#Floorball, why are Latvia so good part 1

Floorball in Latvia is at a very good level, in the last 10 years, both the men and womens team have been in top 6 at World Championship.
This, despite the numbers of players are less than some og the nations that are behind Latvia.

There has been a saying that, the total numbers of players in a country, will decide how good you will be at the World Championships.

Latvia have fewer players then the nations ranked 7-10, and still they have for a decade been just behind the top 4 nations.

I spoke to former national team player Zane Klabere, who has just been elected to one of IFF boards (congratulations), and she kindly answered my question, in order to put some light on the success of Latvian floorball, and are there some lessons to be learned from a Danish point of view. 

#1 How is floorball regarded in Latvia
Floorball in Latvia is a fast growing sport that has reached a stabile position among the other big sports in country. Number of licensed players and clubs are growing every year.

#2 you have had a high level for both men and women in many years, how come
Comparing to the “big floorball countries” our number of players and clubs are still small. So we compensate that with hard work to became better and better.

#3 How popular is floorball among the youth?
Among the youth – floorball is one of the most popular sports right now. Schools are more supportive in the last years and the interest is growing.

#4 how do you get so many good players in Latvia?
About the good players – like I answered some questions earlier – is it done with hard work. A lot of practising, a lot of work to build a good physical condition. Some players are playing abroad to develop their skills and level in higher leagues like Switzerland, Sweden or Finland.

#5 Latvia havent the same numbers of players as Denmark and other countries. They may have an advantage by having a larger number of player to recruit from. Still Latvia are better at both men and women, whats the reason behind this
We know that our licensed player number is smaller than in a lot of countries – and that is one of the reasons – we need to get much better and work much harder to prove that we can play equal with other countries with a higher number of players.

#6 How is the level in the best league in Latvia (men/women)
Men’s league in Latvia has a very good level. Winning teams were regularly playing in the European Cups with satisfactory results. Women’s league right now is having a tougher period – not so big number for players in highest division which can cause our performance in international arena in the future.