Latest news with #AOFC
Straits Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
SEA Games gold on their minds as S'pore Floorball Association appoints Pasi Rosti as men's coach
Pasi Rosti, the new coach of the Singapore men's floorball team, during a training session at Our Tampines Hub on June 27. ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR SINGAPORE – Underlining their ambition to bring back the SEA Games gold, the Singapore Floorball Association (SFA) has appointed Finnish coach Pasi Rosti to take charge of the men's team. While the men emerged champions when floorball made its Games debut on home soil in 2015, they had to settle for a silver and a bronze in 2019 and 2023 respectively, the only other times when the sport was included in the biennial meet. The 45-year-old Rosti, who has experience coaching teams in Finland and Germany, said he is honoured and excited to help take Singapore floorball to the next level. The team had just won the Asia Oceania Floorball Confederation (AOFC) Cup earlier in June, but Rosti wants to raise the bar even higher as he seeks to restore the Republic to the top of the podium at the Dec 9-20 SEA Games in Thailand. To do that, the team need to be even better because the level of opponents will be higher, he added. 'The bigger thing is that the demand is going to change, because right now they are good floorball players, but they need to be elite players,' said Rosti. 'So that's something that we try to build, and that means that the expectation level is going to be a lot higher than what it's been so far.' Even though his appointment, which was announced on June 16, comes less than six months to the biennial Games, he remains unfazed having already spent time in the SFA coaching set-up since 2024. He was the women's team assistant coach in March, during their victorious AOFC qualifying campaign in Singapore for the Dec 6-14 world championships in the Czech Republic. He would also be familiar with some of the young players in the men's team as he was with the youth side that went to the boys' Under-19 world championships in Switzerland in April. He said that competition, in which the Singapore boys finished 14th out of 16, was also a good experience, 'because they are the next generation that's going to be involved in the senior level in the near future'. The change in personnel comes after former coach Sonia Chia guided world No. 17 Singapore to the AOFC Cup with a last-gasp 8-7 win over 13th-ranked Thailand in the final in China earlier in June. SFA president Ben Ow said: 'The key focus point of this season is the SEA Games and Sonia has definitely done well, and in fact, bringing back the (SEA Games) title is something that she's definitely capable of. 'But to enhance the plan, we were sure that certain skill sets need to be brought in, therefore we decided to bring in Pasi. 'Sonia will still be part of the set-up, we're just finding where she can help to groom the next batch of talent.' Singapore men's floorball training session at Our Tampines Hub on June 27. ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR Men's captain Thaddeus Tan said that the change came as a surprise to the team, as it was Chia who announced it in the dressing room after their AOFC triumph. The 26-year-old said: 'The room fell silent and we didn't really know how to respond because, at least to me personally, it seemed quite unexpected. 'I honestly don't really know what to make of the timing of the switch, but I'm pretty sure the association has their own plans and what Pasi brings is that he has European floorball experience. 'He's able to help us develop and hopefully take us one step ahead in preparation for the upcoming SEA Games.' On the timing of the change, Ow added: 'After every campaign, there will be an evaluation. And Sonia had been taking the team for the AOFC for some time, so I think that was the only plausible time to bring in before the selection (trials) for the SEA Games. 'Definitely, I think the players will be a bit shocked. But there is no best timing.' Melvyn Teoh is a sports journalist at The Straits Times. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
06-06-2025
- Sport
- Straits Times
Singapore regain Asia Oceania Floorball Confederation Cup with last-gasp win over Thailand
