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Olympic Team Handball Information Page

Here are some handy links to find out more information on Team Handball and the Team Handball competition at the 2024 Olympic Games.


  • Olympic Handball Competition Schedule and Results: Link
  • USA TV and Web Streaming Information: Link
  • Handball Betting Information:
    • Handball Betting Tutorial: Link
    • Olympic Handball Odds: Link
  • Mainstream Media Articles on HandballLink
    • Hey, media person, just discovering handball: Think you’ve got a “new” idea on how the U.S. can win Olympic Handball Gold? Think again… Check out these articles dating back from 1996.
  •  Handball FAQ: Link
    • Trending Questions
      • Where is handball popular in the world?Link
      • What impact has the name confusion for Handball/Team Handball had on the sports development in the US?Link
    • Have a question you want answered? Contact Team Handball News via social media or send me an email at john.ryan@teamhandballnews.com
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Are the Cook Islands Becoming the Faroe Islands of Beach Handball?

Not the Usual “Look at Us. We’re Growing Handball” Exaggeration

I have a daily Google search feed for “handball” that shows up in my inbox every day and it’s often an eclectic mix of stories. One type of article that regularly shows up is the “Look at us. We’re growing handball in a far flung region of the world.” I generally, read these stories with a few shakers of salt as typically they are about some IHF project that shows up for a couple of days, hands out some balls, runs a clinic and takes a few photos for social media. These are not bad initiatives… It’s just that they are typically trumped up for accomplishing a lot more than they really are.

The past few days there have been several articles from the Cook Islands about a beach handball competition there including an article about two IHF referees and an officiating clinic, the Prime Minister playing and record participation. The usual, “Look at us. We’re growing handball,” articles… except my curiousity was piqued, so I dug a little bit more… and went way down a rabbit hole.

The Cook Islands: Per Capita, Beach Handball’s #1 Nation

What initially triggered my interest was the article on record participation which stated that participation for this year’s event had more than doubled to 444 participants. In case you were wondering… that’s quite a few participants. I’ve been to the largest U.S. Beach Handball competition, the Southern California Beach Handball Championships twice and that seemed like a bigger number. Turns out the Cook Islands competition is, indeed, a little over twice the size of this year’s U.S. competition. The U.S. competition had 18 total teams (12 Men and 6 Women). While the Cook Islands competition had 37 total teams (10 Men, 9 Women, 6 Youth Men, 6 Youth Women, and 6 Masters) Source: Cook Islands Handball FB Page

And, get this: The current estimated population of the Cook Islands is 13,594 so 3.3% of their population has been playing beach handball the past few days. That is a ridiculously high percentage. And, here you thought that the Faroe Islands having 10% of their population in the stands at the European Championships was impressive.

What Exactly is Going on in the South Pacific?

Well, it would appear that some real growth is indeed actually taking place. If you scroll the Cook Islands Handball Facebook page you can get a sense of the competition by checking out the photos and videos. The Cook Islands Games is a multi sport competition which appears to be simlar to state based games in the U.S., but on a much smaller scale because the Cook Islands is a pretty small country. If one looks at the team names they mostly match the different small islands that make up the Cook Islands. Some of these islands have just a few hundred inhabitants so it’s a lot more feasible to field a beach handball team than a regular indoor handball team. And, in Polynesia I’m sure finding a beach to play on is way simpler than a 40×20 Meter indoor court.

Future World Championship Qualification?

Based on a few video clips the competition was spirited, but not at an elite level. That said… if you have that many people playing, some cream is going to rise to the top. And, they had 12 youth teams (6 men and 6 women) participating. Take the best players from each of those teams, give them a little training and there’s surely some potential there for a solid national team. One that could challenge for an Oceania Championship title and qualficiation for the World Championships. In fact, according to this report on 2023 Oceania qualification they did play Australia and New Zealand close last time around.

While a total population of around 14,000 people is not a lot to work with against those two much larger nations the Cook Islands could well be on a path to a Beach Handball World Championship.

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IHF Club World Championships: The More Things Change… The More they Stay the Same… for the Most Part

I’ve been running a little campaign against the (don’t call it the Super Globe) IHF Club World Championships Roster Rules (of lack, thereof). I know it’s a bit of hopeless cause, but I like to think if you point out the very obvious problems with something change is bound to happen. Shine the light of day and some decision makers will look at the totality of it and ask themselves, “Is this really what we want to do?”

I won’t fully reiterate some previous commentaries (Link 1, Link 2, Link 3) but, I will again highlight the composition of the North American & Caribbean Handball Confederation (NACHC) representative at the ongoing IHF Club World Championships. Here is a compilation of the California Eagles roster based on data from the Official Final Roster, Provisional Roster, their first match report and some quick internet searches. (Again, you can’t believe everything you find on the internet; there might be a few errors, but this provides a pretty accurate snapshot)

This is depiction of the 2024 California Eagles roster that participated in the 2024 IHF Club Handball World Championships

Here’s what’s problematic with this roster:

  • Nationality: With the exception of Ty Reed all of the key players on the roster aren’t American. This is not to say that expats aren’t important to the development of the sport in the U.S. or that clubs shouldn’t have any expats playing for them. But, it does point out some underlying problems with the organizational structure of the sport in the U.S. That organizational structure inhibits the development of American athletes and the Super Globe “carrot” has further exacerbated the problem.
  • Residency… where the club is actually located: There are only 2 athletes on the roster that actually live anywhere near where the club is located. This is very problematic if you think a “club” is a collection of athletes that regularly practice and play games together.
  • Residency… in the country where the club is actually located. Over half the roster doesn’t even live in the United States. I do not have to explain how silly and absurd that is.

