The Canadian National Team Committee has the pleasure to announce the team that will travel to Sweden to represent our country in the World Floorball Championship 2009!

Team Roster

Stephanie Allam - BC

Sara Beha -  Quebec

Melanie Bellefleur - Quebec

Marie-Eve Cadieux - Quebec

Kali-Ann Cameron - BC

Cindy-Anne Carufel - Quebec

Esther Chan - Ontario

Louise Clarke - Ontario

Lise Gillen - Ontario

Erica Gregorwich - Finland

Pirita Gregorwich - Finland

Sonia Hotke - Ontario

Johanna Laurila - Finland

Lauren McMillan - Manitoba

Randi Phinney - Sweden

Alison Quinn - Finland

Marilyn Rayner - Sweden

Silvia Traversa - BC

Ashley Van Aggelen - Manitoba

Erin Wilkes - Ontario

Team Staff

Kati Suomela - Head Coach
Anne-Marie Gregorwich - Assistant Coach
Jonathan Koo - Physician/Trainer
Joe Cadigal - Manager/Trainer
Frederik Malmberg - General Manager

Thanks to all that participated during the selection process.

Best of luck at Worlds 09!

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Canada’s National Women’s Team is searching for Volunteers to fill the following positions:

- Assistant Coach

- Media Contact

- Athletic Therapist

- Team Doctor

The Team will compete at the 2009 Women’s World Floorball Championships in Vasteras, Sweden December 5-12, 2009. All team
volunteer positions are expected to cover the costs of their transportation and accommodation for the duration of the Championships.

Please apply by Friday, July 24th with cover letter and resume to Paul Charbonneau, National Team Committee Chair.  paul@floorballcanada.ca

Eligibility

All players must:

1. Possess a valid Canadian Passport, to expire on or after May 13^th, 2010. (International Travel Regulation)
   1. Have been born before January 1^st, 1993. (Must be at least 16 years old by the end of 2009.)
   2. Be a registered Elite member of their Provincial Federation for the 2009-10 season. (International Players need not be members of any Provincial Federation, but must be registered FC members)
   3. Be a registered member of Floorball Canada (FC) for the 2009-10 season
   4. Complete the attached registration form and return to Floorball Canada by the deadline.

Team Member Requirements

1. Each player must be able to cover the cost of travel to and from Vasteras, Sweden as well as room and board.  Team Canada will be responsible for accommodation and food arrangements while at the World Championships while players will be responsible for securing their own means of travel. (The current estimate of costs is approx. $2,000.00 CAD.)
2. Team Members must be available to participate in Vasteras from:  December 3, 2009 - December 13, 2009
3. Games and/or practices will be scheduled for each day throughout this period.
4. Each player must submit a tryout fee and deposit by June 30, 2009.   This includes:
   1. A $200.00 refundable deposit.  This will only be cashed if the eligible player is offered a position on the team roster and will be contributed toward the cost of participation.
   2. A $50.00 non-refundable tryout fee.
   3. Please provide 2 separate cheques for the payments - one for $200.00 and one for $50.00.  The deposit fee will be held until final team is announced.

Team Selection

1. Only players who provide deposit and registration fees by the start of the tryout and meet all eligibility requirements will be considered.
2. There are 20 roster positions for the team, including 2 goaltender positions.  Players will be selected based on skill, experience and commitment.
3. If there are more eligible players than available roster positions, tryouts will be held, with selections to be finalized by the FC National Team Selection Committee.
4. The final team selection will be announced in early August 2009.

Floorball Canada Responsibilities

1. The FC National Team Selection Committee will recruit and appoint all team staff members including:  1 Head Coach, up to 2 Assistant Coaches, up to 2 Trainers / Physiotherapists, 1 Media and Communications representative and 1 General Manager. Team staff is limited to 7 official positions as per IFF regulations.
2. FC will coordinate accommodations, team meals, transportation to and from playing venues and all practices and exhibition matches while in Finland.
3. FC, through its Title Sponsor (TBD), will provide Team Canada game uniforms.  Other clothing and equipment provided will depend on the nature of the sponsorship agreement secured.
4. FC will provide Doping Control Training to all players prior to the World Floorball Championships.

