The EuroFloorball Challenge (EFCh) 2019 is played August 14th – 18th in Palais des sports Ghani Yalouz, Besançon, France. The Men’s EFCh is played with five teams: Les Dragons (France), Utrecht (NED), Leganes (Spain), Viking Roma (Italy) and Lemberg (Ukraine).
The EuroFloorball Challenge is organised for club teams outside of the Champions Cup and EuroFloorball Cup (EFC) and acts as a qualifying event for the EFC. All matches will be streamed live on the IFF YouTube channel.
CU Bisontin-Besancon FC (FRA)
The team “Les Dragons” was founded in 2004, the club finally reached the top French floorball level this season and now aims to make Besançon an important place for floorball.
Players to watch:
#70 Arthur Anderson
The captain of the Dragons who has previous experience from the EuroFloorball Challenge 2018.
#6 Hugo Botton
The sniper of the team. A young player (born 1998) who has played in both the Men’s and the Men’s U19 World Floorball Championships qualifications.
#83 Thomas Courtet
A young forward (born 1998) who has also already played in both the Men’s and the Men’s U19 World Floorball Championships qualifications. In the Men’s U19 WFC 2017 qualifications he scored 6+7 in four matches.
UFC Utrecht (NED)
As consecutive champions of the Netherlands UFC Utrecht is going for the EuroFloorball Challenge title. Having won both the cup and regular competition, this team has made even more steps to improve their play since previous EuroFloorball Challenge. The team is aiming to be first in the tournament!
Players to watch:
#43 Nino Wolters
Nino Wolters is the golden boy of the team. At a mere 17 Nino is already an all-round player that brings speed and skill to the team!
#3 Yannick Zwirner
Yannick Zwirner originally from Switzerland was added this season to the roster and has proven himself to be a solid player. Doing hard work in the defence and making lots of goals in the offence!
#50 Mikko Niiva
Mikko Niiva a Finnish player with quick hands. His ball control and speed makes him a great playmaker, always finding ways to breaking open the game!
CUF Leganes (ESP)
CUF Leganes is an interesting team which includes international players as well as some young players. The team has the serenity of the experience and the strength of the youth. The objective is to win the EuroFloorball Challenge and to obtain a direct ticket to the EuroFloorball Cup 2020.
Players to watch:
#19 Sergio Garces
He is the captain of the team. A very experienced player and a natural leader. He will be hard to defeat in the defence.
#31 Ivan Martinez
The goalkeeper of the team. He has played more than 50 international matches mainly because of his good skills. It will be hard for the opponents to find the gap and to score a goal.
#95 Sergio Fuentes
One of the youngest players. He is a tough defender and he brings energy to the whole team. He can be a surprise in this tournament.
Viking Roma (ITA)
The team is for the first time in EuroFloorball Challenge and has a good mix of experienced and young players. The target is to acquire international experience and win at least one match.
Players to watch:
#96 Francesco Zanella
Scoring leader of the Italian championships during season 2018-19, strong technique and eager to score goals.
#26 Christoffer Persson
Experienced forward who is very fast and with a very good technique.
#21 Federico Di Gia
Young forward (born 2000) with good technique and strong tactical vision. He has played in both the 2017 and 2019 Men’s U19 WFC qualifications.
FBC Lemberg (UKR)
A team that worked very hard to win Ukrainian championship. This victory gave them greater opportunities. So these boys will come to France to show all the beauty of Ukrainian floorball on the international level!
Players to watch:
#5 Marian Hrabovyk
One of the best players in Ukraine. This high-tech player has fantastic speed and his insight can be envied!
#8 Mykhailo Pryyma
He stands a hundred feet in defence even when the opponent is stronger. His game makes the viewers stop breathing!
#33 Volodar Ilyk
The most experienced who has good game understanding and individual skills. A real dinosaur of team Lemberg. Always keep calm in any situation!
More information about Men’s EuroFloorball Challenge 2019:
Match schedule & results: IFF Men’s EFCh Website
Photos: IFF flickr
Live-stream: www.youtube.com/iffchannel
The team presentations are based on information received by the teams.
