IFBA

Catching the Broomball Bug - The Future of Broomball in Canada

How do keep the sport of broomball alive for years to come?
It�s all about the kids!
On a recent trip to Ontario, I stopped by the Carleton Place arena to watch a broomball practice for kids 15 and under. Parents and volunteers, all who have played the sport at one time or another, strapped on broomball shoes and led the 20 or so players through various passing and shooting drills honing in on positioning and the basic skills that will begin their broomball careers. Big smiles were quite evident behind each face mask. These kids were learning and best of all were having fun! On the horizon for many of these budding athletes is the Ontario Provincial Championships in Barrie in early February.

7 year Cody Rintoul "Stretching out" during practice. Cody started broomball at the age of 5 and loves it!

As many �hockey parents� will tell you, the cost of a year of hockey is very expensive. Broomball on the other hand is much cheaper both to equip a child in gear and overall costs during the season. Many kids have either switched over from hockey to broomball or are playing both.
15 year old Darcy Carroll son of Robert Carroll of Corkery Ontario was participating in the practice. In his first year of broomball, his hockey background was definitely apparent and would just be a matter of time before he �got his feet� says his father Robert. Speaking with Darcy after the practice, showing signs of a great workout, he says �the biggest difference is the lack of coasting as he would on skates, it keeps the legs moving all the time�.
Look out for another generation of Carroll broomball players, filling score sheets around Ontario.

If you already have a passion for the sport of broomball, you probably already know that, with a little organization, a few phone calls and volunteers to get things started, get the kids out on the ice and the Broomball bug will take over from there!

George Brown
CBF VP-Tech

John Dalgity
IFBA WebAdmin

Ruth Brown runs the kids through passing drills

Proposal for Future International Broomball Events

Due to the necessity to draw more countries into the World Broomball Championships, it is imperative to provide a system which is fair to member countries and one which will promote the elite status of the sport which eventually may have an opportunity to become included into multi-game events and membership into the International World Games Association (IWGA), and most importantly, membership into the General Association of International Sport Federations (GAISF)

Aligning the World Broomball Championships competition levels also has a direct benefit encouraging other countries showing interest and becoming a member with the International Federation of Broomball Associations.

The competition proposal for Men, Women and Possibly Coed:

The competition will be divided into two groups known as Tier #1 World Championships and Tier #2 Challenge Cup.

Tier #1:

This group will comprise of National Championship teams seated as per the following criteria:
- The National Sport Governing Body must be a paid member in good standing with the International Federation of Broomball Associations.
- Any country participating in the World Championships from 1998 on or recognized by the IFBA Executive Committee as a National Sport Governing Body will be part of the seating process.
- Individual teams must be members in good standing of a National Sport Governing Body in the sport of Broomball.
- Provide coaches for International competition as per the requirements of their NSGB by year 2006.
- Countries with no National Sport Governing Body applying to compete at the World Championships will be processed through at the IFBA Executive level for authorization to compete.
- Maximum number of teams competing in a round Robin format will be eight (8).

Tier #2

This group will comprise of IFBA Associate Member countries within the following criteria:
- Must be a member in good standing with the IFBA.
- Countries with teams/or teams without a National Sport Governing Body participating in Tier #2 competition must request in writing Tier #2 status to the IFBA Office by November 1, one year prior to the competition.
- Tier #2 status will only be granted to countries with six teams or less.
- Countries with fewer than 6 teams must provide in writing evidence depicting the reasons why fewer than 6 teams participate within the country applying to participate in Tier #2. The IFBA Executive reserves the right to elevate the teams to Tier #1 status.

Tier #2 Augmentation Status:

This group comprises of a waiting list of teams available to facilitate positions open by countries not able to provide teams in specific categories for the World Championships. The criteria for entry is:
- Must be a member in good standing with the IFBA as an Associate Team Member.
- Must be a member in good standing with a State/Provincial Sport governing Body, National Sport Governing Body of the country in which they originate.
- Teams will only be allowed to participate through a screening process or an invitation from the IFBA only.
- Event fees must be paid in advance to the IFBA Office prior to the inclusion into the event and will be refundable should no openings be available.
- Teams must abide by the format of the event Host Committee for team travel and accommodations.