For more information, please contact Paul Charbonneau, Chair of the National Teams Committee at paul@floorballcanada.ca or 647-588-8008.

Please complete the Online Player Information Sheet. Forms must be complete by June 30, 2009.

Floorball Canada is currently seeking volunteers interested in sitting on one ofo four newly established working committees:
· National Championships
· Women’s 2009 National Team
· Men’s 2010 National Team
· Corporate Sponsorship

Each Committee requires several capable volunteers who will contribute to setting goals, creating policies and procedures and ensuring that Canada is presented in a positive manner within the national and international floorball communities and beyond. Each Committee will work closely with Floorball Canada board members to ensure tasks are completed within the appropriate timelines and with the best interest of the floorball community in mind. Securing representation from all active provinces will be a priority to ensure the cross-regional priorities are effectively balanced.

1. National Championships Committee

National Championships Details:
· Dates: April 18-19, 2009
· Location: Richmond Olympic Oval, Richmond, BC
· Currently in discussions with the IFF to host a Development seminar around this event

Responsibilities:
· Consistent contribution of effort (up to 2-3 hours per week) from now until March 2009
· Determine what criteria will be used to launch each championship and select a host: frequency of event, provincial requirements, financial
requirements, field of play requirements, summit format, relationship to the National Team Program
· To establish the process for the selection of the provincial federation that will host each National Championship
· To develop guidelines to which the host province must adhere
· To create an effecting marketing campaign that targets potential sponsors and attracts media attention

2. Women’s National Team Committee

Women’s World Floorball Championships Details:
· Dates: December 5-13, 2009
· Location: Sweden
· This will be Canada’s second appearance at this event, finishing 7th in the B Division in 2007.

Responsibilities:
· Consistent contribution of effort (upto 2-3 hours per week) from now until November 2009
· Build on current selection process policies
· Assist in team staff selection, player scouting, tyout requirements
· Set a budget and explore fudraising opportunities

3. Men’s National Team Committee

Men’s World Floorball Championships Details:
· Dates: December 4-12, 2010
· Location: Finland
· Team Canada will have to qualify for the tournament by securing a number one ranking among all registered countries within the Americas (US, Brazil,
Argentina, Canada). Qualifications to be held between October 2009 and February 2010. Canada hopes to host this qualification tournament.

Responsibilities:
· Consistent contribution of effort from January 2009 until the end of the Qualification Tournament. Time requirements will vary based on Canada’s
hosting of the Qualifications.
· Build from current selection process policies
· Assist in team staff selection, player scouting, tyout requirements
· Set a budget and explore fudraising opportunities

4. Corporate Sponsorship Committee

Responsibilities:
· Developing a sponsorship package and other marketing collateral related to sponsorship promotions
· Promoting Floorball Canada and its properties to potential sponsors (National Championships, National Teams, Website, etc.)
· Creating an effective marketing campaign targeting interested sponsors as well as attracting and securing new sponsors
· Negotiating with prospective sponsors and customizing opportunities to suit their interests
Please contact your Provincial Representative if you are interested in helping out on one or more of these committees.

Paul Charbonneau - Ontario
paul@floorballcanada.ca
David Clement - Quebec
david.clement@floorballcanada.ca
James Stasiewich- Alberta
james@anchormanufacturing.ca
Greg Beaudin - British Columbia
greg@floorballcanada.ca

The OFUF is currently seeking 2 individuals to represent Ontario for 2 new Committees being formed for the Canadian Unihockey/Floorball Federation.

