Lukáš Procházka will continue in his role as the head coach of the Czech women’s national team in the upcoming cycle, culminating in the World Floorball Championships in Brno and Ostrava. In addition to leading the national team, the coach, who won a medal at the recent World Championships after 12 years, will also have a greater impact on the floorball community as the Coordinator for the development of women’s floorball.
The retention of the experienced coach, who led the Czech team to the coveted medal at the recent World Championships in Singapore, was approved by the Czech Floorball Central Board. “After careful analysis not only of the performances at the World Championships but also of the overall progress within the cycle, we agreed that we want Lukáš Procházka to lead the women’s team in the upcoming period. We are aware that hosting the championship here in the Czech Republic brings great pressure not only on the players but also on the coaching staff. We have full confidence in Lukáš and believe that he will benefit from his experience from the previous cycle and build on the work he has done with the team so far,” says Václav Culka, the chairman of the Representation Commission.
Procházka joined the national team in mid-March 2022 and will remain with the team at least until the expected World Championships in Brno and Ostrava. “Leading the national team at a home championship is an honor and a great challenge that I am eagerly anticipating. After Singapore, I felt the desire to continue. However, I considered a number of aspects that needed to be addressed in order for me to fully devote myself to working with the national team. I am pleased that we have managed to find a common path and iron out more or less formalities, which will allow us to efficiently build on the work done and take it to the next level,” comments Procházka, who is now facing negotiations about the final composition of the coaching staff.
After twelve years, the Women’s World Championships will return to the Czech Republic, and following the medal won in Singapore, there will be high expectations from the fans. “The pressure will certainly be significant. We are currently at a new starting point. I don’t want to set any specific outcome goals right away, but we will have a huge desire to succeed again and maintain our position on the medal podiums. It represents a great challenge and motivation not only for me but also for the entire team,” describes the 45-year-old coach.
“Lukáš did a good job in the previous cycle, culminating in the bronze medal. This success is very valuable, but we all realize that one of the greatest peaks lies ahead of us, which is the championship in Brno and Ostrava. Leading the team at a home World Championship is always a great honor, but above all, a responsibility. That is why we need a significant personality at the helm of the team, and Lukáš has undoubtedly proven to be one. His work will also have a deeper context. From May, he will also take on the role of Coordinator for women’s floorball. In recent years, we have focused a lot on the development of the women’s side, and we believe that Lukáš, with his immense overview and experience, will significantly contribute to its further advancement,” says Daniel Novák, the President of Czech Floorball.
In his new role, Procházka will be responsible for a number of tasks, including systematic measures to gradually equalize the development of men’s and women’s floorball in all areas, the development, education, and motivation of clubs in working with the women’s side, as well as cooperation on key projects and events aimed at supporting women’s floorball.
“I feel that Czech Floorball as a whole recognizes the potential lying within women’s sports and wants to harness it. It won’t be a one-man show, but it must be a collaboration of all components to achieve overall progress. Even though we may encounter certain challenges, I believe that by improving the environment and making women’s floorball an even more attractive product, we will see growth not only in the sporting quality but also in audience interest and partnerships. Women’s sports are filled with emotions, great experiences, and outstanding athletic performances. It definitely has much to offer, and Czech Floorball, in my opinion, has sensed the right moment to step into it,” describes Procházka.
Within the work on the development of women’s floorball, the upcoming World Championships will play a huge role. “I am convinced that the championship will not only captivate but also motivate many young girls to get involved in floorball more and in larger numbers. Organizational precision has always been a characteristic of Czech events, and there will certainly be spectator interest in the tournament. It’s an important part of the path we are building. It can be said that it will act as an accelerator for the entire development process, which I believe will already be heading in the right direction at that time. The World Championships will only help us in this long-term work and accelerate many processes and public perceptions,” explains the coach.
Profile of Lukáš Procházka
Lukáš Procházka combined his playing career with Chodov and Sparta, playing in the top league 189 matches (earned 225 points). He also played for Switzerland’s Flamatt and has eight national team appearances, including participation in the 2000 World Floorball Championships. He started coaching at the turn of the millennium at Sparta, where he assisted with the women’s second league team. In the 2003/04 season, still during his active playing career, he led the Děkanka team in the Extraliga finals against Liberec (lost 1:3).
At Chodov, he helped establish the women’s team and briefly coached it alongside the men’s team. Six years later, he coached the men’s team in the Super League. In 2008, he coached the men’s academic team, winning silver at the World University Floorball Championships. He joined Chodov’s women’s team as an assistant coach to Michaela Marešová in December 2016, becoming the head coach in 2019. With Chodov, he won one bronze and three second-place finishes in the extraliga, as well as the same number of silver medals in the Czech Floorball Cup, which he won with the Chodov in 2020.
Following this successful club career, he became the head coach of the women’s national team and managed to secure the second bronze medal in history after a long twelve years. Result-wise, the cycle was one of the most successful. Procházka will always be remembered as the first coach to lead the Czech women to victory over the Swedes. Additionally, in the current season, he serves as an assistant to Joonas Naava in the Superleague’s Mladá Boleslav.
Source: Czech Floorball / Photos by Martin Flousek
