Filip Šuman is the new President of the IFF and someone who has held many positions in the world of sports. Šuman joined the IFF Central Board in 2006 and became the Vice President in 2010. In the recent General Assembly in Malmö, Sweden, Šuman was elected as the new IFF President. Now we get to hear his thoughts on the IFF presidency and floorball. 

What drew you to floorball, and what were your initial experiences with the sport?
I believe my path was quite typical – friends invited me to join them in establishing a club for a new and then-unknown sport. I started playing in 1995, fell completely in love with floorball, and soon began helping with the club’s organizational matters. A turning point came in 1998 when I volunteered at the World Championships held in the Czech Republic. As a law student, I was asked by the federation to draft legislation for this emerging sport. Things progressed quickly, and by 1999, I was building a professional secretariat. In 2000, I was elected president of the federation for the first time.

A rapid career—how old were you, and how did you manage to lead a sport nationally at that age?
I was 25, and looking back, it feels almost surreal. At the time, it was both an advantage and a disadvantage. Of course, I lacked experience, but I had courage and the time to dedicate 12-hour days to floorball. I still remember feeling awkward when addressed formally as “Mr. President.” Those early years were a battle to be taken seriously since the sport was relatively unknown, and we had to gradually build the entire federation structure. The 2008 World Championships held at home was a significant milestone. It was a project I planned for over four years, and I believe it marked the moment when Czech floorball gained confidence and respect from other sports.

What has been your journey within the IFF?
I began working in international committees in 2002 as a member of the RACC, where we developed a new structure for international events. By 2006, I became a member of the IFF Central board and in 2010, I became vice president.

You are succeeding Tomas Eriksson, who led as president for 28 years.
During Tomas Eriksson’s presidency, floorball experienced remarkable growth. Not many presidents of international federations have witnessed such a transformation—from the first World Championship to a sport with 80 member countries across continents. Today, some of the Men’s World Championships draw nearly 200,000 spectators, with broadcasts reaching multiple continents. The 2011 recognition of floorball by the International Olympic Committee was a pivotal moment, opening doors to multisport events. Tomas truly deserves to be the first honorary president of world floorball.

What was your main motivation to run for the IFF presidency?
I had considered running before, particularly four years ago, but the onset of COVID-19 required my focus on Czech floorball. However, the development of international floorball has always been close to my heart. I am motivated to elevate floorball to the next level. I recognize the immense responsibility of leading the sport globally and intend to leverage my experience to strengthen its international presence.

What is your perspective on the current state of floorball?
Floorball has achieved many successes, but progress has slowed in recent years, especially among some national federations. It’s essential to secure more financial resources for the sport and to expand the number of countries able to fight for top places at major tournaments. While there has been progress, matches are now more even. Some of the countries like Slovakia, Latvia, Norway or Germany played very good games but much work remains to bring more nations into the elite tier. This will require long-term efforts and better development within national federations.

How can the elite level be expanded globally?
There are two paths—sporting and organizational. The sporting path can be quicker, relying on elite countries improving their league systems, which can attract more players from developing nations. These players can then elevate the quality of their national teams. Slovakia or Latvia is proof of this. The organizational path is slower but could have broader impacts. National federations must succeed in raising floorball’s profile within their countries. Over the last four years, I’ve been intensively involved in a development program for international federations. Launched in spring 2024, 31 federations have already joined, and we’ll see how committed they are to the program. However, I also believe we need to change our approach—I want IFF to have closer connections with federations.

What do you mean by closer connections between the IFF and federations?
The IFF is not yet a large or strong organization. In floorball, we often look at major international federations like FIFA or IIHF and assume the international body is stronger than national ones. However, the opposite is true in floorball. For instance, Swedish floorball employs more than ten times the staff of the entire IFF. Therefore, IFF must collaborate more closely with strong national federations. This hasn’t been a priority in recent years.

What other changes do you plan to implement?
There are many, but I’d like to address game rules. Fans often say the game sometimes can become a bit too tactical or slow-paced, with teams looking for attack openings for minutes. Floorball is a fast, dynamic sport, but this isn’t always reflected on the field. Let’s discuss how to improve this. Even traditional and conservative sports managed to adapt to fan interests—we must do the same.

At the General Assembly, you mentioned greater federation involvement. What did you mean?
I wasn’t only referring to developed federations. I want to find ways to involve as many federations as possible in the growth of international floorball. While the sport’s competitive top tier remains narrow, the overall landscape has changed, and we must consider federations across all continents. I envision many participating in committees and working groups. This structure still needs to be developed, but I’m confident the new Central board includes individuals ready to engage and invest their time to this. Committees are also ideal for spreading information—it’s always easier when people talk directly rather than relying on internet updates.

Who is Filip Šuman?

Filip Šuman is a lifelong floorball enthusiast, having started playing the sport in 1995 when it was just emerging in the Czech Republic. His athletic career spanned 10 years, all with the club Orka Stará Boleslav. Of these years, he spent nine seasons competing in the second-highest league, with one season in the Czech Republic’s top league. Šuman also served for many years as the club’s president.

He credits the 1998 World Floorball Championships held in the Czech Republic, where he volunteered, as his entry point into the national federation. Beginning in 1999, he worked on creating a professional office for the Czech floorball federation and was elected its president in 2000. Over his 21-year leadership, Czech floorball grew into the country’s second-largest sport. The successful 2008 World Championships, hosted in the Czech Republic under his leadership, further boosted the sport’s recognition.

Šuman also worked on improving floorball’s status among other sports in the Czech Republic. In 2005, the sport was accepted as member of the Czech Olympic Committee, and in 2012, Suman was elected its vice president, a role he continues to hold. Although a trained lawyer, he has said in interviews that he practiced law only during his studies before dedicating himself to his sports career.

Internationally, Šuman joined IFF Central Board in 2006 and became its vice president in 2010. Over the past four years, he has led the development of the “Floorball Fit for Future” project, aimed at supporting the growth of national federations.