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Ever hear of Floorball, the fastest growing indoor sport in the world?

East Ridge High School student, plays floorball for the US U19 National Team, qualified for the World Championships in Denmark

Juha Rouvinen, Neighbor

Posted Tue, Sep 6, 2022 at 3:50 pm CT|Updated Mon, Sep 12, 2022 at 5:10 pm CT

Floorball is the fastest growing sport you have never heard of. Floorball was created in Sweden in the 1960s and has only recently begun to surge in the United States. It is one of the most popular sports in Finland, Sweden, Estonia, Switzerland, and Germany, in many cases surpassing the popularity of hockey. The North American Floorball League (NAFL), the first professional floorball league in North America, was formed in the United States in the last year and played its first season in summer 2022.

The popularity of the sport in the US is growing rapidly as a cheaper and more accessible alternative to hockey. It has been played at club level, organized by locals with a passion in floorball, mainly people from Scandinavia or by people from the US who have learned about the game while working and/or living in a Scandinavian countries. Floorball is often likened to a type of indoor hockey and ice hockey players can achieve good success in floorball, one of the reasons it has seen recent growth in Minnesota.

In its inaugural season, the NAFL included 4 teams, one each in Florida, Texas, Utah, and California. Hugo Rouvinen, an East Ridge Junior, played for the Florida team. Next season, the NAFL is looking to expand into two to three additional cities, with one potential expansion offered to Minnesota.

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Hugo, who is new to East Ridge High School, has dual citizenship in the United States and Finland. He was born in Woodbury and grew up in Finland, where he has been playing floorball since the age of 7. In addition to playing for the Florida NAFL team (the Florida Vikings, based in Orland0), Hugo has played for the US national team (U16 previously, U19 this year). The North American qualifying rounds were held in Utah last week, with the US U19 team beating Canada and qualifying for the World Championships (see the link below). Hugo will represent the US on the U19 team at the World Championships in Denmark in April 2023. Hugo also plays in local clubs in St. Paul Highland Park Recreation Center and Groveland Recreation Center.

With the growing popularity of floorball, and the possibility of an NAFL expansion team in Minnesota in 2023, efforts are being made to open new floorball facilities in or around Woodbury to build the awareness of the sport and bring additional activities for the youth in the East Metro.