# Floorball
Floorball is an indoor team sport played with plastic sticks and a light plastic ball, in which each team fields five players and a stickless goalkeeper on a rink enclosed by boards. It developed in Sweden in the 1970s and is governed worldwide by the [International Floorball Federation](https://www.edgepedia.org/international-floorball-federation) (IFF), founded on 12 April 1986 in Huskvarna, Sweden, by the floorball associations of Finland, Sweden, and Switzerland.[1](https://inside.floorball.sport/our-sport/floorball-history/) • [2](https://inside.floorball.sport/about-the-iff/who-we-are/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Governing body | International Floorball Federation (IFF), founded 12 April 1986 in Huskvarna, Sweden, by Finland, Sweden, and Switzerland[1](https://inside.floorball.sport/our-sport/floorball-history/) |
| Playing format | Five field players and a goalkeeper per team on court; the goalkeeper plays without a stick; 3v3 and 4v4 variants exist on modified courts[2](https://inside.floorball.sport/about-the-iff/who-we-are/) |
| Rink and game time | 40 m by 20 m enclosed rink; three 20-minute periods with two 10-minute intermissions[3](https://wildcardsport.com/compare/floorball-vs-hockey/) |
| Scale | Played in over 80 countries by more than a million people[4](https://www.floorball.sport/international-floorball-day-kicks-off-iffs-40th-anniversary-celebration/) |
| International status | The IFF is recognised by the IOC and floorball is a medal sport on The World Games program[2](https://inside.floorball.sport/about-the-iff/who-we-are/) • [8](https://www.olympics.com/ioc/recognised-international-federations/) |
| First men's World Championship | 1996 in Sweden; the final sold out with 15,106 spectators at the Stockholm Globe Arena[1](https://inside.floorball.sport/our-sport/floorball-history/) |
| Offside | There is no offside rule[5](https://floorball.org/Liitetiedostot/Publications/2018_how_to_score_goals_in_floorball_KIHU.pdf) |
## Origins
Some roots of the sport reach back to 1958, when a plastics industry in [Minneapolis](https://www.edgepedia.org/minneapolis), USA, introduced plastic sticks under the name Cosom, and Cosom floor hockey was played in the USA and Canada.[1](https://inside.floorball.sport/our-sport/floorball-history/) The first Cosom plastic stick was introduced in Sweden in 1968, after which many versions of games with balls and pucks were played there.[6](https://www.floorball.org/Materiaalit/learn-start-play.pdf) In the 1970s the floorball sport played today was developed in Sweden, drawing on the Cosom material with influence from basketball and ice hockey.[1](https://inside.floorball.sport/our-sport/floorball-history/) • [6](https://www.floorball.org/Materiaalit/learn-start-play.pdf) The first official floorball club, Sala IBK, was founded in Sweden in 1979.[4](https://www.floorball.sport/international-floorball-day-kicks-off-iffs-40th-anniversary-celebration/)
## Growth of the IFF
The IFF was created as an umbrella organization to organize international competitions for national and club teams for both men and women.[7](https://archive.floorball.sport/cloudfront/2018/10/GA-2008-Enclosure-6a-The-IFF-Strategical-Vision-2009-2020.pdf) Denmark and Norway joined in 1991, and the first official IFF Congress was held in Zurich in 1992.[1](https://inside.floorball.sport/our-sport/floorball-history/) The first European Cup was played in 1993, for women in Helsinki and for men in Stockholm.[1](https://inside.floorball.sport/our-sport/floorball-history/)
The first World Championships for Men was played in Sweden in 1996, with the final selling out at 15,106 spectators in the Stockholm Globe Arena.[1](https://inside.floorball.sport/our-sport/floorball-history/) The first World Championships for Women followed in 1997 in Åland, Finland.[1](https://inside.floorball.sport/our-sport/floorball-history/) The IFF gained provisional membership of GAISF in 2000, received provisional IOC recognition in December 2008, and full IOC recognition on 8 July 2011.[1](https://inside.floorball.sport/our-sport/floorball-history/) Floorball was an official sport at The World Games in Wrocław, Poland, in 2017 and again in [Birmingham, Alabama](https://www.edgepedia.org/birmingham-alabama), in 2022.[1](https://inside.floorball.sport/our-sport/floorball-history/)
