The short version
Floorball is an indoor stick-and-ball sport played five outfield players plus a goalkeeper per side, on a rink about 40 by 20 metres enclosed by low boards. The ball is light plastic with holes in it, and the sticks are short and light enough for a child to swing comfortably. A match is three periods of twenty minutes.
It looks a little like ice hockey without the ice, but it plays quite differently: the ball rolls rather than slides, deliberate body checking is not allowed, and the goalkeeper plays without a stick, mostly down on their knees.
The rules, briefly
- Five outfield players and a goalkeeper per team, with unlimited rolling substitutions.
- Three periods of twenty minutes. The clock stops for stoppages in the later stages of competitive games.
- No deliberate body checking. Shoulder-to-shoulder contact for the ball is allowed; pushing and hacking is not.
- The stick blade must stay below waist height on the backswing and follow-through.
- You may not play the ball with your foot deliberately, or with your hand or head at all.
- The goalkeeper has no stick and may not throw the ball past the centre line.
What you need
Very little, which is part of the appeal. Indoor shoes, comfortable clothes, and a stick. Most clubs will lend you a stick for your first few sessions, so you can try the sport before spending anything at all. Sticks come in left- and right-handed versions and in different lengths โ a club coach will help you pick, and getting this right matters more than the price.
Where it is played
Floorball is strongest in the Nordic countries and central Europe. It goes by different names depending on where you are: innebandy in Sweden and Norway, salibandy in Finland, florbal in Czechia and Slovakia, and unihockey in Switzerland. The sport is governed internationally by the International Floorball Federation, and World Championships are held every other year. Beyond its heartlands it is growing steadily, with active clubs across North America, Asia and Oceania.
How to start playing
Find your nearest club and turn up. That really is most of it โ floorball clubs are used to complete beginners, and many run dedicated sessions for adults who have never held a stick. You do not need to be fit, young, or have played anything similar.
If you are not sure where to start, the map below shows every club in the directory. Club listings marked "Beginners welcome" are the ones that have told us they run sessions aimed at new players.