![[…]Students participate in a workout routine with floorball sticks at the launch of the ActiveSG Floorball Club at Our Tampines Hub. With floorball becoming more popular in Singapore over the last few years, the club intends to help the Singapore F](https://static1.straitstimes.com.sg/s3fs-public/styles/large30x20/public/articles/2017/07/30/ST_20170730_SPTFLOOR_3312524.jpg?VersionId=DBgHlEp_kC_pIWuy1uKcvG8j_xBCH9C9&itok=T8HXUoj0)
When national floorball player Sharifah Badriyah was a Primary Three pupil making her first forays into the sport, she recalls the inter-school competition comprising only 10 teams, or fewer.
The 23-year-old defender, who has seen the sport's popularity rise over the past 14 years that she has played it, hopes yesterday's launch of the ActiveSG Floorball Club will help grow the sport even more.
"I think it brings the sport to the grassroots level, so it gives the opportunity for young kids to come and play, as well as adults to learn more about the sport," said the former Pasir Ris Primary School pupil, who was part of the gold medal-winning SEA Games team in Singapore two years ago.
There are now about 15,000 players from more than 100 schools and 100 clubs, according to estimates by the Singapore Floorball Association (SFA), the sport's national governing body.
The club is the ninth under the stable of clubs and academies launched by ActiveSG, the national movement for sport.
The ActiveSG Floorball Club launch took place at Our Tampines Hub yesterday, where Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli, who is also adviser to Tampines Grassroots Organisations, was guest of honour.
The club was launched as part of ActiveSG's efforts to promote and develop the sport here, in partnership with the SFA. Our Tampines Hub, with a 1,800 capacity, is one of the venues where the club will conduct its programmes, and is also the venue for next year's Asia-Oceania Floorball Confederation (AOFC) Cup for women's teams from the region.
Referring to the 2015 SEA Games floorball competition at ITE College Central, Ho added: "There were so many spectators coming down to watch, but the venue was smaller than (Our Tampines Hub).
"Hopefully more spectators will come and watch the AOFC Cup live... this is one of the platforms where we can introduce the national players to the public."
Sport Singapore's chief executive officer Lim Teck Yin said up to 25 clubs and academies under the ActiveSG umbrella are set to be rolled out.
Adding that team sports "bring Singaporeans together and teach a lot of transferrable life skills", he said: "We think there should be enough emphasis on team sports in Singapore and this is why we're getting behind a sport that is hugely popular, easy to take up and easy to play throughout the lifetime."
