Breaking new ground

Toronto hosts the first Canada Cup of floorball

It looks a little bit like soccer, and sounds a little bit like hockey, but chances are you’ve never heard of it before. With teams in Toronto and Aurora, floorball may be coming to a gym near you.
Championship floorball made its enthusiastic Canadian debut last month as six North American teams left their ice skates at the border to compete in a strategic game of fast-paced ball movement and finesse play. The inaugural two-day tournament at the University of Toronto – the first of its kind in Canada – featured a number of European and American players competing in teams from Toronto, Aurora (Ontario), Montreal, Raleigh (North Carolina), New York, and Boston.
“This tournament brings the North American floorball community together,” says Juha Mikkola, tournament organizer and Chairperson of the University of Toronto Floorball Club. “[The Canada Cup] not only lets us compete against each other but also to exchange ideas about how we have introduced floorball in our regions.”
Floorball is played using short sticks with curved plastic blades and a wiffle ball; goaltenders are required to play on their knees and without the assistance of a stick, glove or blocker. Although equipment is minimal, there are tight rules that govern play.
Without body checking and with only minimal stick contact allowed, floorball is considered to be a sport for all ages and abilities. The main focus is on ball control, and with no off-sides or icing calls, there are few stops in play.
Floorball is one of the fastest-growing sports in the world, reaching beyond its niche popularity in countries like Finland and Sweden, and into North America, the rest of Europe, and even into southeast Asia. Many of the spectators present at the tournament came to Toronto from the United States and Quebec to watch their teams in action and were treated to over 10 hours of non-stop exciting play. The Toronto crowd had a chance to see a number of players from Finland and Sweden who came to the tournament on the Boston Puukadet and New York teams. The majority of players competing in the Canada Cup from the Toronto and Aurora teams got their first taste of competitive North American floorball play.
Boston and New York ended the first day of round robin play as the top seeds, automatically entering them into the semi-finals on Sunday. Toronto finished 2nd in the West division, and successfully defeated Raleigh, seeded 3rd in the East, for entry in the semi-finals.
In the second day of competition, the Toronto team (made up of mostly University of Toronto students) lost a hard-fought battle against New York by a 4-2 margin, and took on Montreal for the bronze medal. Despite several controversial penalties, Toronto managed to hold onto a 6-5 lead, but with just 4.46 seconds left to play in regulation time, Montreal tied the game and took it into penalty shots. Montreal edged out the home team by nailing four straight penalty shots to take third place. New York showed fine form against Boston in the championship game, taking the tournament with a score of 6-3. Aurora and Raleigh placed fifth and sixth, respectively.
Although the floorball community is gaining some ground in North American sports media, Arup Chakravarty, who organized a successful East Coast tournament in North Carolina last summer, says that it is the positive word-of-mouth that has garnered the sport its growth in popularity. “It’s very important just to spread the floorball word and get more people involved – the floorball ‘gospel’ – so more people join and get familiar with the sport.”
“It’s catching on very well in Canada,” says Arup. “It’s also catching on very well in North Carolina, and in the U.S. There are actually teams all over the United States.”
The Toronto floorball community has begun a grassroots campaign of introducing the inexpensive co-ed sport to local elementary schools. “For the sport to really grow, it’s important to get the kids involved,” says Juha. “Floorball is perfect for schools because of its contact free nature and low start-up costs.”
Clubs in the United States have already created a coaching environment for young people interested in the game and Canada plans to follow suit. Floorball has also proven to be appealing for recreational and semi-competitive players of all ages. “Events like this are really rewarding for recreational players who have decided to make floorball part of their exercise routine,” adds Juha. “This event will grow bigger every year and players and teams who start playing floorball now can compete next year.”
Many of Team Toronto’s players are members of the Toronto Floorball League, which recently expanded to keep up with demand. More expansion is planned for next year with the addition of a new location and many new teams. Although league play winds down in the summer, the University of Toronto club will continue year-round. The Toronto floorball community is constantly recruiting new members for its clubs and league. The best way to experience floorball is to come out to an open practice held weekly at the University of Toronto Athletic Centre. Visit floorball.sa.utoronto.ca for details.
With clubs also operating in western Canada and a Canadian floorball team representing our nation for the first time at the World Championships in Spain last month, the excitement around floorball is spreading. The success of Toronto’s first Canada Cup highlights the groundswell of support for the international game - on home turf.
For more information on the Canada Cup or Toronto floorball, please contact Juha Mikkola at juha.mikkola@utoronto.ca or 416.972.9305.

Publication Date: 2004-05-16
Story Location: http://tandemnews.com/viewstory.php?storyid=3977