Yearly Archives: 2018

USA Team Handball Unveils its Strategic Plan:  That’s a Really Good First Step towards Bigger and Better Developments

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A collegiate final four in the future. A U.S. National Team competing in a French league. A bigger push towards television. There’s a lot to like in USA Team Handball’s 1st ever strategic plan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This past week USA Team Handball unveiled a Strategic Plan which outlines organizational plans for the next 10 years leading up to the 2028 Olympics.

USA Team Handball article unveiling the Strategic Plan:  Link

USA Team Handball Strategic Plan: Link

The plan covers a lot of ground, but here are the four main focus areas:

Organizational Development:  This area outlines the need for reconstituting the Board of Directors and increasing the size of the administrative staff.  The reconstitution of the Board has already started with 3 new board members (Randy Dean, Dee Miller, and Dave Buckman) recently being added to the Board.  Administrative staff positions have also been identified with plans to hire a CEO later this year and a Digital Media specialist and Technical Director next year.  Current CEO, Mike Cavanaugh will apparently be reassigned to a new Director of Operation position.

Fundraising: This focus area places additional emphasis on the need for improved fundraising with the hiring of a CEO with fundraising expertise, the need to develop fundraising acumen of the Board of Directors, the development of long term strategy for fundraising and to better engage national team alumni

Marketing and Digital Communication:  This area will seek to improved USA Team Handball’s online presence and to better link marketing efforts with fundraising and sponsorship.

Operational and Competitive Excellence:  For most long time followers of the sport this section contains the meat and potatoes initiatives that will seek to improve national team performance and club competitions.  One key initiative will expand the college game and introduce a season ending Final Four Event.  Another initiative will be to improve national team performance through the placement of a U.S. team in a French handball league for regular competition.

Commentary:  Even occasional readers to this website have probably seen me link to this May 5th, 2013 commentary advocating the need for USA Team Handball strategic planning on more than one occasion.  Yes, back in 2012 there was a similar effort that stopped prematurely for reasons that have never been explained.

The need for a strategic plan has been my personal mantra.  A vital first step sorely needed to turn things around and for 6 years I expressed this to virtually everyone in a leadership role.  For sure, I would have like to have seen this process start back up a whole lot sooner, but really, it’s time to just move forward and be glad it’s finally been done.

I also played a small role in the plan’s development with my attendance at one of the planning meetings.  I had the opportunity to share my views and influence the final outcome.  Do I think the “change agent” who advocated such an effort for so many years should have been more directly involved in the document’s drafting?  Yes, for sure, but really, it’s time to just move forward and be glad it’s finally been done. 

But, in effect, even if I was just peripherally involved one doesn’t have to peruse this section on the website very long to see that many elements of what I’ve been advocating have found their way into the strategic plan.   Collegiate focus?  An overseas residency?  More focus in efforts to get the sport on TV?  What’s next?  A rethinking of our stateside residency program? Really, maybe, I should pinch myself.  There’s a lot to like in this plan.

Do I agree with everything?  No.  I think it is a bit too solution specific in a few areas.  In a sense more “tactical” than “strategic” with strawman action plans that probably could stand more vetting and further assessment.  A bit more weighing of all the possible tactical options that might a particular strategic goal before identifying a specific solution.  One specific example: I would suggest that Denmark, Germany and Eastern Europe are possible candidates for a European residency effort in addition to France.  And, that a tactical assessment should be left to the new staff to present to the Board for decision at a later date.

Of course, it’s always a debate as to how tactical a strategic plan should get.  I think it goes too far in some areas.  Others probably want everything spelled out in detail.  Reasonable people can disagree.

There are several other areas that I could nitpick over.  Some of the Appendix A financial goals are very optimistic projections. (Well, optimistic when compared contextually to other USA team sport federations with 50-100 fold larger fan and membership bases).  Youth development goals are not well defined.  The strategic vision of how the U.S. goes in 10 years time to a top 6 team needs a lot more definition…

I could go on, but as I wrote back in 2013 it’s very easy to critique just about any plan.  But, it’s less easy to critique a plan developed through a structured process.  And, while I would have like to have seen this effort involve more people and a formal review process, I won’t complain too much.

It’s time to just move forward and be glad it’s finally been done.

Podcast (Episode 40) USA Men’s Beach Handball Coach, Michael Hinson

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USA Men’s Beach Handball Coach, Michael Hinson discusses the recent Beach Handball World Championships, some of the differences between the beach and court game, upcoming major tournaments in the U.S., and the future of the game as a potential Olympic sport.

