There are four main theories on how broomball got its start.

One story has it that street car drivers, who used to hit a small ball about the ice in winter with straw brooms during their lunch breaks, gave the game its start.

A second story has it that a group of soccer players started the game after being intrigued by a small boy who was swatting a ball with a toy broom.

Another story has it that broomball started as a way for non-skaters to participate in the rough and tumble world of ice hockey.

A fourth story has it that broomball was started by women players who were unable to participate in the male dominated and controlled sport of ice hockey and thus came up with an alternative sport that they could compete in.