We are seeking 1 person to sit on the National Championships Committee to assist in developing the structures and policies that will determine how and when National Championship events are held and the eligibility regulations for participation. The second committee being formed is in preparation for the 2009 World Women’s Floorball Championship. The committee will be responsible for setting the guidelines for selecting the team personnel, from GM, Coaching Staff, and players, as well as establishing criteria and schedules for player evaluations and representation.

Responsibilities for both roles will include regular communication with the other Committee Members (1 from each province, as well as 1 CUFF Board representative) either through email, or conference call with the end goal to present recommendations to the CUFF Board for approval.

Anyone who may be interested in serving on one of these Committees or has any questions regarding these positions, please contact Paul Charbonneau, OFUF & CUFF Vice-President at paul.charbonneau@floorballontario.com or by phone at 647-588-8008.

A weekly women’s-only drop-in floorball session at Burhamthorpe Community Centre in Mississauga. The cost is $8 per session payable to the front desk. Burnhamthorpe Community Center is located at 1500 Gulleden Drive. Contact Teresa Bonadio or Juha Mikkola for additional information.

Planet Floorball, the most extensive English language floorball website, has given the Canadian Women’s National Team a positive review after evaluating their performance at the 2007 World Championships. The website was initially critical of the Canadians coming into the tournament but in the end were impressed with the team’s debut performance. Planet Floorball topped 20,000 visitors last month for the first time ever, a sure sign that floorball is growing globally.

WFC Women 2007: No 17: Canada
Not bad, not bad at all for the maple leafs. The first tournament and first approach of the women’s national team ever showed up a good organisational level for newcomers. Yes, we anticipated some new-beginners mistakes and we were right. This always happens and must happen, especially when it comes to debutants. One such example are the penalties. If the Canadians did not spend so much time learning new rules at the penalty-benches, perhabs they would not have to end at the 17:th place and by this, have to qualify for the next WFC. Such things are very important for any nation to train and perhabs the Canadian rulers should think about this preparing into next WFC. The Canadian girls must be allowed to play more international games into the WFC’s and perhabs Canada should concider participation in APAC (played in Singapore every December). To learn from other nation’s mistakes Canada should really have this in mind that playing many games gives just the experiences that is so important if anyone who really has serious ideas with what they are doing (and not just have pleasant vacations as some other nations mentioned earlier). Skip the mistakes made by others, be offensive and participate and play in the different tournaments and you will have a definite short-cut to the top-teams of the B-division. Allright again, we know Canada is far from everything geographically, but have a look at Australia and you can see it is doable. Canada also has a positive national development and if Canada is clever enough to take advantage of this, the international approach will be a serious threat to any other nation. And not only for B-division teams… You have the skill, the speed and above all, you have a culture of “club-team-sports” that easily can be developed in a positive floorball-manner. Briefly, you have it all. Perhabs this was one of the best and most positive first approach ever for any international floorball-team. Go Canada Go!

Click here to read the entire B-division review. The OFUF website featured real-time updates of Canada’s games and those can be read here.

Hey guys, here is the last installment of my blog…

Photo copyright Innebandymagazinet.se

Thanks for reading and look forward to more Team Canada coverage in 2008!

Today was a busy day in Denmark…

Photo copyright www.sport-live.net

A-Division

Goalkeeper: Jonna Mäkelä, Finland

Defender: Simon Berner, Switzerland

Defender: Jenni Morottaja, Finland

Forward: Annukka Muuri, USA

Forward: Mirca Anderegg, Switzerland

Forward: Eliska Krizova, Czech Republic

MVP: Camilla Nilsson, Sweden

B-Division

Goalkeeper: Katarzyna Postawka, Poland

Defender: Katja Timmel, Germany

Defender: Ann-Mari Gregorwich, Canada

Forward: Panka Semmelink, Netherlands

Forward: Lauren MacMillan, Canada

Forward: Anita Antal, Hungary

MVP: Monika Waksmundska, Poland

See you all tomorrow.