Kiwi teams hope to put on a floor show
The New Zealand under-19 men’s floorball team is hoping to put the sport on the map in this country with a couple of statement performances at their upcoming World Cup.
The Kiwi teens were the first New Zealand team to qualify for an Under-19 Floorball World Cup when they made it through Asia-Oceania qualifying in Wellington in September.
The women’s under-19 team played at their world cup last year, but did so via automatic qualification.
The men’s team, ranked 21st in the world, managed to qualify alongside 16th-ranked Japan in Wellington, getting the better of 12th-ranked Australia in the process.
All three of the matches between the sides were drawn, with Japan and New Zealand going through on goals scored courtesy of their thrilling 8-8 draw.
New Zealand led both that match, and their 3-3 draw with Australia, heading into the final minute before conceding late goals to draw, but did enough to qualify for their world cup in Halifax, Canada, starting on May 8.
New Zealand’s Cameron Fitzgerald-Little, who captains the team alongside Josh Campbell and Tim McKibbin, said their goal at the pinnacle event was to perform well enough to give the game a higher profile in New Zealand.
‘‘It’s pretty important at this stage as the sport grows in New Zealand.’’
Floorball is a form of indoor ball hockey, played on a court with boards for continuous play. The tactics, speed and structure are similar to ice hockey – teams play with a goalie and five out players, with frequent substitutions to keep the speed and intensity at a consistently high level.
It is a big sport in Europe, is widely played in Asia and North America, and is growing in popularity in New Zealand, especially in the nation’s capital.
Eighteen of the 20-strong squad are from the wider Wellington region, with the other two players coming in from Germany and Switzerland – one was born here, while the other has a Kiwi father, Fitzgerald-Little said.
The fact they are mostly from the same region means the squad is a closeknit group.
‘‘The bond in the team is very strong. We’ve all known each other since before the team was brought together. That’s been really good because we’ve been able to train together all the time,’’ Fitzgerald-Little said.
New Zealand will play in the B division at the under-19 Men’s Floorball World Cup, taking on the Germany, Canada and Slovenia in pool play.
Floorball New Zealand is bidding to host the 2022 Under 19 Women’s Floorball World Cup in Wellington in a further development to boost the profile of the sport.