IFF GoGirls! Ambassador Martina Capkova (CZE) – 20.11.2017

Martina Capkova is a familiar face in the international floorball scene. The Czech national team player has won several national championships and has won bronze in the U19 WFC in 2010.

What is your story?
My name is Martina Čapková and I am 26 years old, finishing my master degree in International relations at the University of Economics in Prague. I am a part of a team that has a long history of changing names over the last decade or even longer. We used to be Děkanka Prague, Tigers Prague, Herbadent Prague and at the moment our team is called Ivanti Tigers. We are the ruling champions of the Czech Republic.

I am now preparing for my third World Championship with the women Czech national team. It seems quite crazy but I have played floorball since I have started elementary school some 18 years ago and it has been a long journey. Therefore, it is quite possible this championship is going to be my last event in the national team jersey and my floorball career is soon coming to its very end.

How does Men’s Floorball and Women’s floorball differ in your country?
Men’s and Women’s floorball in our country differ quite a lot in many factors such as in the size of the player base and financial (sponsor) possibilities, but that’s a typical thing while comparing men/women sports. Media coverage of men’s floorball is of course quite higher and there is more TV games and articles related to men’s games but the gender gap in floorball is much smaller than in other team sports in the country.

How do you practice floorball?
Practicing floorball is of course something that has to be carried out on a daily basis. It’s getting much harder now when I need to work and study and to be honest the recovery process of my body is not what it used to be some years ago. During the season, practices usually contain of 3 floorball practices in a week, one or two extra physical practices with our fitness coach (including running, gym, etc.) plus a match at the weekend. In the meantime I try to manage going to sauna or whirlpool at least once a week.


How did you become a national team player?
My process of becoming a national team player was quite typical for my generation. I took part in two u19 world championships. I’ve got my first shots in the women national team when I was 17 and then I have slowly built my position until now. I am still working on building my position not only in the national team but in the Czech floorball in general. Although it has been my 4th Czech title last year, winning it again after 4 years of waiting has been the very top of my career so far.

What has been the most peculiar situation that has happened to you during a floorball match?
I don’t really have an odd or funny story from the floorball field that I can think of but there was something peculiar while we played friendly games against Slovakia in September. I am working part-time in a company called BTL Industries (selling medical devices) and I am working at the same office with Lucia Košturiaková, who happens to be my teammate in Ivanti Tigers and who also happens to be a captain in Slovak national team. So our colleagues consider it quite funny that they sit at the office with the captains of two national teams. I guess there are going to be some bets made before the WFC :)

How will you prepare for the WFC?
The season when a championship is played is always very hard and specific. I am a captain in the Ivanti Tigers and we also participated in the Champions Cup this year, so it is even harder to have so many top events during the season. I have my club responsibilities and as a captain of a national team I also have my national team responsibilities which might be quite overwhelming sometimes, but hopefully I am going to be able to manage all of this. So far my biggest concern is staying healthy and capable to play.

We only have 2 bigger events left with the national team to prepare for the WFC so it is very important to use that time effectively. We also have a few single practices taking place in Prague and Ostrava before the Euro Floorball Tour and after that there is only the final camp left. There are still many things we can improve so I am very curious about how we manage to use that time.