Praha Panthers: "The founder liked the idea of strong and cunny animal"

Praha Panthers from the Czech Republic will come to Gothia Innebandy Cup with three teams this time.

The players couldn’t be more excited.
– It will be the first experience abroad for many of them, says the chairman Jan Tuma.

Praha Panthers was founded 30 years ago, back in 1993.
– Our club is not only a sports club, but also a society of people and our focus is not only sport, but also to raise and educate young people, says Jan Tuma.
He tells us about the history behind the name.
– The founder of our club liked the idea of strong and cunny animal, hence the panther. Praha was added because of the city we live in, says the chairman.
How big is the interest in floorball in Prague and your country?
– The interest is pretty big. The member base in the Czech Republic is second to football. I think floorball is the number one sport amongst the young people, he says.

They have great experiences from Gothia Innebandy Cup and Gothenburg.
– My personal experience is that the tournament has very good organization and lots of great teams. The city is beautiful and particularly the network of sports halls is absolutely perfect. That is something we can really envy, says Jan Tuma.

It was an easy decision to decide to come back to the tournament.
– We like the tournament, so every year we want to go with as many teams as possible. But it’s not "cheap business" for us, so it depends mostly on parents. We have three teams this time.
What are your goals with the tournament?
– With the kids, the ultimate goal is to enjoy the tournament and gain life experience. It will be first experience abroad for many of them. For the juniors is the goal to compete with foreign teams and experience different styles of game, also kind of a teambuilding, he says.