Floorball Referee Guide

The IFF Central Board approved a new edition of the Rules of the Game on 11 December 2025, and it is valid from 1 July 2026. The revision targets three areas — goalkeeper safety, game attractiveness and intensity, and the floorball brand and game climate. Referees apply the following changes from the 2026-27 season.

Goalkeeper safety

Goalkeepers defend on their knees and often cannot avoid contact, so three new provisions protect them:

• A field player must make a reasonable effort to avoid a collision with a goalkeeper inside the goal crease; failing to do so is now an offence.
• A field player may not pass through the goalkeeper area — the zone is reserved exclusively for the goalkeeper.
• A field player may not repeatedly follow the goalkeeper with the sole intent of blocking their view.

A clearer definition of holding

Holding is one of the game's biggest flow-killers. The 2026 edition rewrites what counts as holding so referees can call it more consistently. The IFF flags this as a change that needs referee education and steady follow-through to have its intended effect on the pace of the game.

Instigating and coincidental penalties

Two changes cut down on stoppage-time scuffles that teams sometimes used tactically (matching minors to force 4v4, or 5v4 with a pulled goalkeeper):

• Coincidental penalties no longer change the number of players on the rink — matching minors to both teams no longer opens the court up.
• A new instigating penalty lets referees give an additional minor to the player judged to have started the altercation.

Conduct in the substitution area

New rules govern how players and team staff behave in the substitution area. The aim is to clear the crowd of standing players that blocks the secretariat's and spectators' view, and to calm a game climate in which staff dispute nearly every decision — a particular problem for young players and referees in youth competitions.

Scoring-side changes referees enforce

Two changes touch the scoring flow: in 5v5 a goalkeeper may now score a goal (already allowed in 3v3), and in a penalty shoot-out the first five shots must still be taken by five different players, but any player may take the shots after that. See how floorball scoring works for the full scoring picture.

The crease and goalkeeper-area dimensions, the penalty structure (2-minute minor, 2+2 major, 10-minute personal and match penalties) and the free-hit mechanics described in the sections below are unchanged. The penalty shot now starts from a spot 5 meters from the center line instead of the center spot.

Floorball uses a two-referee system where both officials have identical authority. This is fundamentally different from ice hockey, which uses a hierarchical system with referees and linesmen who have different powers.

Both Referees Can:

• Call any penalty (minor, major, match)
• Award free hits for infractions
• Confirm or disallow goals
• Stop play for any reason
• Manage the match clock (signal starts and stops)

Positioning on the Court

The two referees typically position themselves diagonally on the court:

• R1 follows the play from one sideline, staying near the attacking zone
• R2 positions on the opposite sideline, providing a wider angle and covering the defensive zone

When play moves from one end to the other, the referees adjust their positions, with one staying close to the action and the other maintaining an overview. This diagonal system gives at least one referee a clear view of any incident on the court.

Communication Between Referees

Referees communicate using eye contact, hand signals, and brief verbal exchanges during stoppages. Before making a penalty call, a referee may consult with their colleague if the incident occurred in the other official's primary zone. Both referees must agree on goal decisions in ambiguous situations.

The Scorer's Table

In addition to the two on-court referees, the scorer's table includes:

• Timekeeper: Runs the game clock, starts and stops on referee signals
• Secretary (Scorekeeper): Records goals, penalties, and substitutions on the official match sheet

At recreational and amateur levels where a formal scorer's table is not available, JudgeMate's Free Scoreboard can serve as the digital equivalent — one person controls the clock, goals, and penalties from their phone while the spectator display shows the public scoreboard.

Pre-Match Responsibilities

Before the match, referees must:

• Inspect the court (boards secure, goals properly anchored, crease markings visible)
• Check equipment (sticks within legal length, goalkeeper equipment complete)
• Meet with both team captains to review ground rules
• Verify the scorer's table is ready

Floorball has two bench penalties (minor and major) and two personal penalties (10-minute and match), each with distinct consequences for the offending player and team.

Minor Penalties (2 Minutes)

The most common penalty in floorball. The offending player sits in the penalty area for 2 minutes of playing time, and their team plays shorthanded (5v4).

Critical rule: As in ice hockey, a minor penalty ends early if the opposing team scores while it is being served, unless the scoring team was outnumbered or the teams were at equal strength. It does not end on a goal scored during a delayed penalty, during a delayed penalty shot or from a penalty shot. Otherwise the penalized player returns when the 2 minutes of playing time have elapsed.

