In Norway floorball was first introduced in school. Here floorball has been very popular for decades. It is at school most Norwegian kids have come to know the sport, though often played without the right rules ( mainly because teachers don't know the rules). The result is a more rough sport containing high sticks and rough tackles. This might lead to a wrong impression of the sport. In Norway floorball as an organised sport became a reality in the late eighties. Since then floorball has been one of the fastest growing sports in this country.
The twenty-first of February 1991 Rogaland Bandy Association (Rogaland Bandykrets) which administrate the floorball in Rogaland county, the county where our floorball club - Sola Innebandyklubb - is located, was founded. Since 1991 floorball throughout the country has been organised in Norwegian Bandy association (Norges Bandyforbund). Norway became member of the International Floorball Federation (IFF) in 1992.
At first there were local county leagues and the winners of these leagues competed in the Norwegian Championship tournament. Since 1994/95 there has been a national-wide elite league. The lower levels are organised in three inter-county leagues, 1st division West, 1st division East and 1st division middle of Norway. Second division and lower are still local county leagues.
In 1995 there were 170 teams and approximately 3500 players with license, but still there are many who play floorball out of Norwegian Bandy Association. They play to keep fit and of course because it is fun. For instance many football players play floorball in the winter season as an alternative type of training. In some parts of the country there are also alternative leagues that are not administrated by the bandy association. It is a challenge to get more of these players to join our organisation. At college-level there are school-tournaments.
Still today floorball is not quit accepted as a serious sport by the authorities. Our sport is new and that is probably the reason why the elder generation does not fully accept us, all though over the past years we have noticed a change for the better. They have serious information about us in the sport sections, not only as a curiosity. Sola Innebandyklubb (floorball club) like most of the other clubs in 1.division let people watch the games for free. Kverneland IBK, at present, the only club in the elite league from Rogaland county, has 200-300 paying spectators at their home ground - Froeyhallen. In Norway it is not common to pay floorball players even in the elite league. The clubs can not afford it.
