Nine national floorball federations met at the Floorball:FitForFuture (4F) Workshop in Frankfurt to share progress, exchange practical lessons and explore how to strengthen their organisations through the program.
Held from 23–25 October 2026, the workshop brought together federations at different stages of development. Their experiences showed that the 4F tools can help federations decide what they want to achieve and take practical steps towards their goals, even with limited resources.
From a project to an international development program
Launched in 2020 under the leadership of Czech Floorball, with support from the European Commission, 4F was originally developed to help national floorball federations strengthen their organisational capacity.
In 2024 and with the support of the EFT countries, it became a long-term IFF development program and an integral part of the services offered to member associations. Since its launch, 39 countries have participated in 4F activities.
The program combines tools such as the Development Action Plan (DAP), a development matrix and regular evaluation. Together, these help federations assess their current situation, set priorities and define concrete steps towards their goals.
For Frederik Dilger, IFF 4F Program Lead, the key is what federations do with these tools:
“The purpose of 4F is not simply to help federations create better development plans. It is to help them become better at developing themselves. That means understanding their own situation, making conscious choices about their priorities and turning those priorities into action.”
Spain: Finding a clearer direction
When Spain joined the 4F project, the federation had very limited resources and was largely run by just two volunteers. Gaining recognition and developing the sport further was difficult with so few people available.
Taking time to evaluate its situation gave the federation a starting point for deciding what to do next.
Juan Padron from the Spanish Floorball Federation explains:
“The evaluation helped us understand our strengths and weaknesses and turn that understanding into a clear vision and concrete goals. It also helped us communicate our direction to the floorball community and build additional resources for our development.”
The Spanish experience shows that even a federation with limited resources can make progress. A clear vision and well-planned priorities can help bring people together, build support and create new opportunities for development.
Learning from each other
Representatives from Sweden, Finland, Czechia, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, France, Italy, Spain and Ukraine shared their experiences in Frankfurt.
Despite their different circumstances, many faced similar challenges: limited resources, competing priorities and the difficulty of translating plans into everyday work.
For Elyse Truchon, General Secretary of the Belgian Floorball Federation, exchanging experiences offered a valuable perspective:
“One of the most valuable takeaways for me was the opportunity to step back and look at our federation’s development from a broader perspective. The exchange with other countries showed that, although our situations differ, many of the challenges we face are similar. It reinforced the importance of setting clear priorities, taking manageable steps and learning from each other’s experiences. We do not have to find every solution on our own.”
The exchange demonstrated the value of learning from federations facing similar challenges. Rather than copying another organisation’s approach, participants could explore which ideas might work in their own context.
Developing 4F for the future
The workshop also provided an opportunity to discuss how the program can evolve to even better support national federations.
A central theme was the importance of balanced and step-by-step development. Federations cannot address every challenge at once. They need to identify the priorities that matter most, assign responsibility and connect individual activities to wider organisational goals.
The discussions will inform the IFF’s ongoing work to strengthen 4F, including the potential role of additional elements related to leadership and change management.
Building stronger federations, step by step
The experiences shared in Frankfurt showed that progress looks different for every federation. For Spain, a clearer strategic direction has helped build support for its development. For others, progress may mean strengthening internal structures, developing people or improving how priorities are implemented.
The 4F program brings these different development journeys together through practical tools, evaluation and international exchange.
Stronger floorball starts with stronger organisations. With a clear direction, realistic priorities and a commitment to follow them, federations can make meaningful progress – step by step.