Common minor penalty infractions:

• Tripping — using the stick or foot to trip an opponent
• Holding, grabbing an opponent's body, clothing, or stick
• Pushing, shoving an opponent with hands or body
• High ball or careless stick play, playing the ball above waist height with the stick, foot or lower leg, or raising the stick above an opponent's head when it is dangerous (a high backswing alone is a free hit)
• Playing without a stick, actively participating in play without holding a stick
• Incorrect substitution, too many players on the court during play
• Delay of game, deliberately delaying the restart of play

Major Penalties (2+2 Minutes)

Assessed for reckless play. A major penalty is two 2-minute bench penalties served back to back by the offending player (4 minutes in total), and their team plays shorthanded. Only one of the two parts can end early on a goal.

Common major penalty situations:

• Reckless stick play — stick use that puts an opponent at serious risk
• Hooking, hooking an opponent's body with the stick
• Throwing the stick or equipment, throwing it at the ball
• Reckless physical play, such as tripping or throwing an opponent against the boards or the goal cage

10-Minute Personal Penalties

Imposed only together with a minor penalty, for unsporting behavior (such as insulting referees or players, provocative celebrating or throwing equipment) or simulation. The 10 minutes affect only the player, who may be replaced on the court; the team plays shorthanded only for the 2-minute minor, served by a field player chosen by the captain. A 10-minute personal penalty never ends early on a goal.

Match Penalties (Red Card)

The most severe sanction. The referee shows a red card: the player goes to the dressing room for the rest of the match and is also suspended for the next match in the same competition. The team serves a 2+2 major penalty with a field player chosen by the captain.

Match penalty situations:

• Violent play or brutality — such as a deliberate attempt to injure an opponent
• Gross misconduct or threats, for example toward referees
• Fighting, or a second major penalty in the same match

Penalty Signals

Referees signal penalties using standardized hand signals:

1. Point to the offending player
2. Signal the type of infraction (e.g., tripping motion, pushing gesture)
3. Point to the penalty area
4. Show the penalty type: two fingers for a minor, five fingers for a major, a clenched fist for a 10-minute personal penalty, and a red card for a match penalty

JudgeMate's Free Scoreboard shows penalty timers with a live countdown, so everyone in the hall knows exactly when each penalty expires. When a power-play goal ends a bench penalty, the board stops that timer on its own.

The free hit is the most frequent restart in floorball, awarded for a wide range of minor infractions that do not warrant a penalty.

When a Free Hit Is Awarded

• High sticking or high ball: Stick blade raised above waist height in the backswing or follow-through of a stroke, or the ball played above knee height with the stick, foot or lower leg
• Playing the ball with hand/head/foot: Deliberately touching the ball with anything other than the stick (except the goalkeeper in the crease)
• Incorrect or delayed free hit: The ball is dragged, flicked or lifted on the stick instead of hit, or the free hit is delayed on purpose
• Lifting or holding an opponent's stick: Interfering with an opponent's stick
• Playing the ball while lying on the floor: A field player may not play the ball while any part of their body other than their feet is on the ground
• Goalkeeper area violation: Field player in or passing through the goalkeeper area (1m x 2.5m); the larger goal crease is open to field players

Free Hit Execution Rules

1. The ball should be still at the location of the infraction, though referees may let play go on if it is not entirely still or exactly placed and play is not affected
2. There is no fixed time limit, but the free hit must not be unreasonably delayed (the referees decide), and delaying it on purpose is itself an offense
3. All opponents must be at least 3 meters from the ball; breaking this distance is a minor penalty
4. The free hit taker cannot play the ball again until another player has touched it
5. The ball must be hit, not dragged, flicked or lifted on the stick; a hit ball may leave the floor, and a free hit may go directly into the goal

Free Hit Near the Goal

A free hit for the attacking team close to the goal is a real scoring chance. If it is awarded closer than 3.5 meters to the goalkeeper area, it is moved out to 3.5 meters, and the defending team may form a wall right outside its goalkeeper area; the attackers do not have to wait for the wall and may place players in front of it. Coaches design specific set plays to maximize free hit opportunities near the goal — quick passes, screens, and one-timers are common tactics.

Hit-In (Ball Over the Boards)

When the ball passes over the boards (anywhere, including behind the goal) or hits the ceiling, the non-offending team receives a hit-in — functionally similar to a free hit, taken 1.5 meters from the boards where the ball left the court, or from the nearest face-off dot if that point is behind the imaginary extension of the goal line. The same 3-meter rule applies, with no fixed time limit.

Goalkeeper Throw-In

A ball that goes over the end boards is a hit-in too, not a goalkeeper restart. The goalkeeper throws the ball back into play only after gaining control of it during play: they may keep control for no more than 3 seconds, and may not throw it over the center line unless it first touches the floor, the boards or a player.

A penalty shot is the most dramatic restart in floorball — a one-on-one confrontation between a shooter and the opposing goalkeeper.

