What does the new IFF 2026 goalie equipment rule change mean?

For the first time, the IFF has added rules limiting coverage for goalie equipment. We tell you what this means.

IFF Adds Rules to Clarify Goalie Gear Sizing

by Dan Torretta - 7/26/2026

IFF Adds Rules to Clarify Goalie Gear Sizing

You might be surprised to learn that up until now, the IFF (International Floorball Federation) had basically no guidelines for what goalies could and couldn’t wear other than the mask. This changes as of July 2026.

Previously, the rules read like this:

403 Particular goalkeeper’s equipment

The goalkeeper is not allowed to use a stick.
The goalkeeper shall wear a face mask, which is in accordance with the IFF Material Regulations and marked accordingly. This only includes on the rink during play. All tampering with the face mask, except painting, is prohibited.

Seems pretty vague.

It seems the floorball manufacturers caught on to that vague wording as well because the gear started getting bigger and bigger. The latest examples finally made the IFF rethink the rules around goalie equipment.

The Bat Grip gloves from Blindsave brought this front and center. After they released these gloves publicly, there were a lot of questions about whether they were legal. Andis Blinds (founder and owner of Blindsave) released a video response saying that of course they’re legal, and he was right. According to the IFF’s own rulebook there was nothing saying a goalie couldn’t wear a glove with extra material.

Luckily for the IFF they were releasing a new, updated rulebook starting July 2026 which was their opportunity to nip this trend in the bud. They publicly stated the Bat Grip gloves are not game legal and updated the rulebook accordingly. The new rules for goalie equipment are as follows:

403 Particular goalkeeper’s equipment

The goalkeeper is not allowed to use a stick.
The goalkeeper shall wear a face mask, which is in accordance with the IFF Material Regulations and marked accordingly. This only includes on the rink during play. All tampering with the face mask, except painting, is prohibited.
The goalkeeper may use any kind of protective equipment which is in accordance with the IFF Material Regulations, but this shall not include parts intended to cover the goal. Helmet and thin gloves are allowed. The goalkeeper’s protective equipment shall be shaped to the body and not cover more than the body of the goalkeeper. This includes using oversized clothes, shoulder pads which increases the shoulder line in any direction, using double protective equipment etc. For trousers, any zippers, pockets, straps, velcros etc. shall be closed and tightened. All forms of adhesives or friction checking substances such as silicon lubricant are prohibited. No objects must be kept on or in the goal cage.

The lines in bold are what we’re talking about today. This seems to be aimed at Oxdog’s X2 padded shirt with removable shoulder pads, as well as Blindsave’s Bat Grip glove. It also pumps the brakes on goalies who wear XXL size shirts when they should be wearing a large.

If you already have the X2 shirt you should be able to remove the shoulder pads and be just fine. Blindsave got creative and leaned into their mistake by cutting off the extra material on the gloves and rebranding them as "Bad Grip" gloves. There’s of course nothing wrong with the grip itself.

That also calls into question the new Vault and Legacy lines from Blindsave which have a new fabric between the legs to help close the five hole gap. The new rule says "The goalkeeper’s protective equipment shall be shaped to the body and not cover more than the body of the goalkeeper."

I would think that means these pants are also illegal, but time will tell.

You can check out all of our goalie gear at Goalie Equipment.

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