Competition Format:

The competition will be played over a period of five days. Tier #1 and Tier #2 competitors will start the event playing a complete Round Robin. Games will not exceed two games per day including semi final and final games unless extraordinary circumstances prevail and approved by the IFBA Executive.

The top four teams at the end of the Round Robin Play will advance to the World Cup medal rounds with the top two competing for Gold and Silver medals. The third and Fourth place teams will play off for the bronze and fourth place.

Until there is a substantial increase in member countries, Tier #2 will only be augmented to a total of eight competitive teams.

Teams must have a minimum of 16 players at to be eligible to register for the World Championships in all categories.

Example of Tier #1 Competition Format:

Paid member countries will be allowed one team only competing as a National Champion:
- Canada
- USA
- Italy
- Japan
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Germany or IFBA Augmenting Team
- Australia or IFBA Augmenting Team

Example of Tier #2 Competition Teams:

Paid member countries will be allowed one team only:
- Finland or IFBA Augmenting Team
- Norway * or IFBA Augmenting Team
- Holland * or IFBA Augmenting Team
- Germany * or IFBA Augmenting Team
- India * or IFBA Augmenting Team
- France * or IFBA Augmenting Team
- Russia * or IFBA Augmenting Team
- England * or IFBA Augmenting Team
- Denmark * or IFBA Augmenting Team
- Belgium * or IFBA Augmenting Team
Tier #2 winner and 2nd place team will automatically move into the Tier #1 competition bracket for future competitions.
Until such time Tier #2 has a total compliment of 10 countries, the Tier #2 bracket will only play with 8 teams.
(*) indicates future status as a member with the IFBA

This proposed system will be in place until the Tier #1 bracket has a total of 16 countries participating in a Round Robin format.

�THE CHALLENGE NEVER ENDS!�

Masters Category

The IFBA will be introducing a Men�s Master�s Category for the 2008 World Broomball Championships. By promoting the Masters Division in Broomball the IFBA will be making application to by accepted into the International Masters Games Association. This will also parallel an application by the IFBA to participate in the 2010 World Winter Masters Games in Bled, Slovenia.

IFBA Rules will apply to include Special Rules under the Master Format:

Masters must be 40 years of age prior to the competition date.
A minimum of 6 teams to a maximum of 8 teams are required to facilitate a Masters category. Failing to meet the 6 team requirement, full refunds will be returned to registered teams by July 1 2008.
There is no body contact in the Masters Category.
A minimum of 16 players must be registered and on the bench.

Having a (broom) ball!

Having a (broom) ball The sport with the air of a snowball fight may be the biggest thing to sweep college campuses since streaking. By Clayton Collins | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor View article

Let�s Play Hockey International Expo Returns to Las Vegas

The ninth annual Let�s Play Hockey International Expo will again return to the world�s most exciting city, Las Vegas. Taking place in the brand new South Point Hotel & Casino, the Expo will be a two-day show on January 30-31, 2007.

Manufacturers and distributors from the hockey, figure skate, inline, broomball, lacrosse and arena development industries will exhibit to buyers and dealers from across North America, Europe and Asia. This is the largest show in the world of its kind, blending in a diverse but complimentary variety of manufacturers for sporting goods dealers.

In addition to the two-day expo, the second annual Let�s Play Hockey International Table Hockey Championships will be held as Sweden�s Jacob Lindahl defends his 2006 title.

Several special industry meetings will be held in conjunction with the Expo including: the Inline Industry Think Tank holding an open forum; the International Federation of Broomball Associations will exchange dialogue on future direction of the sport; and AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) will host several meetings on insurance, Junior Olympics and the recent launch of their ice hockey programs to its one million members.

Hundreds of independent dealers and sporting goods stores are expected to attend, along with several buying groups who will be available for discussions include: The Hockey Group, Sports, Inc., Nation�s Best Sports, The Independent Sports Buying Group, TAG (Team Athletic Goods) and ADA (Athletic Dealers of America).

Las Vegas in January is a warm, fun-filled destination with more entertainment, dining and gaming options than any city in the world. It�s a great time of year for a mid-winter break to mix business and pleasure in a relaxing atmosphere.

For more information on the Let�s Play Hockey International Expo call 612-729-0023 or visit the website www.letsplayhockey.com.

Wally Shaver
wally@letsplayhockey.com
612-729-0023
Let's Play Hockey
2721 E. 42nd St.
Mpls., MN 55406