Floorball rules, explained

What is floorball?

Floorball — known as innebandy in the Nordics — is an indoor team sport played with light sticks and a perforated plastic ball on a boarded rink. It is fast, easy to pick up, and one of the biggest indoor sports in Sweden, Finland and Switzerland.

Players and equipment

• Players: five outfield players and one goalkeeper per team on the rink, with rolling substitutions.
• Stick: a light composite stick with a curved blade.
• Ball: a light plastic ball with 26 holes, about 23 grams.
• Goalkeeper: plays without a stick, mostly on their knees, and defends the goal by hand and body inside the crease.

How long is a match?

A full match is three periods of 20 minutes, with breaks in between. In lower age groups the periods are shorter. The team with the most goals at the end wins; a tie can go to overtime or a penalty shootout.

Scoring goals

You score by shooting the ball into the opponents' goal with your stick. You may not kick the ball into the goal, and you can't score directly with a body part — the shot must come off the stick.

Key rules: stick height and contact

• Stick height: you may not raise the stick or play the ball above knee height — high sticking is a foul.
• No kicking to score: you can pass the ball once with a foot, but not into the goal.
• No jumping to reach the ball, and no hitting, holding or pushing opponents.

Fouls and penalties

Minor offences give the other team a free hit from the spot of the foul. More serious fouls earn a 2-minute penalty — the offending player leaves the rink and their team plays a player short, much like in ice hockey.