When a Penalty Shot Is Awarded

A penalty shot is given when a clear goal-scoring opportunity is illegally prevented. Specific situations include:

• Defender in the goalkeeper area: A defending field player is in their own goalkeeper area (or where the goal cage normally stands) when the opponents' free hit is hit directly at goal. A penalty shot is then always awarded; simply being in the larger goal crease is not an offense.
• Goal displacement: A defender deliberately moves or displaces the goal to prevent a scoring chance.
• Breakaway foul: A penalty offense committed against a player who has a clear breakaway (no defenders between the attacker and the goalkeeper).
• Covering the ball: A field player deliberately lies on or covers the ball to stop a goal situation.

Penalty Shot Execution

1. The ball is placed on an imaginary spot 5 meters from the center line, centered between the long sides (the center spot was used until the 2026 rules)
2. On the referee's whistle, the shooter starts the attempt with the stick
3. Shooter and ball must keep a continuous movement toward the goal: they may not both stop or turn away from it at the same time, and a "zorro" move (the ball held on the blade and changing direction in the air more than once) is not allowed; the ball may be played any number of times
4. The goalkeeper must be in the goalkeeper area when the penalty shot starts and may then come out
5. Once the goalkeeper touches the ball or the ball hits the front of the goal cage, the shooter may not touch it again
6. The attempt ends when:
   • The ball crosses the goal line (goal scored)
   • The goalkeeper saves the ball
   • The ball hits the goal frame (post or crossbar) and does not enter
   • Shooter and ball stop or turn away from the goal
   • The shooter commits an infraction (e.g., a zorro move or touching the ball again after a save)

Referee Decisions on Penalty Shots

The decision to award a penalty shot is one of the most consequential calls a referee can make. Referees must evaluate:

• Was there a clear scoring opportunity? (Not just any chance — it must be a high-probability goal-scoring situation)
• Was the opportunity illegally denied? (Not just contact, but a clear rules violation)
• Could the referee award a lesser penalty (minor or major) instead?

In ambiguous situations, referees tend to award a penalty (a minor or a 2+2 major) rather than a penalty shot, reserving the penalty shot for clear-cut denial of obvious goal-scoring chances.

The goal crease is one of floorball's most strategically important areas — and understanding its rules is essential for referees and players.

What Is the Crease?

The crease is a rectangular area (4m x 5m) directly in front of each goal, defined by painted lines on the court surface, with a smaller goalkeeper area (1m x 2.5m) marked inside it. The crease is the goalkeeper's working zone (the only place they may use their hands), and the small goalkeeper area is off-limits to field players.

The Fundamental Rule

Field players may be in the goal crease, but not in the goalkeeper area. A field player from either team who is in or passes through the goalkeeper area (any part of the body touching the floor inside it, lines included; a stick alone does not count) commits a free-hit offense.

Consequences of Crease Violations

The consequences depend on which team's player is in the goalkeeper area and the context:

Attacking field player in the goalkeeper area:

• A free hit is awarded to the defending team
• A goal is disallowed only if the attacker committed this (or another free-hit or penalty) offense in connection with, or immediately before, the goal
• Mere presence in the larger goal crease is not an offense and does not cancel a goal

Defending field player in their own goalkeeper area:

• Normally a free hit to the attacking team; offenses in the goal crease do not automatically lead to a penalty shot
• A penalty shot is always awarded if the defender is in the goalkeeper area when the attackers' free hit is hit directly at goal
• A penalty shot also follows if the offense interrupts or prevents a goal situation

Ball in the crease:

• Field players may play a ball inside the goal crease, and may reach into the goalkeeper area with the stick as long as no part of their body touches the floor inside it
• Attackers must make a reasonable effort to avoid contact with a goalkeeper inside the crease; failing to do so is a minor penalty
• The goalkeeper may pick up the ball with their hands inside the crease (unique to the goalkeeper)

The Goalkeeper in the Crease

Inside the crease, the goalkeeper has special privileges:

• May use their hands to catch, throw, and direct the ball
• May lie down to make saves (field players cannot play while on the ground)
• Is protected from contact by opposing players
• May throw the ball to restart play after a save

Goalkeeper Outside the Crease

The goalkeeper may leave the crease to play the ball with their body (but not hands) outside the crease area. However, this is risky — the goal is unprotected, and the goalkeeper is subject to the same rules as field players when outside the crease (except they still cannot use a stick).

Practical Refereeing of the Crease

Goalkeeper-area violations are among the most frequently called infractions in floorball. Referees must watch for:

• Attackers drifting into the goalkeeper area during scrambles around the goal
• Defenders stepping into the goalkeeper area to block shots, especially on free hits near the goal
• Attackers who make no effort to avoid contact with the goalkeeper inside the crease
• Field players obstructing the goalkeeper's throw-in

Clear communication between the two referees is critical for these decisions, as the referee closer to the goal typically has the best angle to judge whether a player's foot has crossed the goalkeeper-area line.