United States Floorball Association
Encyclopedia
The United States Floorball Association (USFbA) is the highest governing body for floorball
Floorball
Floorball, a type of floor hockey, is an indoor team sport which was developed in the 1970s in Sweden. Floorball is most popular in areas where the sport has developed the longest, such as the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland. The game is played...

 in the United States of America. The USFbA is a self-governed organization, recognized by both state and federal governments. It is based in Fresno
Fresno, California
Fresno is a city in central California, United States, the county seat of Fresno County. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 510,365, making it the fifth largest city in California, the largest inland city in California, and the 34th largest in the nation...

, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

.

Organization

The USFbA is divided into 5 regional branches: West, Central, North, Northeast, and Southeast. Each regional branch has a director who is in charge of floorball for that region.

The USFbA has been a member of the International Floorball Federation
International Floorball Federation
The International Floorball Federation is the worldwide governing body for the sport of floorball. It was founded in 1986 in Huskvarna, Sweden, by the national floorball associations of Finland, Sweden and Switzerland. As of March 2011, it had 52 member associations, with 3,983 clubs and 277,752...

 (IFF) since 1993. As of June 30th, 2008, there are 920 registered floorball players in the United States, which is one-and-a-half times the total of registered players in 2007.

Central Board

The current central board consists of a President, Vice-President, and 3 regional directors.
 Position  Name
President Calle Karlsson
Vice-President         
Regional Director:
California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

/West
Erik Larsson
Regional Director:
Northeast
John Dicriscio
Regional Director:
Southeast
Erica Camp

History

The sport of floorball was initially introduced in the United States by Scandinavian players who brought the game with them when traveling to the United States. In 1991, Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

 players in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...

 formed a floorball club at MIT. The sport soon grew in popularity and reached several universities, where it was also played at the club level.

The first step towards membership with the International Floorball Federation
International Floorball Federation
The International Floorball Federation is the worldwide governing body for the sport of floorball. It was founded in 1986 in Huskvarna, Sweden, by the national floorball associations of Finland, Sweden and Switzerland. As of March 2011, it had 52 member associations, with 3,983 clubs and 277,752...

 (IFF) was taken in the mid-90's, when floorball found new ground in California. After founding the USFbA, the organization attempted to gather and send a national team to the 1998 World Floorball Championships
1998 Men's World Floorball Championships
The 1998 Men's Floorball Championships were the second world championships in men's floorball. It was held in May 1998 in the Czech Republic, and won by Sweden.- Group A :- Group B :-Playoffs:-Semi-Finals:-Bronze Medal Match:...

, but fell short due to a lack of players. In 2002, the USFbA succeeded in gathering a team and the United States was able to field their first national team. This team consisted of players based in various countries, such as Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

, and Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

 but also contained USA based players such as current USFbA president Calle Karlsson.

In 2009, the USFbA moved their central headquarters from Raleigh
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...

, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...

, to Fresno
Fresno, California
Fresno is a city in central California, United States, the county seat of Fresno County. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 510,365, making it the fifth largest city in California, the largest inland city in California, and the 34th largest in the nation...

, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

.

Players

Players in the USA must register with USFbA's Amateur Athletic Union
Amateur Athletic Union
The Amateur Athletic Union is one of the largest non-profit volunteer sports organizations in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs.-History:The AAU was founded in 1888 to...

 (AAU) insurance policy before taking part in any nationally sanctioned tournaments or competitions. Through this partnership, the development of floorball locally is expected to grow much more securely thanks to improved protection.

National Teams

Although their first appearance was in 2002, the US national team has had considerable success at the World Floorball Championships, finishing as high as 3rd place in the B-Division of the 2008 Men's World Floorball Championships
2008 Men's World Floorball Championships
The 2008 Men's World Floorball Championships were the seventh world championships in men's floorball. The tournament was held from December 6th to December 14th, 2008. The tournament took place in the cities of Prague and Ostrava...

.

Adam Troy has served as the team's general manager since 2002.

External links






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