To grow the sport of floorball there must be a continued focus on various factors.
The first step is educating people about the sport and the benefits that is has for them. In the US kids are already being taught floor hockey through physical education. This is usually done in smaller lessons over a short period. Students are taught basic skills and rules of the game. Growing up this was always my favorite P.E. activity, yet the equipment was always lacking. Over the last year I’ve spent a more concerted effort educating P.E. teachers about floorball and why it is better suited to teach and play than floor hockey. Unfortunately, it takes a lot of time, energy, and resources to inform and educate people and get them involved. The second step will be focused on developing a youth system.
The great thing about kids is that they tend to be open to new experiences. If you throw in a stick and a ball it doesn’t take much to get them involved. In my experience when I’ve introduced floorball to kids they’re normally very excited to get their hands on the equipment and start playing. To develop players, we need to get them in front of the sport. One way to do that will be to offer classes within school, and through outside instruction. While some areas may be able to jump right into building teams and competing the majority will not be able to readily do so. It will be important to teach the proper rules and game play to ensure that players are learning and playing the sport in accordance with the International Floorball Federation. This will help in the long term as more players begin to compete in organized events and international tournaments.
As the saying goes, kids are the future, and with them the sport of floorball will grow dramatically. Floorball provides options for kids and parents looking for more opportunities to learn, develop, and get involved in sports. There are several challenges need to be overcome to build the sport. For many learning about the sport they may feel apprehensive in learning and starting a new sport they may know little to nothing about. In doing some research there are a few programs out there available to help along the way. In some cases, there are floorball curriculums that have been developed for this specific purpose. The beauty of sport is that you can be creative, and you can draw on a wealth of knowledge from those around you to make this happen. This is one of main reasons I started writing these blogs and started Floorball Guru. I want to use my knowledge and expertise to work with other like-minded people who see the value in floorball that I do. If you’re interested in getting started please reach out to me and let’s create partnerships to grow the sport.