The federation's presidency has passed through four holders: András Czitrom of Sweden (1986 to 1992), Pekka Mukkala of Finland (1992 to 1996), Tomas Eriksson of Sweden (1996 to 2024), and Filip Suman of Czechia from 2024.[1](https://inside.floorball.sport/our-sport/floorball-history/)
## The game
Floorball is traditionally played indoors with sticks that have a carbon fiber shaft and plastic blade. In the original version each team has five field players and a goalkeeper on the court, with the goalkeeper playing without a stick; other formats are played 3v3 and 4v4 on modified court sizes, with or without a goalkeeper, and many of these modified versions are played outdoors.[2](https://inside.floorball.sport/about-the-iff/who-we-are/) The IFF sets the rink at 40 m by 20 m, enclosed by boards with rounded corners, and regular game time is three 20-minute periods with two 10-minute intermissions.[3](https://wildcardsport.com/compare/floorball-vs-hockey/) Contact is restricted: forcing or pushing an opponent is allowed only shoulder to shoulder, and a field player may not play the ball above knee level with stick, foot, or lower leg.[3](https://wildcardsport.com/compare/floorball-vs-hockey/) Minor infractions give a free hit, while more serious offenses bring penalties of two, five, or ten minutes, or expulsion for the rest of the game.[3](https://wildcardsport.com/compare/floorball-vs-hockey/)
The absence of an offside rule contributes to the game's speed; one IFF publication describes floorball as one of the fastest ball games in the world.[5](https://floorball.org/Liitetiedostot/Publications/2018_how_to_score_goals_in_floorball_KIHU.pdf) The sport has historically become popular in countries where ice hockey is played, such as Sweden, Finland, and the Czech Republic.[6](https://www.floorball.org/Materiaalit/learn-start-play.pdf)
## Reach and recognition
By its fortieth anniversary in 2026, the IFF counted floorball as played in over 80 countries worldwide by more than a million people, with participation in multi-sport events such as the South-East Asian Games and The World Games.[4](https://www.floorball.sport/international-floorball-day-kicks-off-iffs-40th-anniversary-celebration/) The IFF is recognised by the IOC, an ordinary member of GAISF, and cooperates with FISU.[2](https://inside.floorball.sport/about-the-iff/who-we-are/) • [8](https://www.olympics.com/ioc/recognised-international-federations/) The IFF vision statement describes floorball as the most inclusive team sport, played with over a million registered players on all continents.[2](https://inside.floorball.sport/about-the-iff/who-we-are/)
## References
1. [IFF and Floorball history in short, International Floorball Federation](https://inside.floorball.sport/our-sport/floorball-history/)
2. [Who We Are, International Floorball Federation](https://inside.floorball.sport/about-the-iff/who-we-are/)
3. [Floorball vs Ice Hockey: Rink and Rules, Wildcard Sport](https://wildcardsport.com/compare/floorball-vs-hockey/)
4. [International Floorball Day kicks off IFF's 40th Anniversary celebration, IFF](https://www.floorball.sport/international-floorball-day-kicks-off-iffs-40th-anniversary-celebration/)
5. [How to Score Goals in Floorball, KIHU/Floorball Finland](https://floorball.org/Liitetiedostot/Publications/2018_how_to_score_goals_in_floorball_KIHU.pdf)
6. [History of Floorball, Floorball Finland (learn-start-play)](https://www.floorball.org/Materiaalit/learn-start-play.pdf)
7. [The IFF Strategical Vision 2009-2020, International Floorball Federation](https://archive.floorball.sport/cloudfront/2018/10/GA-2008-Enclosure-6a-The-IFF-Strategical-Vision-2009-2020.pdf)
8. [Recognised International Federations, olympics.com](https://www.olympics.com/ioc/recognised-international-federations/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Hockey and remaining team sports › Floorball*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license