S’pore U-19 men’s floorball squad qualify for world championships, a boost for home SEA Games in 2029

SINGAPORE – The recent achievement of the national Under-19 side has given the Singapore Floorball Association (SFA) hope of fielding a strong side at the 2029 SEA Games on home soil.

The U-19 squad topped the Asia-Oceania Floorball Confederation (AOFC) qualifiers, held at Our Tampines Hub, to book their place at the U-19 World Floorball Championships in Latvia in 2027.

In the qualifiers held from Aug 5 to 9, Singapore first thrashed Hong Kong 13-1 before edging out Australia 6-4 and trouncing Malaysia 10-0. They then claimed a 6-3 victory over Japan before they were held by New Zealand 4-4.

“We are incredibly proud of the team for finishing top of the AOFC qualification tournament and securing their place at next year’s world U-19 floorball championships,” said SFA president Ben Ow.

“Achieving this with such a strong performance on home ground over the National Day weekend made it even more special and was a wonderful gift to Singapore.”

Ow expects the U-19 squad to “play an important role in the future of Singapore floorball, with the 2029 SEA Games taking place on home soil”.

“The next few years will be crucial for continuing to develop these young players and for preparing them to eventually compete for places in the senior national team.”

Hailing the bright future of the sport in Singapore, he said SFA hopes the success of the U-19 side will spur more young people to take up the sport as it aims to have an estimated 100 players to choose from ahead of the 2029 Games.

“There will be a transition (for the age-group players) to the main squad when the time comes.

“We have an exciting group of young players coming through, and as an association, we want to ensure they have the right opportunities and support to continue developing.”

Men’s U-19 captain Andrae Chu said: “For both the team and myself, emerging as champions is an incredibly emotional moment, especially winning it in front of our home crowd and during the nation’s birthday.

“We knew that it was going to be difficult, but we stayed focused and trusted each other to make this dream a reality. This win is also for everyone, our peers, family and supporters, who believed in us in every part of this journey.”

On their preparation for the Feb 17-21 world U-19 championships, Ow said that the association’s focus now is to “make sure the team is as well-prepared as possible” for the event. “Over the coming months, we will place even greater emphasis on player development through the national training programmes we will roll out, as we look to build a stronger pipeline for Singapore floorball.”

Every player in the U-19 squad will also play in the SFA Premier League in the upcoming season, giving the age-group side more playtime against senior-level opposition ahead of the championships.

He added: “Competing in Europe is a significant undertaking, and we want to ensure the players are well taken care of and have everything they need to perform at their best when they get there.

“In the lead-up, we are planning to hold a local training camp and the players will also compete in the Premier League, which will give them valuable experience against older, more experienced players.”