New Citizenship Requirement

It was brought to my attention that the IHF quietly installed a new citizenship requirement for the this year’s competition. Each club participating in the tournament is required to have six athletes with the same citizenship as the club’s location. (I don’t know if I should get any credit for this rule being added, but I’ll take a little.)

Best that I can tell this rule impacted three clubs: The California Eagles, Sydney Uni and Veszprem. With the California Eagles it appears they went on a little bit of an expedition to find American citizens that could be called up to meet the 6 athlete requirement. If you look at their preliminary roster its a mix of dual citizens and former national team athletes not playing club ball in Europe. Not surprisingly… the minimum 6 Americans were added to the roster. And, it appears that the the same thing happened with Sydney Uni and Veszprem. Yes, Veszprem, which has a roster jampacked with non Hungarians had to dip into it’s Academy roster to meet the requirement. And, amusingly this has resulted in a 7th American, Benjamin Edwards, getting to play at the Super Globe.

This is not a bad rule to have and, I think the U.S. should consider a similar requirement for it’s club teams. We probably should even consider a higher number or percentage to incentivize American athlete development.

Residency Requirements Next?

Similarily, the IHF, NACHC and USA Team Handball should take a long, hard look at adding some residency requirements. Obviously, it makes sense for clubs to consist of athletes who live in the same town. In fact, some Europeans reading this are probably shaking their heads and having a hard time contemplating how it would be otherwise. But, the reality is the U.S. is a very big country with a very small number of players. Not everyone has a nearby club to join and sometimes that nearby club is at a lower level then that athlete might want to play at.

But, again our existing structures and the Super Globe “carrot” are impeding the establishment of more clubs nationwide. Clubs have zero incentive to split off and create more clubs… because that would make the resultant clubs weaker. Athletes might prefer to play locally, but know they can only compete for a title if they join a bigger club in a bigger city that’s further away. This inevitably results in a few “super teams” loosely connected to a geographic area supplemented by Europeans flying in to further improve the team. A comical arms race to attend the Super Globe. This is not development.

To change the status quo… will require some new “carrots” and probably a few “sticks” to incentivize growth. That is… if we think we should take steps to incentivize growth and the development of American athletes.

Super Globe Future

While nationality and residency rules would crack down on some of the silliness with the current rosters it would create another problem. It would result in even weaker teams that simply can’t compete against professional teams. Or, to put it another way: The IHF can continue the charade of allowing fake teams so the matches are somewhat closer… or the IHF could recognize that the IHF Club World Championships should only be contested with professional sides.

I’m in favor of the latter. Let’s have four European clubs take on four non European pro teams. That’s a worthwhile measuring stick to see if the rest of the world is catching up. But, amateur sides? I just don’t see the point.

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R.I.P. Free ehfTV

With little fanfare the European Handball Federation (EHF) has quietly instituted a subscription fee for it’s web streaming service, ehfTV. Depending on where you live this is either really big news or a footnote of passing interest. If you live in a country that already shows competitions like the EHF Champions League on TV you probably didn’t use ehfTV much. But, if you live in a country like the U.S. this is really big news. The free gravy train of watching every match of every European competition free, live and on-demand is sadly over. You can still watch… but now it’s going to cost you. For club competitions it will be 7.99 Euros for a monthly subscription and 45.99 Euros for a yearly subscription. And, if you want to watch the 2024 Women’s Euros it will be 8.99 Euros for the whole competition.

Short Sighted or a Reasonable Business Decision?

So, is this a short sighted or reasonable business decision? Short sighted, in that it limits handball exposure in new and emerging markets. Or, reasonable, in that ehfTV is a pretty good product and it’s certainly not free to produce and deliver that content world-wide. A solid case can be made for either argument.

Short Sighted Case: Handball is a virtually unknown in many parts of the world. Charging people to watch is essentially deciding to give up on newcomers because virtually no one is going to pay to watch something they aren’t familiar with. Building new markets and acquiring new fans is way more important than the 46 Euros you are now going to get from the handful of committed fans in countries like the U.S. One wonders how many of those fans even exist. Well, we’ll soon find out…

Reasonable Business Decision: Producing and delivering quality handball content is not a free proposition. Even if it results in marginal revenue streams it’s still better than nothing. Further, consumers are getting more and more accustomed to paying for streaming content. What once was a novelty is now commonplace. Finally, we can’t discount the impact of VPN and piracy. There are very likely some free loaders watching ehfTV from non geo-blocked locations. Eliminating all pirated streams is an impossibility, but simply removing the free streams will likely encourage some free loaders to pay a reasonable subscription fee.

