BroomBall.ab.ca
Title
Alberta Broomball
Description
What are the rules of broomball?
Aside from the fact that you are running on the ice in special broomball shoes, the rules of broomball are very similar to hockey. There are 5 players per team on the ice (2 wingers, 1 centermen, and 2 defensemen) plus a goaltender. There are a few differences between the rules of hockey and broomball. There is no neutral zone in broomball, only two zones split by the center ice red line. Therefore, offside is called at the red line. The goal nets are larger (7 feet wide x 5 feet high) than the typical hockey net to accommodate the larger broomball. The game time is comprised of 2 periods at 15 minutes each (trust me, when you are running on the ice these 2 periods are the appropriate length for a game). Other than that, the remainder of the rules of hockey are the same, i.e. icing, penalties, face-offs, etc.
What equipment do I need for broomball?
When I have a new player come out for broomball I usually have them bring their regular hockey gear (helmet, cup, elbow pads, shin pads, and gloves). Special broomball shoes that have rubber gripper soles and a broomball stick are required. Some find the hockey shin pads and hockey gloves bulky compared to the broomball shin pads and gloves.
Isn't it slippery to run on the ice?
Living in the Canadian winters and walking on ice with your day-to-day footwear is quite slippery. The broomball shoes have soft rubber soles with small grippers that create more friction compared to regular footwear and compress to give more surface contact area on the ice. Broomball is played on ice after it has flooded. Running with broomball shoes on the smooth flooded ice after sufficient drying time would feel like running on linoleum floor with your socks on (at worst). Its not near as tacky as wearing court shoes on a gymnasium floor and that is the dynamic that is completely unique to the sport of broomball. The broomball players don't slip and fall anymore than a hockey player would.
