The Junior Australian Floorball Open brought junior players under the same roof 6-10.7.

The inaugural Junior Australian Floorball Open (JAFO) was held from July 6 to 10 at Peninsula Leisure Centre, Woy Woy, New South Wales. Divergent from previous formats which saw only a single junior division run alongside the senior competition, this new format where the Junior competition was run separate has been positively received.

– Having four mixed junior divisions has not only allowed us to increase the number of juniors participating at a high level, it also allowed them to participate and experience success against their age appropriate contemporaries, says Julie Clay, event organiser explains.

Across the four divisions, Under 9’s, Under 13’s, Under 15’s and Under 17’s, 48 matches were played with 347 goals scored accompanied by 192 assists. Clay described the event as a showcase of the talent we have from across the country:
– The level of competition and sportsmanship was fantastic and exciting for the future of floorball in Australia.

Floorball Australia President, Gordon Hodges, acknowledged and wished to thank families for their contribution to the success of this tournament:
– Being a junior event, the commitment from families to support our players was outstanding! From the local families and supporters creating an amazing atmosphere during rounds and finals, to the Western Exports who made the nearly 3000km journey from Western Australia.

Hodges described the event as a huge success and congratulated the Peninsula Floorball Club for setting a high standard for what will be the new JAFO format for future tournaments. With a strong focus on development of junior skills and understandings of the game, the tournament followed the following format:

Day 1: Junior Coaching Clinics, Umpiring Clinic, Nutrition Workshops, and Strength and Conditioning Workshops.
Day 2- 4: Yoga Workshops, Round games and finals.
Day 5: Junior Accelerated Athletes Academy (Invitational).

– We hope that with a strong focus on junior development and the implementation of initiatives such as the Junior Accelerated Athletes Academy, the interest, participation and standard of floorball within Australia will grow over the coming years, Hodges’ resolve is well placed with the Australian Women currently 13th and the Men 16th in the World rankings, Australia is close to breaking into the top 10.

Floorball Australia webpage: www.floorballaustralia.org.au