My Take: Reasonable, but New Market Development Efforts Should Shift to Finding Great Streaming Partners

I generally come down on the side of free… Who doesn’t? But, I’ve been following this for quite awhile and the streaming world has evolved quite a bit. Here’s my first mention of ehfTV way back in 2008 and a commentary that I wrote four years ago. I was afraid we were going to lose ehfTV in 2020 and we actually got another four years. The EHF gave away a great product for 16 years. That seems like a pretty reasonable effort to grow new markets to me. I’m actually surprised it lasted this long.

That said, the battle to develop new handball markets shouldn’t be forgotten. Instead, it should move on to new battlefields. In particular, the EHF, IHF, HBL and other content owners should redouble their efforts to find streaming platform partners in countries like the U.S. Because while ehfTV was free there was very limited discovery opportunity. i.e., If you weren’t already familiar with ehfTV you were very unlikely to find it. Whereas with a good partner with decent customer reach, the platform can promote handball to potential new fans.

Case in point, EHF content can be watched on DAZN in Canada and is even available for free on Pluto TV in Germany. Pluto TV could be an option for the U.S. So could ESPN+, Roku TV and Peacock. I’m currently on the Peacock bandwagon, but due diligence would be to engage each potential partner with an eye on market growth. Because it doesn’t matter where committed fans like me watch handball. It matters where handball is best exposed to potential new fans.

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USA Handball Talk (Episode 28): Oh Where, Oh Where are all our American Handball Players Playing?

(Benjamin Edwards #40, playing with the Veszprem 1st Team)

John and JD discuss 18 year old Benjamin Edwards playing with the Veszprem 1st Team, John’s dream of an HBL-LNH pre-season showdown and some overarching takeaways from the Olympian Handball Haus interviews.

Here’s a summary with links to some of the items we discussed:

  • Benjamin Edwards: USATH Profile Nice assist vs Berlin
  • Germany Cup Results; Both ASV Hamm (Ian Hueter) and Vfl Lubeck-Schwartau (Paul Skorupa) advanced to the next round where they likely will face HBL sides: Link
  • John’s proposed HBL-LNH Pre-Season Challenge modelled after the NCAA college basketball ACC – Big Ten Challenge
  • SoCal Beach Handball Championship: Results Match Videos
  • Yoav Lumbroso Wikipedia
  • Handball Haus Olympian Interviews: Link
    • The interviews are about 10 minutes long and halfway through the videos
    • Bryant Johnson 88
    • Leora Sam Jones 84, 88, 92
    • Cindy Stinger 84, 88, 92
    • Brad Schlesinger 72
    • Matthew Ryan 96
    • Tom Fitzgerald 96
    • Craig Thompson Gilbert 84
    • Tim Funk 84
    • Pete Buehning 76
    • Laura Coenen Ryan 88, 92, 96
    • Joe McVein 84, 88
    • Terry Tinkle 72
    • Dennis Berkholtz 72 76
  • Two takeaways from these interviews
    • “Play handball. See the world”: The greater resources applied for these athletes in terms of training and playing opportunities.
    • Pound for pound these athletes were better and more accomplished than the crossover athletes that have played for the U.S. the past two decades
      • Article on Air Force basketball athletes that played handball: Link

Watch on YouTube or listen/download the mp3 file at the top of the page

If you have any suggestions for future topics that you would like us to consider please let us know on social media.

  • Subscribe on YouTube: Link (Earliest Availability)
  • Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes: Link
  • Follow the  Team Handball Handball News podcast on Spotify: Link
  • Or use this RSS Feed to sign up for the podcast in your favorite podcast aggregator: Link

And, be sure to check out the podcast archive with interviews and great handball discussion going all the way back to 2006: Link

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USA Handball Talk (Episode 27): Don’t Pass the Ball to Dika Mem

John and JD discuss the infamous Dika Mem pass, NBC Peacock’s handball broadcasts and promotion of the sport, and John’s efforts to start club handball programs at Colorado and Colorado St.

Here’s a summary with links to some of the items we discussed:

  • The infamous Dika Mem pass that saw France lose to Germany in a dramatic Olympic quarterfinal: Link
  • NBC’s Peacock coverage and John’s commentary that Peacock should become the USA TV home for handball: Link
  • Sports writer/influence Rodger Sherman’s All Caps Tweet that he will storm ESPN HQ if they don’t broadcast more handball: Link
  • Handball on Peacock petition: Link
  • Brazilian GK, Gabriela Moreschi on Instagram: Link
  • Euronews “No Comment” news segments: Link
  • 2022 Wheelchair Handball Championship Gold Medal Highlights: Link
  • Goalball Explainer video: Link
  • John’s Initiative to try and start handball clubs at CU-Boulder and CSU: Link
  • Ralphie the Buffalo Handlers: Link
  • JD interviewed on local Columbus TV: Link
  • Ohio State Rugby Club Alumni Association: Link

Watch on YouTube or listen/download the mp3 file at the top of the page

If you have any suggestions for future topics that you would like us to consider please let us know on social media.

  • Subscribe on YouTube: Link (Earliest Availability)
  • Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes: Link
  • Follow the  Team Handball Handball News podcast on Spotify: Link
  • Or use this RSS Feed to sign up for the podcast in your favorite podcast aggregator: Link

And, be sure to check out the podcast archive with interviews and great handball discussion going all the way back to 2006: Link

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More Handball Broadcasts on TV* is Still the Closest Thing to a Silver Bullet; It’s Time to Make Peacock America’s Home for Handball

*TV and “streaming” are now pretty much the same thing. And, that reality could and should be a game changer for the development of handball in the U.S.

