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| Sport | Floorball |
|---|---|
| Founded | June 20, 2020 |
| First season | 2021 |
| Commissioner | Ryan Connor |
| No. of teams | 4 |
| Headquarters | Georgetown, Texas, U.S. |
| Official website | nafloorball |
The North American Floorball League (NAFL) is a semi professional floorball league in North America, consisting of four teams across the United States. The league was founded in June of 2020, and is set to begin play in the summer of 2021.[1] The NAFL is the first elite level floorball league in North America, taking place in what is typically the offseason of most upper tier floorball leagues worldwide so as to draw the best possible talent without conflicting with club schedules.
History
Creation of the League
Prior to the creation of the NAFL, elite floorball was greatly concentrated in Europe, and there was an absence of top tier leagues to develop any talent that was present in North America. The Canadian Floorball Federation has run the Floorball League of Canada since 2013[2], and the United States has operated a series of club tournaments such as the Golden Gate Cup[3] and the Texas Open[4]; however, there was no cohesive, highly promoted league to showcase the best talent that the two countries had to offer, or to attract international players who wanted to see the sport grow in North America.
Because the existing floorball seasons in North America and Europe took place during the fall, an idea was devised to create a summer league that could increase the level of competition in North America for its best players without eliminating the structures already in place. The concept was for a league in which teams from across the United States and Canada could play full seasons while still minimizing travel and limiting budget, attracting fans to the sport and allowing the top floorball players in North America to be celebrated as elite athletes. The idea began to take fruition in June of 2020, and the league was publicly announced on August 1, 2020, scheduled to begin play the next summer.
Team Creation
The first team to be formed was the Fort Worth Jaguars, who were publicly announced on August 17th, 2020[5]. They were followed a month later by the Cleveland Bucs, who were announced on September 21st, and then the Texas Tornadoes, who were announced on October 19th.
League Structure and Rules
The NAFL consists of four teams who each play a four week, 12 game regular season, followed by a two round playoff. To reduce travel, each team hosts a single week of the schedule for every other team, with each team playing every other team every weekend in a round robin style.[6]
The league plays with IFF rules, but is not associated with the federation officially. Because of its disconnect from any national or international federation and its positioning during what is traditionally the offseason, the NAFL can attract some of the top talent worldwide while allowing players to continue playing with their home clubs in the winter.
Games are played in three 20 minute periods, with an intermission between each, and should the game end in a tie, there is a 5 minute, sudden death overtime period, followed by a shootout. Teams are seeded in the playoffs based on the points they earn during the season. Three points are awarded for a win in regulation, two points for a win in overtime, one for a loss in overtime, and no points are given for a regulation loss. The only deviation from the IFF rulebook is that penalty shots and shootouts are played with a 15 second shot clock in the NAFL, whereas IFF rules allow an unlimited amount of time to shoot, as long as either the ball or shooter are continually moving forward.[6]
Teams
| Team | City | First Season | Head Coach | Captain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland Bucs | Rocky River, OH | 2021 | TBD | TBD |
| Forth Worth Jaguars | Grand Prairie, TX | 2021 | TBD | TBD |
| Fresno Force | Clovis, CA | 2021 | TBD | TBD |
| Texas Tornadoes | Round Rock, TX | 2021 | TBD | TBD |
References
- ^ "North American Floorball League". nafloorball.com. Retrieved 2020-08-04.
- ^ "Floorball Canada". www.floorballcanada.org. Retrieved 2020-08-04.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "The 10th annual Golden Gate Cup - USA Floorball". Retrieved 2020-08-04.
- ^ "North Texas Floorball Association - Texas Open". www.ntfa.us. Retrieved 2020-08-04.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Fort Worth Jaguars Floorball | North American Floorball League". www.ftwjaguars.com. Retrieved 2020-09-18.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b "League Format – North American Floorball League". nafloorball.com. Retrieved 2020-08-04.
External links
Category:Professional sports leagues in Canada Category:Professional sports leagues in the United States