16 teams are playing in the Women’s World Floorball Championships in Neuchâtel, Switzerland on the 7th-15th of December. Teams are divided into four groups and USA, Australia, Singapore and Thailand are playing in Group D. 

In addition to team and player descriptions the team contact persons have been asked to share their views about how women’s floorball has developed in their country since the last WFC in 2017.

USA

Team USA is a team on and off the court.  They are lead by their veterans and driven by their talented young players who bring new energy to their roster. Their mindset is to take one game at a time, make proper adjustments as they go and hope to improve on where they finished in previous WFCs.

Women’s floorball development in USA

USA Floorball, in general, has continued to grow since the previous WFC with the creation of various committees and regional directors by the US Floorball Association Board. These groups within the organisation have been working on grassroots efforts, membership, and national team development, among other focuses. With this development, the women’s team has been able to recruit new players and spread awareness for the sport.

Players to watch:

Selma Johansson
Is confident and unafraid. Now playing floorball in Switzerland, this experienced players will continue to be one to watch in the future.

Jenna Hausman
Her great stick skills along with fantastic positioning will make her a constant threat on the court in her first ever WFC.

Kate MacBean
Has been Team USA’s starting goalie for several years and recently moved from California to Sweden to play floorball. As a previous hockey player, her fast hands and awareness make her hard to beat.

Australia

This year’s team is a gritty bunch of players who have been focusing first and foremost on this year’s WFC. They have put more effort than ever before into training and development. While almost half of the team choose to play abroad in preparations for WFC, the team is especially proud that almost all of them started to play in Australia. The goal of this squad is to forget the disastrous performance from WFC 2017 which was far away from their expectations. Winning WFCQ was only the beginning of this new attitude and direction.

Women’s floorball development in Australia

National changes come slowly in a country as big as Australia. However, they can see that the States are working hard to promote and develop Women’s Floorball. While the grassroot numbers are increasing they have more elite players than ever joining European leagues. This can only help to further promote the sport in Australia.

Players to watch:

Leith Woods
A true legend playing her seventh WFC. Spectacular saves paired with great leadership is what you can expect from this keeper.

Vanessa Dwyer
One of the silent but important workers in the team. Her team first approach and her skills make her a vital part of this team.

Yasmin Skene
Playing her third WFC at the young age of 21, Yasmin will put her experience on the court and mesmerise spectators with great moves.

Singapore

A team with a mix of veterans and younger players who are looking forward to bring their passion and enjoyment of playing the game (with each other) at the highest level. A team with a never-say-die attitude and great fighting spirit till the final whistle.

Women’s floorball development in Singapore

Increased recognition and awareness of competitive floorball at all levels, especially with the start-up of the Women’s U19 team.

Players to watch:

Yeo Xuan
Yeo Xuan is like “The Flash”; speedy and yet versatile in her play. This will be her third WFC.

Siti Nurhaliza Khairul Anuar
Pretty fast to worm her way out of difficult situations! She is currently playing for Czech team 1. SC Vitkovice and she was the top scorer in the recently played SEA Games that Singapore won.

Ong Hui Hui
This is her sixth WFC, making her the most experienced player in the team! Watch out for her shots!

Thailand

Team Thailand is a relatively young team. Most of the players are playing in clubs in Thailand. Their aims are to have a good solid performance during the competition. With the Asian qualifiers being very tight earlier this year, they hope to be able to strongly compete with their regional teams.

Women’s floorball development in Thailand

They now have more girls playing floorball in the sports schools in Thailand. The girls are also younger and there is more opportunities for them to play.

Players to watch:

Thanaporn Tongkham
She is a versatile forward. She has shown strength and skill in many sports, including floorball.

Sirinan Boonbut
She is a strong shooter of Thailand. She has an understanding and control of the court, and can score with precision from distance.

Nina Suppa
She is the team leader, on and off the court. She is an experienced player and this is her second WFC.

*The information here is provided by the teams and modified by the IFF. 

Visit the event website for more information: neuchatel2019.ch