TV and Streaming: The Silver Bullet Game Changer

Long time readers to this website will know that I’ve long espoused the importance of getting more handball on TV in the U.S. Anecdotally, the number of people choosing to get involved with handball after seeing the sport on TV during the Olympics is off the charts. And, I’m pretty sure if an analytical study was ever conducted to quantify the impact of TV it would simply confirm all those anecdotes.

Nothing exposes more Americans to the sport. Nothing generates more interest nationwide. While short video clips on social play an ever increasing role in the zeitgist… those video clips are typically content pulled from TV/streaming broadcasts. Or, they are video clips that complement that TV/streaming broadcasts.

The Rugby 7s example

This isn’t just true for handball. Look at the U.S. Women’s Rugby 7s team where Olympic TV broadcasts and social media posts from one athlete, Ilona Maher, generated interest. They both fed off each other, and when a full length of the field try resulted in an upset win over New Zealand and a bronze medal it garnered unprecedented exposure culminating in a $4M donation to the team.

I’m not saying Handball will generate the same level of good fortune. But, good things will eventually happen when you put more handball in front of more eyeballs in the U.S. Our sport kicks ass. People see it… they like it. And, that leads to more players, fans and yes, eventually sponsors and donors.

Streaming: The Future has Finally Arrived… Maybe?

I’ve been such a big proponent of getting more handball on TV because I think regular broadcasts would be the inflection points of all inflection points. The point where every discussion about handball would begin with “After handball was regularly broadcast on TV….” And, when ESPN agree to broadcast the Handball World Championships in 2021 on its streaming service, ESPN+ I thought it would be that inflection point. But, that never materialized. In fact, the ESPN+ broadcasts barely moved the needle.

There were two main reasons for this. Streaming was making a lot of progress, but while it had become commonplace for TV shows and movies it still hadn’t “arrived” yet for sports. And, inexplicably, ESPN provided almost no promotion whatsoever for the sport. Seriously, it was as if they were trying to hide handball.

But, that was then. This is now. With Peacock averaging 4-6M viewers for any given minute, some are calling the 2024 Olympics, streaming’s Magnum Opus. In other words, the point in time where streaming was no longer the reluctant 2nd option for sports fans, but instead the go to 1st option. And, we’re not talking about niche loving handball fans, accustomed to streaming because it was their only option. We’re talking about the generalist sports fan, who more often than not was happy with tradtional TV view options.

Handball on TV (or Streaming): Still the Silver Bullet

I’ve been writing about the importance of Handball TV broadcasts for a long time. This commentary has a good summary and makes the argument that regular handball broadcasts are the closest thing we have to a silver bullet solution to all our problems. This is because our sport has “a lack of awareness” problem that hamstrings anything and everything we need to do. And, nothing. I REPEAT NOTHING addresses that problem more than getting Rodger and others hyped up on handball and screaming (IN ALL CAPs) for more.

NBC Peacock: The Future Home of Handball?

I’ve been following the different potential options for broadcasting handball for over a decade. And, while I was really strong advocate for getting handball on ESPN and played a behind the scenes role in it actually coming to fruition I now think it’s time to turn our eyes towards Peacock. Here’s why:

  • NBC Peacock is now a great streaming platform. What was once a somewhat clunky user interface is now simple to use. Every match in one place and easy to navigate and find.
  • NBC Peacock has been a great steward and promoter for handball at the 2024 Olympics. Handball is the only sport with no U.S. participation at the Olympics, but NBC hasn’t been keeping it a secret. Whether it’s Mike Tirico gushing about handball at the opening ceremonies, or Kevin Hart and Kenan Thompson adopting the Egyptian National Team or the the Gold Zone hyping handball the affection and support are genuine.
  • NBC Peacock needs content to help minimize subscription churn. The Olympics have been a real boon to NBC Peacock. They currently have 33M subscribers, some portion of which just signed up for the Olympics. And, some portion of which will think about leaving after the Olympics are over. Do I really think that there are a lot of Americans out there who will only stay with Peacock if handball is added to the library. No, I don’t. But, you know what… I think there are some now who will be more inclined to stay if handball is one of several things they can watch on Peacock.
  • NBC Peacock provides a logical lead in to the 2028 Olympics. The U.S. will be participating in handball at the 2028 Olympics for the first time since 1996. And, both the U.S. Men and Women will get wild cards for the 2025 and 2027 World Championships. It makes a lot of sense for those four events to also be broadcast on Peacock. And, while we’re add it, how about the North American & Caribbean Championships and the 2027 PANAM Games?
  • NBC Peacock and a reality show. As highlighted previously the U.S. Women’s National Team has struggled for the past few years and has a very, very small talent pool. A reality show that chronicles efforts to identify, recruit and train the team as it prepares to take on the world would be compelling television. And, NBC Peacock, the TV Olympics home is a very, very logical place for such an effort.

