Vit Nosek, NDA’s international student from the Czech Republic, has brought the sport of floorball to the school community.  Here he reports on the success of his home team.

On May 12, young boys from the Czech Republic changed the history of floorball forever.

The group of 18 players, all under 19 years old, and seven coaches defeated Sweden in the final game of the World Floorball Cup in Halifax, Canada.

The Czech team won the gold medal after a long, successful tournament, which was held for the first time in North America.

Floorball is a type of floor hockey with five players and a goalkeeper on each team. It doesn’t require any bulky equipment;  all that is needed is a floorball stick and a ball. Floorball is played on 65 x 130 foot court surrounded with heavy plastic boards. Matches are played in three 20-minute periods.

Over the course of the last several years, floorball has become an extremely popular sport across Europe, especially in countries like Sweden, Finland, Norway, the Czech Republic, Switzerland and Latvia. It provides a great way of having fun for both girls and boys because the main emphasis is on speed and skill rather than strength, unlike hockey.

The highest governing body is called The International Floorball Federation, which puts a lot of effort in developing floorball all around the world. That is why Canada was asked to host the 2019 Junior World Champions Cup.

The best 16 countries from four different continents were divided into two divisions based on their rankings from previous competitions.

The five-day tournament in Halifax offered many great matches, moments and unforgettable memories. The traditional challenge in any floorball gathering features the top four countries of Sweden, Finland, Switzerland and the Czech Republic.

This year was no exception. Switzerland was defeated 4-2 by the last champion in the third place match.

The final match between Sweden and the Czech Republic brought together the best individuals from SSL (Swedish Super League), generally considered the best men’s league in the world.

The Czech team had many well prepared players with a broad background of experiences. That was the key element because the Czechs were able to adjust their game plan and use their knowledge from the Swedish league.

When the scoreboard read 8-2 for the Czech Republic, the historic celebration began. The team’s success is a reward to all the players, coaches and staff members.

Martin Hales, the Czech goalie and a selection for the tournament all-star team, said, “It’s an unbelievable feeling. I can’t believe my dream came true.”