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What is Floorball?
Floorball is a game that can be played
indoors and outdoors, on a hard and flat surface. Standard floorball is played
with five fielders and one goalkeeper on each side. Mini floorball is played
either with a goalkeeper and three or four fielders, or with small goals and no
goalkeeper. The number of players and style of play depends on how large a court
is, and the number of players. Due to the intensity of the game, substitution is
unlimited. Teams generally have two or three lines of five players who are
substituted regularly. Floorball provides great action from the beginning till
the end and can be played by anyone regardless of skill, age or gender.
Floorball equipment consists of plastic or composite sticks and a hollow plastic
ball. Only the goalkeeper wears extra gear.
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Filip Dahlgren’s Road to Success
Filip Dahlgren is one of the best
players and coaches of Floorball in Singapore. He is currently the
assistant coach of the Singapore National Girls’ team and coach of the
Swiss Club Red Flamingoes. His road to his current path was not easy, as
I learned during the interview. Born in Sweden, Filip enjoyed engaging
in different sports from a young age. In school, everyone played either
floorball or soccer during school breaks and that was when he first came
across floorball. Even though he graduated with a degree in Economics,
he quickly discovered that he had no interest in pursuing it as a
career. He became an ice hockey player for the Swedish National Men’s
Team and even brought glory to the team. However, after playing for some
time, he injured his back and had to retire from the team.
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Following that, he went into the navy
and then found a new interest in becoming a pilot. He set off to the United
States to pursue a pilot’s degree. Unfortunately, the September 11 incident
caused him to be retrenched by the company. He ended updoing odd jobs to make
ends meet, such as becoming a salesperson and an insurance agent. His life was
then a mess. During his free time, he would play floorball which was similar to
but less aggressive and dangerous than ice hockey. After a while, he decided to
take the next bold step - by coming to Singapore to help his brother Stefan set
up a floorball business, and at the same time, coach some teams.
Promoting the Game
Floorball is clearly Filip’s passion! He
wants to share his knowledge, skills and the fun of floorball to as many people
as possible. He hopes that more people will take up floorball as it is a very
flexible sport. It can be played indoors and outdoors, even at a void deck! His
vision is to make floorball a sport in the next Olympics. To achieve this,
theremust be at least 15 countries participating in this sport. He is finding
ways to promote the game to other countries in Asia. Filip and his brother
Stefan, are working together to increase the awareness of floorball in Singapore
and South East Asia through their shop, Tiasa. Whenever a
floorballer needs equipment or enquiries
about floorball, they would go to Tiasa for help.
Being a Good Sportsman and Coach
Filip feels that a good and experienced
player is redundant if he keeps all the skills to himself. He believes that
through teaching, he can learn and discover new things in the process.
Therefore, coaching acts as a stepping stone for him in reaching another level
of self-improvement. He also enjoys the sense of satisfaction whenever he helped
and directed his teams to success and victory. These are the reasons why he
chose to become a floorball coach. Being a good coach is not easy. It takes
great commitment, discipline, stamina, good sportsmanship and even patience. He
needs to earn the respect of his players, his teams and from other people. Time
management is also important - he always plans and prioritises his work so they
flow nicely.
After Asia Pacific Floorball Tournament
2004, Filip left to pursue his level 4 floorball coaching degree in Sweden. This
makes him the only person in Asia with such a coaching certificate. As floorball
is a team game, it requires every individual to be committed and devoted. No
matter how skilful you are, it is impossible to bring the team to great heights
alone. Winning and losing is not important as long as the team players put in
their 120% on court and fight till the very end.
Filip Dahlgren’s Achievements
The Asia Pacific Floorball Tournament is
one of the biggest floorball events in Asia. Filip helped to make sure the event
was properly organised. Held in Singapore in December 2004, Singapore sent two
teams to represent the nation - the Singapore Orchids and the Singapore
Bougainvillea. Filip coached both teams and led them to victory - they emerged
as the 1st runner-up and 2nd runner-up respectively. He analysed the opponents’
movements and used the information to try and stop them from scoring goals. He
motivated and encouraged every player on the court. During the last day of the
Asia Pacific Floorball Tournament 2004, some of the Republic Polytechnic helpers
stayed behind on the court. Filip came over to teach them different techniques,
like the kinds of shots that can be executed on the court, and how to hold the
stick the correct way. He never looks down on players who are new to the game
and always shares his experience and knowledge with everyone. In 2005, the World
Floorball Championship will be held in Singapore from 28 May to 6 June 2005.
Filip hopes that the Singapore Orchids will do Singapore proud then. The
recognition of floorball in Singapore is increasing over the years due to the
effort of Filip and his brother Stefan. I can see Filip’s passion for floorball
and I am sure he would be able to bring floorball to greater heights in
Singapore.
Applying Life’s Philosophy on the Court
I was impressed by the strong will and
determination Filip showed throughout the interview. Despite having experienced
many setbacks in life, he continued to step out of his comfort zone to pursue
his dreams and passion. Each time he fell, he picked himself up and moved on,
learning from his mistakes. He never gives up trying and fights hard for what he
wants - just like on the court. He feels that teenagers are afraid of trying new
things as they fear the word ‘failure’. But nothing in life is 100% success and
Filip impressed upon me the importance of trying. Every problem is a challenge
and working our way through these challenges will make us stronger individuals.
His three important keywords of success are: Determination, Perseverance and
Hard work.
Filip is a guy who dares to dream big and
pursue his goals. He has inspired me a great deal in all areas, not just his
floorball skills but also his positive and “nevergive-up” attitude towards life.
Testimonials on Filip Dahlgren
Jae’n Lau from Swiss Club Pink Flamingoe
sFilip
is my coach in Swiss Club Pink Flamingoes. Being a very patient and dedicated
person, he is very thorough with his instructions that he wants to convey to the
players. I will definitely be a better player if I continue training under him.
Zaki from Republic Polytechnic Floorball
Guys Team
Filip Dahlgren is a friendly person, a man with great personality. Whenever, I
go to Tiasa, Filip will be at the shop. He would give us tips on how to improve
ourselves and also giving us new updates on Floorball. He has earned the respect
of most floorballers including mine.
Joey Loh from Swiss Club Red Flamingoes
Filip is definitely the current king of Singapore Floorball. I adore his
dribbling skills. It’s really stunning to watch him, not forgetting his
goalkeeping skills.
Rajiv from Singapore National Men’s
Team
Filip is a great player, a great coach and also a good friend. His technical
ability can’t be matched by many. Filip has the ability to place his shots and
that is what makes his shots difficult to save. As a goalie myself, I love
playing against him as it is very challenging. He is a joy to play with and he
helps me raise my game by another notch.
Conclusion
Filip Dahlgren’s life is like a wave –
there are high tides as well as low tides. He stresses strongly that it’s
through failures that we learn how to battle setbacks and build up our
character. Many of those who know Filip treat him as a role model. He has earned
the respect of many and is a good testimonial to everyone, young or old.
He inspires us to pursue our passion
and dreams. What I’ve learned from Filip cannot be found in books. He has shared
with me his real life experiences and his life’s philosophy. Throughout the
process of this professional profiling, I was influenced and affected by his
goal, vision, dreams and driving spirit. He has given me loads of insight, and
is definitely someone worthy of my admiration and utmost respect. I look upon
him as a role model to pursue my dreams and passion and I will definitely adopt
his attitude and spirit in achieving my goals.
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