Why it Could Actually Happen: It’s a Very Rare Win-Win-Win-Win-Win

Yes, if you’re counting that’s 5 wins. I think that’s about the right number. Here are the 5 entities that would win:

  • International Handball Federation (IHF): The IHF owns the rights for the World Championships and sold them to ESPN for a very discounted price (perhaps free?) for the past 3 years. As discussed, Peacock is better option now
  • European Handball Federation (EHF): The EHF hasn’t had either their Club Champions League or the European Championships on USA TV for several years. The Champions League has a fully produced, English language Match of the Week. Most of the European Championships also have fully produced matches ready to broadcast. All of this content is available on ehfTV, but it deserve promotion and a boader audience.
  • Handball Bundesliga (HBL): The best professional club league in the world, now has a fully produced, English language match ever week. These featured matches along with every other match are available via subscription, but the feature match deserves broader exposure.
  • NBC Peacock. As discussed, NBC Peacock could use more content. And, here’s some good news NBC… I think you could get the above handball content (IHF, EHF, HBL) at a very attractive price. Maybe even free if the Handball entities can be convinced that the accompanying reach and promotion will lead to U.S. market growth. All you have to do is show what NBC has done with the English Premier League (EPL) and that should get everyone’s attention.
  • USA Team Handball. As discussed, more Americans watching handball is a very good thing. Something that could turn a once every four years phenomenon to a continuous stream of discovery would be an epic game changer. And, Peacock would also be a great location for U.S. handball content like our collegiate championships and a reality show.

Will it Happen?

Will it happen, though? I’d like to think that something with so much upside and so little downside is a no brainer just waiting to happen. However, I’m just some guy with a website and a good idea. That said, the campaign starts now. We’ll see if the dream can indeed, become reality.

USA Handball Talk (Episode 26): NBC Play-by-Play Commentator, Eric Frede

NBC Olympics Play-by-Play commentator, Eric Frede is a guest on the podcast and we discuss his background and what it’s like for a newcomer to call handball.

Here’s a summary with links to some of the items we discussed:

  • NBC’s mode of operations for handball
  • Eric’s varied commentating background
  • How the gig with NBC came about
  • His preparation for calling handball
  • On the need to call handball with mostly newcomers in mind
  • On whether handball broadcasts in the U.S. need a two man commentating team
  • Aspects of handball that appeal to American audiences
  • On whether handball broadcasts can expand beyond just it’s once every 4 years Olympic cycle

Watch on YouTube or listen/download the mp3 file at the top of the page

If you have any suggestions for future topics that you would like us to consider please let us know on social media.


Don’t miss an episode:

  • Subscribe on YouTube: Link (Earliest Availability)
  • Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes: Link
  • Follow the  Team Handball Handball News podcast on Spotify: Link
  • Or use this RSS Feed to sign up for the podcast in your favorite podcast aggregator: Link

And, be sure to check out the podcast archive with interviews and great handball discussion going all the way back to 2006: Link

USA Handball Talk (Episode 25): Me and the Boys are Gonna Go Win a USA Handball Gold Medal in Four Years

John and JD discuss all of the Olympics related handball social media activity, the IHF Beach Handball Showcase, the American Handbal Haus podcast and the upcoming Flanders outdoor tournament.

Here’s a summary with links to some of the items we discussed:

  • The Tweet and my reply that attracted attention and is referenced in JD’s Intro: Link
  • Robert Flores Tweet: Link
  • Jozy Altidore Tweet: Link
  • Pat McAfee Tweet: Link
  • Tweet about Flava Flav and Water Polo: Link
  • USA Rugby player Ilona Maher’s IG post about handball: Link
    • She has gained 1M followers in the 5 days since that was posted and the USA women won the Bronze medal
  • USA Team Handball announcement on Board Member resignations: Link
  • Sporticast Podcast which discusses Olympic athlete use of social media: Link
  • IHF Beach Handball Showcase Summary: Link
  • IHF Beach Handball Showcase Highlights: Link (Includes Handball Ninja trick shot)
  • American Handball Haus interview with 1984 and 88 Olympian, Joe McVein: Link
  • The HBO Mini Series, The Plot Against America, which actually has a scene at a New Jersey German Club: Link
  • The 65th Annual Flanders, NJ Outdoor Handball Tournament is this weekend: Link

Watch on YouTube or listen/download the mp3 file at the top of the page

If you have any suggestions for future topics that you would like us to consider please let us know on social media.


Don’t miss an episode:

  • Subscribe on YouTube: Link (Earliest Availability)
  • Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes: Link
  • Follow the  Team Handball Handball News podcast on Spotify: Link
  • Or use this RSS Feed to sign up for the podcast in your favorite podcast aggregator: Link

And, be sure to check out the podcast archive with interviews and great handball discussion going all the way back to 2006: Link

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Could I Become an Olympian on the USA Women’s National Handball Team?

This commentary is regarding the U.S. Women’s National team. For information regarding newcomer prospects for the U.S. Men’s National Team (which are dramatically different) check out this commentary.

Olympic Dreams Fueled by Possibilities

I’m sure there are hundreds, if not thousands of athletes watching the Paris Olympics, seeing handball for the first time and thinking, “What an awesome game! I would be great at this sport. Where can I play?”

