Broomball is a both a recreational and organized competitive winter and ball sport played on ice or snow.

[2] Players wear special rubber-soled shoes instead of skates, and the ice is prepared in such a way that it is smooth and dry to improve traction.

Goals are scored by hitting the ball into the opponent's net using a traditional broom[2] or the more conventional paddle-shaped stick designed for the sport.

The sport involves organized competitions and events run by its international governing body, the IFBA.

Conventional play involves the use equipment designed specifically for broomball, though recreationally the traditional corn broom with tape is still used.

In some tournaments, if the scores are tied after regular time, an additional overtime period is played to determine a winner.

In the modern game, a broomball stick has a shaft with a stylized hard plastic paddle at the end.

Shoes designed specifically for broomball are available for purchase, but only for games played on ice.

Broomball goal nets have a different shape than those used in ice hockey and ringette and are larger.

Goaltenders generally wear a full face cage in addition to thick padding on the legs, thighs, chest and shoulders.

Goaltenders are permitted to use a blocker, a specially designed rectangular glove attachment that is used to block shots.

The best estimates in regards to its origin involves the First Nations in Canada, who are believed to have passed the sport on to the settlers.

The first known recorded broomball games in North America have been found documented in Perdue, Saskatchewan, on March 5, 1909,[3] though the game has also been observed to have been played by organized girls teams in the Canadian province of Ontario in the early 1900s.

[4] The Canadian style of the game is believed to have spread south to the United States, becoming especially popular in Minnesota.

In 1910 a group of men would gather and play on the ice by the docks in Duluth, Minnesota.

In regards to equipment, sport specific sticks and balls are available and have been developed for the game with balls designed for both indoor and outdoor play, while protective equipment is similar to and sometimes identical to that found in the sport of ice hockey.

Canada and the United States are the "powerhouse" nations of the sport, with their local representative teams often battling in prestigious tournaments held annually across North America.

Switzerland and Italy regularly send representative teams to tournaments in North America.