At Floorballmaniatv, Lara Heini goalkeeper of the Swiss women's national team.

Foto Claudio Schwarz

Let's go back to talk about female Floorball  and we’ll do it with one of the strongest goalkeepers on the world scene.

 Let's go to Pixbo Wallenstam, Goteborg Sweden. She is Swiss, born in 1994, one of the greatest world players, and protagonist of an unforgettable game aganist Czech Republic, probably the best game of the decade. 

We are talking about Lara Heini, a quick and agile goalkeeper, with a great sense of position, and a very high sv. percentage in competitions that count. 

1) Hi Lara, how are you? Thanks for accepting our interview. Who is Lara Heini in life, what does she do besides playing Floorball? 

1) I am fine thanks! I studied Business innovation at the university of St. Gallen. I like to be in the nature and in the swiss mountains and I like to take pictures. 

2) Let's talk about your story. When did you know Floorball? Do you remember the first time? 

2) I was 9 years old when my school friend took me to a practice. I liked it and that's why I went back.

3-4) Who did you start playing with? Do you remember your first team? Have you always played in the net? About Chur Unihockey, the team you come from. What memories do you have of your teammates? 

3-4) It was a Team of Rot-Weiss-Chur, the most successful club in the swiss floorball history (together with SV Wiler-Ersigen). It was a men's club and we were only 4 girls but it was great to play with boys and I would have loved to stay longer and not to change to a girls team 3 (piranha chur) years later. I was playing as a field player the first half a year and changed then because we did not have a goalkeeper and I was not afraid.

5) You are now at Pixbo Wallenstam, how did you get to this club? How did the new teammates welcome you?

5) I was in contact with them for some time. After the world championship in 2017 they contacted me again and I decided to move to Sweden. My team mates made it easy to feel comfortable, 8 of us are also living in the same house which made it simple to get connected. This was enormously valuable and it still is. 

Foto Fabrice Duc

 6) What are the differences between floorball in Switzerland and floorball in Sweden at first glance? 

6)Yes, it is a big difference. All the players and all teams are on a certain level this makes the league much more even. They have more players and that’s why they have more opportunities to pick the best players. Different of course is also the traveling - plane, ship, taxi, bus… real adventure;)

7) Talking abount the World Cup, you got so close to the gold medal. Can you tell us the emotions you felt in the two most important games of the tournament? Switzerland - Czech Rep. And Switzerland - Sweden, the final. Have you ever thought that maybe it was the right time? 

7) The semifinal was unbelievable game… I still cannot believe, that this happend. I was done with my nervs after the game and i definitely never experience anything like this before. I was so disappointed during this game that we trained so much and we were not capable to be ready when it was needed. Till the end I could not believe that we really managed to turn this game. 

Crazy! I am proud of this team and of the players who never lost faith. In the final we were much more relaxed.

 In front of this crowed it was simply amazing!! But the last goal is still in my head and i still feel the ball on my hand that touched but went in… It was a chance to write the best fairy tale and we missed it. But I am proud of the team and it was so close from being first or fourth…

8) In Italy there is a lot of talk, in women's floorball, about you from Switzerland and that game, what would you say to an Italian goalkeeper who wants to pursue this career? 

8)Train, train, train. If you go skiing twice or three times a week you are still far away of being a ski racer. And with floorball it is similar:) But it is definitely worth it to play in a moment like this!!

Foto sarisfoto

9) what are the goals for the next season for Pixbo Wallenstam?

9)the goal is always winning! Last season we had a great team and I was sure that we can play in the final, but we did not have the chance to prove it. I hope that we can continue on this path.

10) Will Switzerland assault the world title in the next edition? I personally think that the level between Switzerland and Sweden has been very balanced recently. Will it be the right time?

10) to be honest, it will be much more difficult next time. There is still a huge gap between Sweden and us. I mean we played several games against them and we never managed to win… this is quite powerful.

 The gap is still big but we are training more to come closer and i hope that the young players see that this is necessary and they continue on this path. However, we learned now that everything is possible and we only need to beat them in the right moment. I am ready for it and I definitely wait for it:)

Stefano Crotti

 Thanks Lara for your availability and for answering Floorballmaniatv's questions.