UR alumnus looks to grow floorball community in Richmond

Nick Baldaino, a 2017 graduate from the University of Richmond’s MBA program, spends his evening tirelessly working to help floorball prosper in Richmond. 

Floorball, a sport originating from Sweden in the 1970s , is fairly new to the United States. It’s similar to ice hockey, though it is played on the ground, not ice. Floorball’s popularity is soaring nationwide as the Richmond Floor Hockey Club continues its push to spread the word, though it’s not always easy. 

“You can be on cloud nine one day, and then 15 people show up the next,” Baldaino said.

As the president of the club, Baldaino is working with the Spider Business Hub on methods to market and grow the community. Despite the club only being around a year old, it has logged over 200 registrations and 10,000 plus unique visitors to its website since June 1. 

The club has no membership fee, so players can simply stop by and pay $10 when they have time. Open play time is for ages six and up, meaning many come after work or school. 

Parker McQuillan, 20, likes to spend his evenings honing his skills after work. He’s played ice hockey his entire life, but the sport can come at a high cost. One day, his friend told him about floorball and he decided to try it out. 

“Learning the rules is a big change,” McQuillan said. “It’s very different because there’s no stick lifts in ice hockey. It’s a little rougher.”

Like McQuillan, most of the club is composed of former ice hockey players who are looking to try something new. As it’s also less aggressive, many parents and older athletes have found it to be a great option. 

“We play with Steve,” McQuillan laughed. “Steve is like 70 to 100 years old.”

The club also has a sponsor that supplies equipment, making it even more manageable and realistic for more casual players.

Club member Mathieu Lippens, on the other hand, is not a newcomer. Native to Belgium, where floorball is a popular sport, he’s played it for most of his life. Lippens made it all the way to the Belgian national team when he was 16. 

He was ecstatic when he found out he could play while working in Richmond. As a seasoned player, Lippens said he has seen major improvements during his year playing for the club. 

“The level of play is just so much better in the league than when I first started,” Lippens said. “So, people are improving, picking up on floorball best practices. I’ve been helping them a little bit.”

Other than practice time and scheduled seasonal programs, the club competes in regional tournaments with teams on the East Coast. This gives elite players a chance to shine. However, there is no official league, and the club has yet to compete in a national tournament. 

The newness of the sport makes for a sometimes unsteady power structure in the USA Association. According to Baldaino, the national board faces several challenges. 

“It's a mess, honestly,” Baldaino said. “We're trying to grow a national focus to it, but you’ve got politics up top.”

For now, he wants to focus on floorball on the local level, making sure Richmond has the foundation it needs to grow in the future while the sport becomes more established. According to Baldaino, the community is building stronger by the day, floorball allowing people to make connections. 

In August, the club capped its first summer with the Atlantic Floorball Open with nearly 50 players from four different states participating. The club now moves forward to the fall league, which kicked off on Sept. 15. 

“We’re taking the same inclusive spirit we had over the summer and we’re just trying to get everyone to try this sport,” Baldaino said. 

Every Monday from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m., the club will host practice at the Matthew and Daniel Barton Memorial Rink in Hanover County, Va. While Baldaino is still looking for more volunteers and members, his vision of the club’s future remains bright and motivated. 

Contact sports editor Abigail Finney at abigail.finney@richmond.edu.