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With many boys, the floorball team is aiming for a medal at the Women’s World Cup in Singapore.
Europe is the floorball hotspot. All the men’s and women’s world champion teams come from here – and all the world championships took place here. With one exception: Singapore, which was awarded the contract again after 2005. A major event with good memories for Switzerland. Ultimately, the women’s national team won World Cup gold here for the first and only time.
Nine debutantes and still a lot of experience
Of course, there is no longer any player from the World Cup team at the time. And a lot of other things are new at the national team. In addition to the coaching staff led by Coach Oscar Lundin, a team is following in the footsteps of the 2005 heroines, which includes 9 World Cup debutants.
With the record goalscorer Corin Rüttimann, who is playing in her 8th World Cup and in the first group game against Norway with her 136th international match also becomes the sole Swiss record international, the goalkeeper Monika Schmid (before the 7th World Cup) as well as Captain Isabelle Gerig, Andrea Gämperli, Nicole Spichiger and Lara Heini (all before the 4th World Cup) the team does not lack experience.
Nevertheless, the remaining “old men” will have even more responsibility than at the last World Cup two years ago in Sweden, when Switzerland was outclassed by Sweden 1:14 in the semi-finals and ultimately won bronze.
Finally beat Sweden?
“The boys are technically adept, enjoy playing and infect the experienced players with their playfulness. That’s good for us,” goalie Heini looks forward to the World Cup, where the national team will compete in Group A with Finland, Norway and Latvia. Experienced veteran Rüttimann agrees: “You have to think differently with the new guys, that’s always a good thing.”
In addition to “Suomi”, the Czech Republic and of course Sweden are likely to challenge Switzerland for the medals. But Heini, who plays for Pixbo Wallenstam in the country of the record world champions, is not afraid: “There has been more unrest in Sweden recently, we are better prepared.” And purely statistically speaking, you have to beat “Tre Kronor” at some point. “If not now then when?”
Norway and Latvia are considered mandatory tasks for the Swiss. The duel with the Finns, the 2021 World Cup runners-up, is likely to be about winning the group and avoiding tournament favorites Sweden in a possible semi-final.
Singapore as a trump card?
The fact that the World Cup is not taking place in Europe for once has both good and bad sides for Rüttimann. Although fewer Swiss fans would travel, the fact that the venue is in Asia with the high humidity and Asian food makes the World Cup more unpredictable. Heini also sees this “exoticism” as a trump card in the Swiss game: “It may not be like in Europe if Sweden always wins in the end.”
But neither of them would mind if things went as usual in Singapore. Then Switzerland would have won the World Cup title.