The Singapore men's floorball team lifting their trophy after winning the Asia Oceania Floorball Confederation Cup on June 5. PHOTO: AOFC SINGAPORE – Maintaining a zero-zero mindset made heroes of the Singapore men's floorball team, as they reclaimed the Asia Oceania Floorball Confederation (AOFC) Cup with a last-gasp 8-7 win over archrivals Thailand in the final on June 5. Now the young outfit are hoping that success at the fourth edition of the tournament in Jiangxi, China, will be a springboard to more silverware at the Dec 9-20 SEA Games in Thailand. Singapore coach Sonia Chia was heartened by the spirit of the squad, whose average age is 23, as they clawed their way back from a four-goal deficit in the final at the Yudu Sports Centre. The 41-year-old said: 'We had a good start, and then it didn't go as well, but we managed to come back. 'The more important thing is how we actually played in the match, given that this is one of the youngest teams that we've ever sent.' World No. 17 Singapore had led 2-0 in three minutes through goals from defenders Gerald Tan and Thaddeus Tan. But a hat-trick from Pheeraphong Khambanlue helped the 13th-ranked Thais turn the tables, as they led 7-4 in the second period, during which forwards Ethan Teoh and Foo Jun Wei narrowed the deficit for the Republic. Adopting the mentality that the score is always 0-0 whether leading or trailing, Singapore continued the comeback in the final period. Defender Keanen Poon, centre Dzafir Ilhan Nizam and Foo made it 7-7, before defender Ethan Wong slotted home the winner with only seconds left to spark wild celebrations. This was Singapore's first competitive win over Thailand since the second AOFC Cup in 2019, when they beat an experimental Thai side 17-1 in the final. Their last competitive win before that was a 5-2 victory in the world championship qualifiers in 2016, when Chia was also the head coach. The Thais had defeated the Republic several times since, including the third AOFC Cup in 2023 in Singapore, where they won 4-2 in the final. They had also beaten Singapore 9-1 and 11-7 in 2022, 4-3 en route to winning the 2023 SEA Games and 10-1 at the world championship qualifiers in 2024. At the 2025 AOFC Cup, they beat Singapore 6-4 in their opening game on May 31. But Singapore won their remaining four matches (35-1 against Macau, 6-1 over China, 6-3 against South Korea, 30-1 over Hong Kong) to finish second, setting up the final against Thailand, who topped the six-team pool with a perfect record. Captain Tan, 26, believes that their mentality had given them the edge in the final. He said: 'We started really well, even better than our first game... but this time around, we were the ones who took the upper hand. It was really exciting... and kudos to the boys for giving their all and never giving up. 'We were all very prepared for this scenario. 'At the airport before we left for the tournament, we came together and went through the objectives, one of it being a 0-0 mindset all the way until the final whistle. 'That means whether we are trailing or leading, we will not be complacent or defeated before the game even ends.' Singapore defender Foo Jun Wei helping to launch an attack against Thailand. PHOTO: AOFC Both coach and captain noted that some of the Thais are playing for Swedish clubs. They include forwards Lukas Huebinette, Arwid Per Makinen, Pawat Thaidit and Oscar Snell. While some of them may not be in the top division, Tan added: 'The difference in level is very, very evident when you compare it to the Singapore league.' Turning his sights to the SEA Games, Tan noted that there will be another strong contender for gold in world No. 12 Philippines, who did not compete in the AOFC Cup as they are preparing for the World Games in Chengdu in August. The last two times that floorball was contested at the SEA Games, the Singapore men's team won a silver (2019) and a bronze (2023). He added: '(The Philippines are) one of our toughest opponents that we will face at the SEA Games, among the other opponents that we'll be facing. 'But at the end of the day, at least for Singapore, we want to have the heart of a lion and go for the win. A win is possible, but most importantly, we have to overcome our previous defeats.' While Thailand coach Kenneth Koh said some of the refereeing calls during the final were 'dubious', the Singaporean congratulated his compatriots on the victory. He said: 'It was an exciting and intense final for both the young teams that was otherwise marred by some dubious refereeing calls very, very late into the game. 'Singapore took full advantage of this and managed to score the deciding goal with less than a minute remaining.' He added that a 10-day training camp in Sweden in July has been planned and a couple more are on the cards ahead of the SEA Games, as the Thais seek to win a third gold on the trot. Melvyn Teoh is a sports journalist at The Straits Times. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