And, as America’s #1 handball fan, I can tell you that such revelations are music to my ears. There’s nothing I like better than new athletes and fans following in my footsteps. And, no doubt, some of those athletes are probably thinking even grander thoughts, “Hey, the U.S. didn’t even qualify. Hardly anybody probably plays it in the U.S. Maybe I could be an Olympian. How would I go about becoming an Olympic handball player?

For over 25 years the prospects for any American handball player to become an Olympian haven’t been very good. The U.S. last qualified for an Olympics in 1996 as the host nation. And, since then we’ve never really even come close to securing a berth in qualfication events. But, now with Los Angeles hosting the 2028 Olympics that’s about to change. As Charles Barkley would say, it’s Guaranteed that we’re fielding a team. Out there, many are probably thinking… Somebody’s got to make that team. Why not me?

Unique, Uncharted Circurmstances Means it’s Definitely Possible

First things first. Let me be clear. The following is my opinion and certainly not an official USA Team Handball position. That said, I’ve got a pretty good track record of assessing handball in this country. For what it’s worth, here’s my answer to your question…

Due to a very, very small talent pool consisting of around 150 athletes with modest athletic ability there’s a decent chance you could make the 2028 U.S. Olympic Women’s Handball Team. How good are you chances? That will depends on several variables to include how good of an athlete you are, how motivated you are and what, if anything, USA Team Handball eventually does to identify, recruit and train prospective national team athletes.

Let me explain further. When I say around “150 athletes” I am not referring to our national team talent pool. No… I’m talking about 150 female athletes with American citizenship currently playing handball at any level, anywhere in the world.

Our national team athletes for the past few years have mostly been comprised of of athletes trained at our last residency program at Auburn (which closed in 2018) and dual citizen athletes who compete in Europe. With the U.S. Men we’ve been blessed with a golden generation of talent that has essentially gifted us with the most competitive team we’ve had since the 1980s.

With the U.S. Women we have been less fortunate. While hard working and great representatives of our nation collectively the raw athletic talent is similar to what one might see on an NCAA Div 3 basketball team. Not surprisingly the results have been disappointing. We have not won a match since the 2019 PANAM Games. We’re 0-0-12 in official competition and those 12 losses are not to European sides, but to peer competition in our hemisphere. If our current team were to play the teams competing at the 2024 Olympics we would be 30+ goal underdogs in every match.

  • Demographics assessment from 2019 (It’s actually gotten worse)
    • Overall Women Demographics: Link
    • National Team Demographics: Link
  • And, an important side note: Our #1 GK, Sophie Fasold, is a clear exception. She plays in Germany’s top league and is, arguably, the best GK in U.S. history.

The Variables

So with that as context let’s take a look at some of the variables that will determine an athlete’s prospects for making the 2028 U.S. Women’s National Handball Team:

  • The raw talent of the athlete
  • The starting age of the athlete and amount of time the athlete has to train
  • The training environment the athlete will have
  • The commitment level of the athlete
  • The quality of the athletes also seeking to make the team

Here’s a closer look at each variable

The Raw Talent of the Athlete

With the current raw talent on the U.S. National Team roughly equivalent to an NCAA D3 basketball team an athlete that has played D1 or D2 sports in college should have an advantage against current players. This was even demonstrated at the 2023 North American & Caribbean Championships when a D2 basketball player, Katie Timmerman played significant minutes despite only a couple of training camps to learn the sport. Logically, in most cases a D1 athlete would even have better chances to make an impact.

I could also get into a lengthy discussion regarding the merits of different sports in terms of transitioning to handball. Athletes have come from many different sports, but the most common sport historically has been basketball. And, even athletes from other sports often have high school basketball in their resume.

The Starting Age of the Athlete and the Amount of Time that Athlete has to Train

Normally, I would argue that any athlete over 23 years of age is probably outside the desired range to start a training program. And, generally the younger the better. Given, however, the current cirumstances of a very small talent pool and a 4 year window, I could see a great athlete even in their 30s being a candidate. Obviously not ideal, but we’re talking a very unique situation.

The Training Environment the Athlete Would Have

For many years the U.S. had Residency Programs that were dedicated full time to developing new handball athletes. However, the U.S. hasn’t had a Residency Program since 2018 and as far as I know there are no plans to start one anytime soon.

This leaves a newcomer with very limited options. They could join a stateside club, but they typically just practice once a week and play in a few tournaments on the weekend. One could learn the basics and get their feet wet, but not much more. And, then they could also attend the periodic national team camps that are held. I’m sure any European reading this is just shaking their head in bewilderment, “Athletes who’ve never played before attending a National Team camp?.. That’s crazy.” But, that’s where we are currently at.

The other alternative would be to train with a handball club overseas, most likely in Europe. A handful of stateside based athletes have indeed done this. It’s not easy and it can be challenging to find a quality club with a good system willing to train a relative newcomer. But, again, given the state of the current program it would be your best option. Additionally, I suspect that a higher level athlete with potential would get some help from the national team staff in making such a move.

The Commitment Level of the Athlete

Having great raw talent is a significant advantage, but it’s not everything. An average athlete with modest talent, but knows how to play handball also has an advantage. Sometimes raw talent trumps handball skills, but often the reverse is true. With the necessary commitment to learn the sport, however, it’s only a matter of time before the contest changes from who knows how to play… to who’s the better athlete.

