The Great Britain Floorball Federation has set up a Youth Floorball Working Committee in order to promote and develop Floorball for youth in Great Britain. The committee has already taken big steps and there has been Floorball tournaments organised with media coverage, a youth league has been set, a syllabus has been prepared for the schools and the committee has also applied and received grants and fundings for the projects.

Floorball is now played by approximately 1000 young people regularly in Great Britain and has expanded in the following counties: Cornwall, Gloucestershire, Lancashire, London, Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire, Surrey, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, and Wiltshire. In addition Floorball is also developing in Scotland and Wales.

The aim is to continue the spreading of Floorball amongst youth in Great Britain and to establish both Men´s and Women´s Under 19 national teams in order to have a U19 team participating in the World Floorball Championships in 2011.

A coaching course and Referee course for young people, their managers and sports development officers, will also be organised during the summer. The courses will be headed by the IFF Referee Observer, Mr. Andrew Clough and Mr. Simon Ross, who has participated in the IFF Development Program Seminar.

Source: Beverley Needham/GBFF Youth Development Officer