Men’s national floorball team counting on new approach for results on international stage
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Vice-captain Thaddeus Tan in action during a test series friendly against New Zealand on May 16 at Our Tampines Hub.
PHOTO: SINGAPORE FLOORBALL ASSOCIATION
SINGAPORE – Heart-rate monitors, a statistics-based selection criteria and pre-planned training schedules.
These initiatives have been introduced by Singapore men’s floorball coach Sonia Chia to improve the Republic’s results on the international stage.
Since 2010, the Republic have qualified for every edition of the biennial men’s World Floorball Championship (WFC) bar 2014. However, they finished last in all six appearances. After clinching the gold medal on home soil at the 2015 SEA Games, they finished second and third in the 2019 and 2023 editions respectively.
Chia, who was appointed following the 2023 SEA Games, told The Straits Times: “If we have been doing something for the last five years and it has not been working, then I think that implies a change (is needed).”
At the May 21-25 Asia-Oceania WFC qualifiers in Pasig, the Philippines, Chia is aiming not only to finish in the top three which would guarantee a spot in the Finals in Sweden, but also to win the eight-team event. The Republic are in Group F with Australia, China and Japan.
The 40-year-old said: “Performances have been stagnant for a while. This tournament will be good to see how we changed the programme and if we are doing the right actions.
“It’s a huge overhaul within the whole national set-up in terms of how the players are being trained.”
Instead of measuring fitness levels via isolated laboratory tests, players are now fitted with heart-rate monitors that are able to track the distance travelled, pulse rate and blood oxygen levels during matches, which helps with load management.
Also in consideration are other metrics like the number of times a player receives or loses the ball, and the types of decisions they make.
Chia added: “Previously, the selection matrix was more on skill. What we did with the current squad was to mark them by watching the gameplay using the new matrix. It’s very specific and it is an actual count of how that player functions within a team. Now we have numbers and stats-based data to confirm our decisions.”
She has selected a youthful squad with nine debutants for the qualifiers. Gerald Tan, the youngest player in the team, was described by Chia as having “ranked one of the highest” in all metrics.
Gerald, 16, joined the national team in July 2023 following his stellar performances for Victoria School
“It’s a dream for me. I thought I would be drafted into the youth team initially, but it was a straight route for me into the men’s,” said the 1.92m defender, adding that he wants to help the team qualify for the Finals in December.
Gerald Tan, 16, the youngest player in the squad, in action during a test series friendly against New Zealand on May 16 at Our Tampines Hub.
PHOTO: SINGAPORE FLOORBALL ASSOCIATION
Vice-captain Thaddeus Tan, who is wearing the armband as skipper Kumaresa Pasupathy recovers from an anterior cruciate ligament injury, said they are hoping to develop this young squad for future competitions.
On Chia’s training methods, the 25-year-old added: “We have cameras set up to analyse our training, our friendly games and so on. She works very hard in ensuring we get timely feedback. She’s very stats-driven. It’s objective and, through these statistics, we can improve on our decision-making.”
Should the Republic finish in the top two, they will face either the winners or runners-up from Group G comprising hosts the Philippines, Thailand, New Zealand and South Korea.
While Chia eyes a refresh, she has also faced criticism. Veteran player Ishwarpal Singh said in an Instagram post: “Despite having met the selection criteria and been selected over two months ago, my coach informed me that she never thought I was good enough for this level to begin with.”
He added that he was not given any feedback on areas to improve on and was told 48 hours before the flight that he would not be given any game time and was offered the option to withdraw.
Adding that he has “sacrificed a great deal to train and compete”, he finds this “disrespectful”.
When contacted, the Singapore Floorball Association (SFA) said it “convened with the affected athlete” to resolve the issue and the coach has apologised.
“Athlete made a decision not to travel and we have hence pushed up the next player in line to compete. SFA will carry out an investigation once the team are back to allow the coach to focus on the competition. The affected athlete has requested for a few weeks away from training and this has been granted,” it added.
