United States Floorball Association
The United States Floorball Association is the highest governing body for floorball in the United States of America. The USFbA is a self-governed organization, recognized by both state and federal governments. It is based in Incline Village, NV.
Organization
The USFbA is divided into 14 regional branches. Each regional branch has a director who is in charge of floorball for that region.The USFbA has been a member of the International Floorball Federation since 1993. As of June 30, 2008, there are 920 registered floorball players in the US, which is one-and-a-half times the total of registered players in 2007.
Central Board
The current central board consists of a president, vice-president, executive director, event coordinator, a director of referees, and the head of the national teams committee, as well as 14 regional directors.Position | Name |
President | Calle Karlsson |
Vice-President | David Nilsson |
Executive Director | Adam Troy |
Event Coordinator | Zack Geiser |
Director of U.S. Referees | Vince Faso |
National Teams Committee | Anders Buvarp |
Regional Director: New England | John MacArthur |
Regional Director: North-East | Michael Bonelli |
Regional Director: Atlantic | Michelle Walton |
Regional Director: South-East | Daniel Williamsson |
Regional Director: South | Phillip Douglas |
Regional Director: South Central | Jared Colleps |
Regional Director: Mid-America | Alyssa Zinsser |
Regional Director: Great Lakes | Patrick Jesue |
Regional Director: Upper Midwest | Jenna Bluhm |
Regional Director: High Plains | Jenna Bluhm |
Regional Director: Rocky Mountain | Josh DeBerard |
Regional Director: Pacific North | Geoff Dugan |
Regional Director: Pacific South | Zac Costi |
Regional Director: South-West | Zack Geiser |
History
The sport of floorball was initially introduced in the United States by Scandinavian players who brought the game with them when traveling to the United States. In 1991, Swedish players in Boston formed a floorball club at MIT. The sport soon grew in popularity and reached several universities, where it was also played at the club level.The first step towards membership with the International Floorball Federation was taken in the mid-90s, when floorball found new ground in California. After founding the USFbA, the organization attempted to gather and send a national team to the 1998 World Floorball Championships, but fell short due to a lack of players. In 2002, the USFbA succeeded in gathering a team and the United States was able to field their first national team. This team consisted of players based in various countries, such as Finland, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland but also contained US based players such as current USFbA president Calle Karlsson.
In 2009, the USFbA moved their central headquarters from Raleigh, North Carolina, to Fresno, California. They later moved to Incline Village, NV
Players
Players in the USA must register with USFbA's Amateur Athletic Union insurance policy before taking part in any nationally sanctioned tournaments or competitions. Through this partnership, the development of floorball locally is expected to grow much more securely thanks to improved protection.National Teams
Although their first appearance was in 2002, the US national team has had considerable success at the World Floorball Championships, finishing as high as 3rd place in the B-Division of the 2008 Men's World Floorball Championships.Adam Troy has served as the team's general manager since 2002.