Kuldīga floorball team wins all four opening games of Latvian 1st League season
The Kuldīga municipal sports school/Linde grupa team has won all four of its games in the Latvian floorball championship's 1st League. Club head Ivo Solomahins discusses roster changes, young players and new rules.
The new season of the Latvian floorball championship's 1st League is under way, and Kuldīga's team, Kuldīga Municipality Sports School/Linde grupa, has won all four of its opening games. Club head Ivo Solomahins spoke about preparation, roster changes and the effect of new rules.
A busy start
The team had the most intense schedule of any club: four weekends in a row, with three home games and one away. Solomahins says the players are motivated, and that over the summer the team worked on physical and tactical fitness and changed its structure and approach.
The championship format is unchanged. The 1st League is played alongside the farm clubs of the top-tier league, with ten teams in each of the West and East groups. Each team plays 18 regular-season games. After two rounds, teams are re-ranked in a separate table by points coefficient to set quarter-final and play-off opponents. In the West group, Kuldīga's remaining away trips are to Bauska and Salaspils. Solomahins sees no clear favourite and considers the teams evenly matched.
Young players and coaches
The main emphasis is integrating young players by giving them more playing time and trust. The team is coached by Toms Grinkevičs and Inguss Gailis, who has moved to the coaching bench this year, which lets Solomahins focus more on club management. Olivers Dvarons has joined Talsi's top-league team, while Tomass Alksniņš has returned from Irlava's top-league side. Three new players have arrived, including Filips Ričards Caune-Beijers.
The squad consists only of Kuldīga natives, apart from Krists Ķemeris from Liepāja, who played there before. The sports school has six training groups.
Concerns and rules
The biggest worries are funding and rising costs. Regular-season games draw 250–300 spectators. The International Floorball Federation has introduced new rules: substitutes may stand up only about 15 seconds before a change, and goalkeepers receive stronger protection. Solomahins notes that referees sometimes interpret the rules differently.
