1) What is it? The Canada Cup is the largest floorball tournament in

 Information about the 2014 Canada Cup 1) What is it? The Canada Cup is the largest floorball tournament in the world outside Europe. In 2013, the Canada Cup celebrated its 10th anniversary. Floorball is a growing sport in North America and whilst the Europeans still dominate international floorball tournaments, it will not be too long before the Canadians and Americans could be a strong force, too. In order to give young Swiss players the opportunity to grow as players, gain international tournament experience and to play their part in helping floorball grow in North America, the Swiss Floorball Academy, organised by the Kloten-­‐Bülach Jets, took a Swiss youth team to participate in the 2013 Canada Cup. The Academy came back to Switzerland with great results: •
we won the Adult Intermediate Division (with a team of U16 & U18 players and one NLA player) •
we came 2nd in the U15 age category (the Bantam Division). In 2014, the Swiss Floorball Academy will compete in the Adult Elite Division with players from NLA, U21 and U18 teams. We will also compete in the U15 / Bantam Division with a team of players born in 1999 & 2000. In 2013, the Swedish team, Lindas, won the Elite Division, featuring Swedish world champions in the line-­‐up. They faced a local Canadian team, also featuring Canadian national team players. The Swiss Floorball Academy aims to provide young Swiss players the opportunity to play against such teams and players as part of a unique Swiss team made of experienced NLA players and younger players. 2) When? Tournament dates are Fri-­‐Mon 16-­‐19 May 2014 but please see travel dates below. 3) Where? The tournament takes place in the heart of Toronto at the iconic Maple Leaf Gardens (now known as the Ryerson University’s Mattamy Athletic Centre) where the Toronto Maple Leafs won 11 NHL Stanley Cups. 4) The team from Switzerland In 2013, the Swiss Floorball Academy team had players from 6 different clubs, typically playing in the U16A or U18A divisions. In 2014, we will compete in the Elite Division and the players this year will come from NLA, U21 and U18 teams. Additionally, we will be taking a team of players who were born in 1999 & 2000 to compete in the U15 / Bantam Division. It is expected that most of these players will come from Swiss U16A teams. All players who were born in 1994 or later can also compete in the High School Division in addition to either the Elite or the Bantam Division. This means that players get more games and more experience of international competition! 5) Who will travel with the team? The organisers and coaches for the team are Matt Joutsikoski (Kloten-­‐Bülach Jets U18 coach) and Stefan Yannick (Kloten-­‐Bülach Jets NLA player). The organisers welcome other coaches to join the team, and parents are also welcome to join the group travelling to Toronto. 6) When will the team travel? The team will leave Zürich for Toronto on Saturday 10 May. The team will return to Zürich on Wednesday morning 21 May (the team will leave Toronto on Tuesday evening 20 May). 7) Accommodation The team will stay in the Holiday Inn Hotel next to the main tournament venue, right in the heart of Toronto. Night time view from the top floor of our hotel 8) How much will it cost? The total cost is expected to be below CHF 2000. This is based on the following information and actual costs from 2013: Return flights (direct, non-­‐stop flights) are currently CHF 900. In 2013 our other costs were: Hotel: CHF 360 for 9 nights (!!!) This was a special deal for this tournament and for our big team. Great hotel, 4 people sharing a room. We will do our best to achieve a similar deal this year. Other costs in 2013: CHF 350 for: -­‐ breakfast -­‐ visit to Niagara Falls -­‐ Blue Jays baseball game -­‐ CN Tower (see the big “needle” in the photo) -­‐ Royal Ontario Museum -­‐ Science Centre -­‐ Toronto Island Ferry -­‐ All subway travel -­‐ A couple of team meals -­‐ Tournament fees -­‐ Priceless experience and more  Additional pocket money needed for other meals, shopping, souvenirs, etc. In 2013, we were also invited to visit the Hockey Hall of Fame by the NHL and the honoured member, Jim Gregory. 9) Training We will organise special training camps in Kloten in the Spring and pre-­‐tournament training in Toronto. Like in 2013, we are looking to visit some local schools & floorball clubs for friendly games and for an opportunity for us to get to know Canadian players. 10) How about school? A letter will be provided for students to take to their schools requesting permission for extra time off. In 2013, all schools gave their students permission to participate in the tournament. (Can help improve English language skills too!) 11) Insurance? It is essential players have their own travel and health insurance (valid for Canada) – please contact me if you have any questions. 12) More information? I am happy to answer any of your questions and also to come to your normal training sessions to speak to you, your parents or coaches. As I get more information about practical arrangements for the team, I will let you know. You might also be interested to visit the internet pages of the tournament: www.thecanadacup.com Hope to see you as part of the team! Matt Joutsikoski Kloten-­‐Bülach Jets Tel: 076 275 4056 [email protected]