The number of children who continue to play floorball until they are at least 17 years of age has increased in Sweden after several years of a downward trend. This is shown by statistics from the Swedish Floorball Federation. A number of changes in the competition structure are believed to be the reason behind this positive trend.
– The fact that young people opt out of sports is a major public health problem and we are pleased that the competition changes we have made in recent years have led to positive results. Now we hope that we can increase the number of children playing floorball, share our experiences and learn from others to become even stronger, says Märit Bergendahl, Chair of the Swedish Floorball Federation.
The proportion of girls who play floorball when they are 12-17 years old has increased significantly over the past five years. A total of four out of ten girls continue in that age range. Even among the boys, the proportion of youngsters playing is increasing – more than three out of ten continue to play at the age of 12-17.
– We who are involved in sports have in common that we want more people to experience the power and joy of sport. The more people who do sports, the better for public health and the social community. Now we need to continue to work hard to get even more children and young people to move, says Märit Bergendahl.
About the statistics
The statistics are taken from the Swedish Floorball Federation’s license statistics. The percentage below shows how many players continued with floorball when they were 12-17 years old.
| Players born | Girls | Boys |
| 2001 | 40 % | 32 % |
| 2000 | 39 % | 33 % |
| 1999 | 38 % | 32 % |
| 1998 | 35 % | 31 % |
| 1997 | 34 % | 28 % |
| 1996 | 32 % | 29 % |
Competition changes
Here are some of the competition changes that have been introduced by the Swedish Floorball Federation since 2015:
Juniorallsvenskan for girls up to 17 years – introduced in 2015
- During the current season, there are 64 teams participating in the Juniorallsvenskan, which is a record on the girls side.
Double games in the Juniorallsvenskan for boys 18 years – introduced in 2015
- Now the double games mean that the series runs both in the fall and spring.
Combined teams – introduced in 2015
- Smaller clubs that have not had the opportunity to participate in the Juniorallsvenskan due to too few players can now register together.
District Championships raised age limit – introduced in 2015
- District Championships for 15-year-olds have been given a higher age limit of 16 years.
Double license – introduced in 2015
- With a double license, a 16-22 year old, can play in a higher league while still playing for the original club.
Prohibition of playing in adult floorball league before reaching the age of 16 – introduced in 2016
- More players can play the Junioallsvenskan and are not picked to an A-team, while the junior teams remain without losing players to the A-team.
Sweden Floorball Youth Camp – introduced in 2015
- The Swedish Floorball Federation organises nationwide camps during the autumn holidays. Here, 15-year-olds get the opportunity to meet other floorball players and leaders for several days.
Source & more information: innebandy.se