Men’s World Championships Results: Link
Women’s World Championships Results: Link
Video highlights of the Russia-USA Match:  Link

Commentary regarding the underlying math that might preclude Beach Handball from becoming an Olympic Sport: Link

USA Men Training in Germany

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Abou Fofana on attack vs Bergischer HC in Germany

The U.S. Men’s National Team is currently in Dormagen, Germany for a training camp in preparation for the upcoming PANAM Games qualification series vs Canada in September.  New head coach, Robert Hedin, and Asst Coach Mark Ortega have called up a mix of stateside and European based players.  Notably present is veteran Gary Hines who plays for HSC Bad Neustadt in Germany and Javier Coba Galindo who plays for Sant Marti-Adrianec in Spain.  Also attending are Antoine Baup, Paul Skorupa, Abou Fofana and Rene Ingram who have represented the U.S. in Junior and Youth competitions.

The U.S. has played 2 matches so far.  On Saturday they lost to GWD Minden’s 2nd team, 41-19 and on Tuesday they were beaten by 1st division Bundesliga side Bergischer HC 40-18.  They will play a Dormagen side tonight that will include players from their 1st team and 2nd team.  On Thursday and Friday, the U.S. will play TV Ratingen and TSV Vellmar.  Those two clubs are lower division sides and will likely result in more competitive matches.

Also of note, the U.S. coaching staff met with Domagoj Srsen who recently signed with Hannover.  Srsen, 27, previously played for the U.S. at the 2011 PANAM Games and to the best of my knowledge this season will become the first American to play in the German Bundesliga.  Srsen expressed commitment to the American program, but will be unavailable for matches outside of the international windows in the Bundesliga schedule.

Photos from GWD Minden match: Link

Photos and report from Bergischer HC match: Link

Robert Hedin Hired as USA Men’s National Team Coach

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New USA Men’s National Team Coach, Robert Hedin

USA Team Handball has announced that Robert Hedin has been hired as the interim coach for the U.S. Men’s national team.  His assignment will run through the upcoming PANAM Games qualification matches vs Canada on 2 September (Auburn) and 5 September (Montreal).

Hedin, 52, is a native of Sweden, and is currently the club manager at St Hallvard, a suburb of Oslo, Norway.  Hedin has extensive experience, both as a player and coach.  His playing career includes two Olympic silver medals at the 92 and 96 Olympics and his club career included stints in Spain, Germany and Switzerland.

His most notable coaching assignment was as Norway’s head coach from 2008-2014.  Club coaching assignments include Melsungen in Germany, Aalborg in Denmark and most recently Bregenz in Austria.  At the end of the 2016-17 season he reportedly moved back to Norway at least in part to facilitate his wife’s career as a screenwriter

Commentary:  This is a great hire for USA Team Handball.  While it is only a temporary assignment Hedin will have the opportunity to show what he can do as coach in the 2 game series against Canada.  Canada beat the U.S. 33-31 in April and gained some valuable experience with their 5th place showing at the Pan American Championships in June, but they are clearly beatable.  In my opinion, success will hinge on selecting the right players and then getting them to gel as a team in a short period of time.  This may be a far cry from the sort of coaching challenges a coach faces in a more structured European environment, but it is the sort of challenge an American coach often faces.

Coach Hedin will get his first opportunity to evaluate some of his players in two weeks with a tryout scheduled at Auburn on 22 July.  It will be interesting to see what players there garner his interest as well as which dual citizens ultimately make the roster for the clashes vs Canada.  And, then ultimately how well the team performs in the critical 2 game series in September.

A win on aggregate will directly qualify the U.S. for the 2019 PANAM Games.  A loss will result in the U.S. playing in a 2nd chance tournament against a stronger Chile team from South America and 2 TBD teams from Central American & Caribbean.

Qualifying for the PANAM Games also might lead to some talk of erasing the “interim” from Hedin’s Head Coaching title.  But, should that happen a whole host of other issues would have to be addressed to include salary and job responsibilities.  For instance, would a permanent head coach take on recruiting and player development challenges that are unique to the U.S.

American Fiasco: A Soccer Podcast Even Handball Fans will Like

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A soccer podcast series for handball fans

It’s the dog days of summer and the sport viewing options are limited, so I’ve been watching the Soccer World Cup.  Well, sort of watching, anyway.  The U.S. didn’t qualify, so I’ve got no one to cheer for and I really don’t get the game.  This means that I fast forward until I see a goal has been scored and I rewind to watch how it unfolded.  That 3-5 minutes is kind of interesting.  Better than all the kicking the ball back and forth at midfield.  Occasionally, if there’s a big upset brewing I’ll watch a bit more, but it’s a chore.  Yeah, I’m an old school American and I just don’t get it.  I just don’t understand how this is the world’s most popular sport and I never will.

But, that being said I’ve got a little appreciation for the sport and I can watch an entire match when the U.S. plays in the World Cup.  It’s fun to watch the underdog Americans and I’ve always seen soccer as a model for what handball could be in the U.S.  An imperfect model for sure, but a model nonetheless.