The huge unknown here, however, isn’t necessarily the “attitude” of the athlete. Commitment is a 2 way street. The athlete commits to work hard and get better. And, USA Team Handball commits to provide that athlete with the tools and opportunities to get better. Unfortunately, right now as an organization USA can’t provide athletes very much in return for their commitment. In fact, national team athletes are actually paying thousands of dollars out of their own pocket to represent their nation. And, not surprisingly… quite a few athletes don’t want to commit to that.

The Quality of the Athletes also Seeking to Make the Team

For the most part I’ve framed this discussion as what would it take for a decent athlete to develop into a handball player that given the current talent pool could make the U.S. National Team. That’s a fairly straightforward comparison.

But, what’s really hard to assess is the number and quality of new athletes that might take steps to earn a roster spot. Right now there’s not much in place to entice a relative newcomer to make such an effort. That translates to fewer athletes competing for slots and lower quality athletes making the team. If a more structured program is put in place more and better quality athletes will start showing up.

The Great Unknown: What Steps will USA Team Handball Take… and When Will they Take them

You might have noticed that one variable I listed was:

  • What, if anything, USA Team Handball eventually does to identify, recruit and train prospective national team athletes

Right now USA Team Handball’s recruitment is very limited. Emails are sent out to college coaches and open tryouts are held, but there’s really no training program in place. I have a hard time believing that won’t change at some point, but I don’t know what it will entail or when it will be implemented.

And, this results in the strange cirumstances that while I can say with a high degree of confidence that total newcomers to handball are likely to make our 2028 Olympic Team I don’t know exactly how they’re going to do it.

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Colorado Collegiate Team Handball Jumpstart Initiative

WHO: Students interested in starting a Collegiate Team Handball Club at Colorado State University, the University of Colorado – Boulder or any other college or university in the state of colorado.

WHAT: Starting a Collegiate Team Handball Club can be challenging. This initiative will help you get your club started with equipment (balls and goals) and organizing your first practices. Additionally, I will arrange for the Air Force Academy club team and/or the Denver Wolves club to provide to demonstrate the sport with a joint practice/scrimmage.

WHERE: The primary focus of this initiative are the two largest universities (CSU and CU-Boulder) as their larger size and strong club systems will help facilitate the starting of a new club. There’s also a former handball player from France living in Boulder who’s interested in coaching and CSU even had a handball club program from 2012-15. That said, a Collegiate Team Handball program could start anywhere. If there’s genuine interest at your college I’ll help out.

WHEN: This initiative is planned for the 2024-25 academic year, but may be extended depending on need/interest.

WHY: I am a big believer in Collegiate Team Handball and this initiative is intended to provide a helping hand or jumpstart to get a couple of college teams started in the state of Colorado. If programs could get started at CSU and CU, combined with Air Force and Denver Wolves a 4 team league could be established.

HOW: The first step will be to generate interest in starting a collegiate handball club at your university. And, for interested students to link up and then work with their school’s Recreation Services to go through the steps for starting a new club.

For more infromation follow the CU and CSU Team Handball IG pages and send a DM for more information.

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Could I Become an Olympian on the USA Men’s National Handball Team?

This commentary is regarding the U.S. Men’s National team. For information regarding newcomer prospects for the U.S. Women’s National Team (which are dramatically different) check out this commentary.

Olympic Dreams Fueled by Possibilities

I’m sure there are hundreds, if not thousands of athletes watching the Paris Olympics, seeing handball for the first time and thinking, “What an awesome game! I would be great at this sport. Where can I play?”

And, as America’s #1 handball fan, I can tell you that such revelations are music to my ears. There’s nothing I like better than new athletes and fans following in my footsteps. And, no doubt, some of those athletes are probably thinking even grander thoughts, “Hey, the U.S. didn’t even qualify. Hardly anybody probably plays it in the U.S. Maybe I could be an Olympian. How would I go about becoming an Olympic handball player?

For over 25 years the prospects for any American handball player to become an Olympian haven’t been very good. The U.S. last qualified for an Olympics in 1996 as the host nation. And, since then we’ve never really even come close to securing a berth in qualfication events. But, now with Los Angeles hosting the 2028 Olympics that’s about to change. As Charles Barkley would say, it’s Guaranteed that we’re fielding a team. Out there, many are probably thinking… Somebody’s got to make that team. Why not me?

The Wrong Question. Because… You’re not Going to Like my Answer

First things first. Let me be clear. The following is my opinion and certainly not an official USA Team Handball position. That said, I’ve got a pretty good track record of assessing handball in this country. For what it’s worth, here’s my very blunt answer to your question…

As a total newcomer to the sport I would assess your chances of making the 2028 U.S. Olympic Men’s Handball Team are somewhere between 0.0% and .1%. Not 1 percent… but .1%. As in 1 in a 1,000 chance and probably worse than that.

Let me explain further. There are multiple variables to consider and multiple unknowns, but the weight of them all combined leads to the very long odds involved.

The Variables

When one is assessing the prospects of an athlete to take on a totally new sport like handball here are the variables that need to be considered to assess the likelihood of national team success

  • The raw talent of the athlete
  • The starting age of the athlete and amount of time the athlete has to train
  • The training environment the athlete will have
  • The quality of the athletes also seeking to make the team
  • The commitment level of the athlete

Here’s a closer look at each variable

The Raw Talent of the Athlete

Is it possible to pass judgment on athletes I don’t know and have never seen? Answer: Yes and No. Certainly a talent combine whereby athletes would perform drills that could be measured would be very useful. And, basic scrimmaging even of brand new athletes will likely be a good guage of potential. But, sight unseen the vast sporting infrastructure of the U.S. has already likely binned off your raw talent level fairly accurately.

If you’re a pro athlete chances are you’re not contemplating a new handball career. The same is also true for most NCAA college athletes who are still in college. Mistakes, of course, are made. And, there are athletes who are average in one sport, but can excel in another sport like handball. But, those are the exceptions. Chances are… that you are a good athlete that can develop into a pretty good handball player. It’s less likely, that your a great athlete that can develop into a great player.

The Starting Age of the Athlete and the Amount of Time that Athlete has to Train

Well, this is fairly simple to contemplate. If one were to start their handball dream immediately they would have four years to go from zero to hero. Barring another pandemic induced delay that four years is set in stone. With the right training and competition environment great progress can be made in four years. A lot more than some Europeans might think. But, it’s still not very much time to work with.

In terms of the starting age of the athlete if the goal is to get as good as you can in a four year window I think anywhere from the age of 27 on down would be feasible. But, only if that four year goal is set. Obviously, younger ages would be desired because combined with a longer timeline it becomes more and more feasible to develop into a world class athlete.

The Training Environment the Athlete Would Have

For many years the U.S. had Residency Programs that were dedicated full time to developing new handball athletes. However, the U.S. hasn’t had a Residency Program since 2018 and as far as I know there are no plans to start one anytime soon. This means the only currently feasible training program would be to train with a handball club overseas, most likely in Europe.

A handful of stateside based athletes have indeed done this, but it’s not easy and it can be challenging to find a quality club with a good system willing to train a relative newcomer. There are some programs that can help faciliate such moves, but the athletes making the jump typically have been developed some stateside first. It would take a really special athlete for a newcomer to get such an opportunity.

The Quality of the Athletes also Seeking to Make the Team

This factor more than any other drives the percentage chance below 1%. The current Men’s talent pool, which consists mostly of dual citizens that grew up in Europe is the best that the U.S. has had in years. By U.S. standards it is a golden generation both in handball skills and raw athletic ability. Comparable to a low NCAA D1 or high D2 basketball team. And, for the most part, this team is fairly young. Four years out from the LA Olympics, we essentially already know around 95% of the athletes who will make up our roster. We may even soon add a former Swedish national team athlete playing in Denmark’s top league.

Two months ago we played a friendly vs France and lost 38-29. They are either the best or 2nd best team in the world. And, sure it was a friendly, but several players on that French side were fighting for Olympic Roster slots. Watch the highlights– We can ball.

I can not understate what crazy good fortune this is for our Men’s National Team. We’re not going to medal. We might not even win a match. But, this team will compete and will not embarrass. And, this team didn’t cost USA Team Handball a penny to develop.

We’re a big country with a sizable population and we could find better raw talent athletes, but not a whole lot better and those athletes would have a long way to go to get to a similar level. And, no matter what every single state side newcomer would be several years behind in terms of competition experience.

The Commitment Level of the Athlete

If one takes into account what I’ve listed above… it’s reasonable to be skeptical of any athlete that thinks they have the will to continuously strive to overcome all the obstacles.

The realities are stark. There’s really not enough time, there’s nothing in place to train you and you’ll need to beat out athletes with similar raw talent that have have been playing the sport for years. When someone becomes fully aware of all of these realities and that the dream is very likely out of reach. Well, the commitment level will logically nosedive precipitously.

The Right Question: How Can I Play Handball?

So, I don’t take glee in raining on your Olympic aspirations. In fact, it’s been a few years, but I had similar aspirations once. Such aspirations led me into the sport long ago. But, the times were different… For me they were actually reasonable aspirations. I had time. There was a training program. And, there wasn’t a crazy golden generation of dual citizens standing in the way.

Even given all that I was still asking the wrong question all those years ago. And, you are, too. This is true, even if you have time for a run at Brisbane 2032 and beyond.

The question you should be asking is simply how can I play this cool sport? How can I get better as a player? Play the game for fun and see where it takes you.

And, sure, if you improve as a player and it eventually makes sense, why not move to Europe and further develop your game if you can also smartly continue your education or career? Just don’t start out with the goal of being an Olympian. Let that come in due time. Kind of like you would with any other sport.

2024 Olympic Handball Odds

Multiple U.S. betting sites now offer handball odds. Here are some links to Olympic Handball odds in Colorado. The availability in your jurisdiction may vary.

Pre-Tournament odds (Courtesy of DraftKings)

WOMEN

France and Norway are the co-favorites to take the Gold and the odds have shortened in France’s favor, probably due to some uncertainty with an injury to Norway’s Henny Reistad.


MEN

France and Denmark are the co-favorites for the men. They play in the same group, but the expectation is that they will both proceed through the knockout round to an eventual gold medal rematch.