to stop the ball. In floorball the team is divided into 5 field players and one goalkeeper. The five field players must try to score goals for their team while the goalkeeper must try and deny the other team from scoring by defending the net. For this purpose, the goalie is allowed to use special equipment. Both trousers and shirts worn by the goalie are padded. Gloves are permitted, but mitts are not. A helmet is worn to protect the goalies face. Goalkeepers are unique in that they do not use a stick during floorball. They must rely on their body to stop the other team from scoring. The protective garments worn by the goalkeepers are for their protection, but they are not allowed to use garments that make them substantially larger, thus helping them to fill the goal area better. Floorball is played on a court, or field, of 40 x 20 metres. This area is contained by a 50cm tall board with rounded corners. The goals measure 1.60 x 1.15 m and are 65 cm deep. The plastic or carbon sticks used by the field players measure just over 1 metre. A length of 99 cm is allowed for the shaft, with the extra length coming from the plastic blade. A 72mm diameter ball, weighing a maximum of 23 grams, is used in the game. Each ball is designed with 26 holes. Every two years a world championship tournament is played between various nations. Sweden are currently the reigning world champions with both the women (2007) and the men (2006) taking out the title. During the last tournament the Association d'auteurs de Floorball (Floorball writers association) awarded Gary Gash the most valuable player title. The current Team Ireland and Dublin Dolphin's Captain is Cianán Clancy. The European Eagles and Dublin Dragon's Captain is Jan Deyna. |
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Floorball is open to everyone, with no age or sex restrictions. Assuming you are in reasonable to good health and have been given approval by a doctor, then you can play Floorball. Ireland does not currently have any disabled teams, but many other countries have disabled teams, so do not let that stop you from forming a team if that is your only concern. It doesn’t matter if you’re an experienced player, or completely new to Floorball, we have all the information you need. And if you can’t find a club in your area, consider beginning your own. Joining a Floorball Club Visit the Ireland map on the website to find the locations of all registered Floorball clubs. In most cases, details for each Floorball club are provided, so that you can contact the club directly to join. If details are not available, the Regional Director for your area will be able to help. Even if you’ve never played before, most clubs are more than happy to receive new members. Being a relatively new sport in Ireland, you will find that there are some variations in standards between clubs. However, as its popularity grows, the standard is becoming higher every year. The main season runs from September to May, with tournaments and matches usually played once a month. Most clubs hold training sessions at least once a week, and many continue to play in the ‘off’ season. If you haven’t played previously, there’s no need to worry about equipment when you first start. Borrowing a stick will not be any problem in the beginning, and you don’t need any special clothing, as only the goalkeeper requires protective garments. Simply wear what you would if you were going to go for a run and you’ll be ready to take to the court. |
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Understanding of the game |
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