The Owls take flight

Owls goalkeeper Chua Hui Xuan joined the team in 2019, even though she was already part of her university’s floorball team. As such, she has training six days a week.

The score was tied at 2-2. Owl’s goalkeeper Chua Hui Xuan was kneeling on the ground, her brows furrowed as she concentrated hard on fending off the next attack. All that was on her mind was getting her team to the 2019 Women's Premier League Floorball final.

The team was out for revenge, having lost against the same opponents, the NUS Titans Floorball Club, in the semi-finals of the 2018 season.

In the final leg of that match, the opponent launched an attack.

“Suddenly, the ball hit someone's (floorball) stick and deflected to the near post. Since I was in the midst of moving, there was a small space between my legs and the ball bounced inside,” recounts Hui Xuan.

When she realised she had conceded a goal, she slumped to the ground.

An unusual tradition

As her face contorted in disappointment, her teammates left their positions to huddle around her and give her high-fives. In this fast-paced contact sport, which is played over 60 mins, conceding a goal is no reason to stop — a player picks up the ball and just keeps going.

Players for the Owls could be former school players who miss the adrenaline rush and camaraderie of the sport.

Even for Hui Xuan, who has had experience with the sport, says that she only ever did this when she joined this team.

“The Owls (try to) practice this as a habit. So, every time we concede (a goal), all of us will just huddle together, cheer each other on and tell ourselves that the game is not over,” explains the university undergraduate.

“It’s the first time I have had this practice in my experience playing floorball.”

Through the good and the bad

Team captain Marissa Tang introduced the ‘support huddle’ to shift the mindset of the team.

She says it’s easy to celebrate and feel good when the team scores but it’s harder for them to be confident and bounce back when the opponent gets one past your keeper.

“I wanted everyone to be there for each other during the tough times and know that we are in it together, regardless of the scoreline.”

After watching the Owls concede three goals during that semi-final match, it must definitely have been difficult to be encouraging when it felt like it was game over. But the practice seems to be slowly bearing fruit.

Marissa says that while the team still forgets to do the huddle sometimes, she believes that she started to see a different team emerge during the 2019 season, especially at the semi-finals against NUS Titans.

It’s easy to be sold on the huddle’s benefits, especially when the game changes course right in front of you. The Owls came from behind — not once, but three times — before they emerged victorious with a score of 4-3. They even fended off a penalty towards the end of the match!

Conceding a goal is a bummer, but the team doesn’t let the scoreline affect their play. They form a ‘support huddle’ to encourage each other.

More than just a club

Hui Xuan, who joined the club in 2019, considers her team family. Likewise, Marissa says she would “catch a grenade” for any one of her teammates and considers joining the Owls one of the best things that has happened in her life.

This journey for the team began in 1998 when it spun off from the Outram Institute school team. The school is now known as Millennia Institute. When they were first formed, the name of the club was Skools OSB Owls (OSB stood for Outram Sky Blue).

For Owls’ captain Marissa Tang (in blue), floorball is not just about winning games, but also about team spirit and building friendships.

What started out as a school team has grown into a thriving floorball club with players from other schools and different backgrounds. As student athletes graduate from school, their passion for the sport continues to drive them as they miss the camaraderie.

Many of us would be familiar with the basics of floorball, having been introduced to it during physical education lessons. Outside of school, the competitive floorball scene in Singapore has grown steadily over the years. There is an Active SG-Singapore Floorball Association League, with numerous clubs involved in the men and women’s premier leagues and divisions. In 2019, the Owls played in the Women's Premier League and achieved second overall after losing in the playoff final to Albatross FC.

The clubs occasionally have open trials and will post details on social media. The lower tiers are a way for those who are interested to play the sport competitively but

Going the extra mile

In 2018, the Owls clinched fourth place in the league. One year on, they snagged second place. It was well-deserved, as the team put in a lot of effort to make sure they were in top form.

They train three times a week — two physical conditioning sessions on weekdays and court practice on Saturday or Sunday. Whether they are working or studying, many of the players make sacrifices to make sure they are well-prepared.

When she was working at her previous job, Marissa says she used to struggle to make it to training on time. Work ended around 8.30pm, but training usually starts at 8pm.

“When I was (working at) a bank, it was very difficult for me to juggle floorball and work. But when I moved over to a start-up, I had a supportive boss who was very understanding. I could focus on floorball,” says Marissa.

Hui Xuan, who is also representing the Singapore Institute of Management floorball team, can have up to six training sessions a week.

“For my school, we have physical training on Wednesdays and court training on Fridays and Saturdays. And for Owls, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays,” says Hui Xuan.

“If you look at it closely, I train almost every day. It’s definitely extremely tough.”

Despite the punishing physical schedule and the mental strain of balancing school and sport, Hui Xuan is relishing the journey that she will go on with her Owls teammates in the years to come.

Hui Xuan says, “They are an extremely good reason for me to stay.”

*Note: Interviews were conducted and photos were taken before the COVID-19 outbreak.

Rules of the game:

A maximum of six players are allowed on court at any point in time – usually this means five outfield players and a goalkeeper.

Players can be switched out at any time during the game.

A competitive floorball game is officially played over three periods, each lasting 20 minutes. The game can be stopped for penalties, goals, time-outs and any situation where the ball is not considered to be in play.