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mini-project: FLOORBALL

3 August 2008

Floorball — an introduction

by Heinz Schneider, Schangnau

Originally the team sport floorball comes from Sweden (Scandinavia). In summer, when there was no ice because it’s too warm, hockey players used to play without skates. So they invented floorball, „play ball on a floor”. Quickly the sport spread over Norway, Finland, Czech Republic and Germany and arrived then in Switzerland.

It was a former Maths teacher in Schangnau who was very fond of the sport and promoted the first team of Schangnau pupils. You can play indoors and outdoors, in late autumn and during winter until early spring there is often snow on the field outside and therefore a gym is very useful. The gymn in Schangnau/Bumbach was built in 1999 and it is an important meeting place for the inhabitants of the village, young and older.

There are girls/boys or also mixed teams.

Rules for schools

… Team size:

There are two possible fields: The small field’s size is 20×50m, the large field is 30×50m. On the small field there are three field players and a goalkeeper in a team, on the large field play five field players and a goalkeeper in a team. Instead of a goalkeeper there can be another field player. Playing time is three times 20 minutes on the large field and two times on the small field.

… Beginning:

There is a bully in the middle of the field. After every goal there is another bully. When there is a bully, the players must be in their half of the field. After every break the referee starts the game again.

… Exchange of players:

At every moment players can move on the field, but only when the outgoing player has left the field.

… Bully:

There is the bully point in the middle and there are six other bully points. The ref puts the ball between the sticks and the players must wait for the whistle.

… Outball:

The team who didn’t play the ball out can play the ball in at the place where it left before.

… Free shot:

When there was foul play, the team gets a free shot at the same spot where the foul was. The adversary team must respect a distance of 2 metres. It’s forbidden to: hit players, hold the stick in the air, kick the ball or attack a player’s body. There can be a 2 minutes punishment for a player after that.

… Penalty:

Foul play when there was a 100% chance to score a point results in a penalty. The player starts from the middle of the field towards the goalkeeper, it’s not allowed to shoot a second time.

… Using the body:

Players can protect the ball with their body when they have it. It’s not allowed to hold, push or check the adversary player. It’s forbidden to throw his body against a shot, all these result in a 2 minutes punishment.

… The goalkeeper’s play:

Normally the goalkeeper’s got no stick. He can hold the ball after a shot for three seconds, then he can throw it out, but not into the other half of the field.

… Advantage:

Not every foul play gets sentenced. If there is an advantage for the team, the referee can let the players get on until they score. If they fail, he interrupts the game and decides for a free shot, a penalty or a 2 minutes punishment. The goalkeepers area is forbidden for every field player.

Let’s play!

On EUdentity’s Facebook page [register for free or log in first, then go to EUdentity Matters], you’ll find a video recorded at a floorball game played by the pupils of Schangnau. Finally, below are some more pictures to give an idea of how playing floorball looks like: