This coming weekend is easily the best weekend of the year for Handball fans in parts of the world where there is no TV coverage of the sport. That’s because the EHF through their webtv platform will be broadcasting live all four matches from the Champions League Final Four in Cologne. The Chekov Medvedi – Barcelona semifinal will start at 3:30 PM Central European Time and the 2nd semifinal between Kiel – Ciudad Real will start at 6:00 PM. This time difference is 6 hours to the U.S. East Coast and 9 hours (breakfast time) to where I live. The EHF has already started posting videos with interviews conducted by Tom Ó Brannagáin, who will be providing English language commentary for all four matches.

If for some reason, you are out and about this weekend the games will also be available on demand. Generally, the EHF posts them a few hours after the match, but sometimes there’s a 24 delay. And be forewarned, if you want to watch without knowing the outcome you might want to open the webpage with a sheet of paper handy and a glazed look to avoid finding out who wins. Last year, I was very disappointed to see a Ciudad Real player hoisting the trophy on the lead in picture. I’ve been told they won’t do that again, but it won’t hurt to be cautious just in case.

And for what likely will be an unusual perspective on the Final Four you also might want to check out a blog by an American relatively new to the sport. Mary Chapman is a recent graduate of Rice University and actually won a scholarship to go to Europe and learn more about Handball. A scholarship to go to the Final Four? Where do I apply for next year?

ehfTV: www.ehftv.com

Final Four Handball Blog: http://usateamhandball.org/blogs/blog-for-mary-chapman