Recently, I binged listened to a 12 episode podcast series that brought back a lot of soccer memories that I had forgotten.  This unlikely bingeworthy podcast series, “American Fiasco” chronicles the USA Men’s National team that finished dead last at the 1998 World Cup.  At first glance this probably seems like the most unworthy story to ever listen to, but I thoroughly enjoyed it for a number of reasons.

Those reasons:

1) The narrator, Roger Bennett, from ESPN’s Men in Blazers tells a damn good story with great interviews.  This transplanted American Brit is just fun to listen to.  Even if you hate soccer, which I essentially do.

2) In chronicling the 1998 team, it also tells the story of soccer’s growth in the U.S.  The first few episodes, in particular, really captures what a waste land soccer in the U.S. was and how it has become “something” in the U.S.   It sure gives you some perspective of how far the sport has come in the U.S. and what handball would like to achieve in the U.S.

3) The story is a compelling portrait of team dynamics.  Anyone who has ever been part of a National Team will appreciate the interactions between the players and coach and the ensuing personality conflicts that ensue.

If you don’t have time for all 12 episodes I suggest that you listen to the first episode and the bonus episode with Dan “Big Cat” Katz, who hosts one of the top sports podcasts in the U.S., “Pardon My Take”  at Barstool Sports.  In that bonus episode Big Cat and Roger Bennett discuss what it will take for the typical American to become a true soccer fan.  Incidentally, Big Cat tweeted the following to his 602K followers during the 2016 Olympics”

“Team Handball is awesome. Need this as a televised American sport in July”

So his perspective on soccer as the prototypical American sports fan is an interesting take.  One that surely resonates with the American handball fan who sees soccer’s growth and wonders, “Why not handball?”

A last personal note:  Bizarrely, like Roger Bennett, I can often chronicle where I was during World Cup years.  Bizarre, in that I am by no means a soccer fan.  For instance, when Iran beat the U.S. 2-1 to eliminate any chance the U.S. had to make the knockout stages in 1998 I clearly remember being in Brussels, Belgium for a briefing at NATO HQ.  How could I possibly forget the celebrations that erupted in the streets and thinking to myself, “C’mon.  We suck at soccer so why are you celebrating our defeat?  And, really, you like Iran better than the U.S.?”

Here’s hoping that someday a U.S. handball defeat strikes a similar chord.  If that indeed happens, we will know for sure that we’ve arrived.

Podcast (Episode 39): Greenland Men’s National Team Captain, Minik Dahl Hoegh

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Greenland’s Minik Dahl Hoegh takes a team selfie at the Pan American Handball Championships

Greenland recently hosted the Men’s Pan American Handball Championship and came close (ever so close) to taking the bronze medal and qualifying for the 2019 IHF World Championships.

Greenland’s team captain, Minik Dahl Hoegh, joins the podcast to discuss Greenland’s run through the tournament, what it meant for Greenland to host the Championships and what the proposed North/South split might mean for Greenland and the other countries in the North.

Some Links:

  • Dahl Hoegh’s miraculous 9 M throw to send the Bronze Medal game into extra time: Link
  • Mundo Handball Pan American Championships Page (Includes links to all match video): Link
  • 2018 Pan American Championships Page (Wikipedia): Link
  • Minik Dahl Hoegh (Wikipedia): Link
  • NBC Olympics Article on Greenland hosting the Championships: Link
  • Greenland Podcast Interviews from 2007 World Championship (Including one with a younger Dahl Hoegh): Link
  • Commentary regarding Greenland’s exclusion from PATHF in 2007: Link

Canada vs Greenland for a Semifinal Berth:  The Biggest Match for Canada in 14 years

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Canada will have to overcome a strong Greenland team and the 8th man (the Greenland fans), but it can be done. 14 years ago they knocked off Chile in Chile. Can they do it again?

 

The Canadian Men’s team started the Men’s Pan American Handball Championship with two disappointing losses:  A very lopsided 42-13 loss vs Brazil and a narrow 26-24 loss to Uruguay.  But since that poor start they’ve secured victories over Colombia and Paraguay and now are in position to qualify for the semifinals.

Yes, a victory tonight over Greenland will put Canada into a 3 way tie with Greenland and Uruguay at 6 points each.  And, then the next tiebreaker is head to head goal differential with Uruguay locked in at 0 GD, Greenland at +2 and Canada at -2.  The simple math means that a 3 goal victory would put Canada through to the semifinal.  A 1 goal victory will put Greenland through and a 2 goal victory, would put all 3 teams level on GD, meaning goals scored head to head is the next tiebreaker.  The math there will also qualify Greenland if they score 26 or more goals.  25 or less will qualify Uruguay.  (Side note: all of this assumes that Brazil beats Uruguay; arguably a pretty safe assumption.)

Shades of 2004?

Fourteen years ago at the 2004 Men’s Pan American Championships in Santiago, Chile, Canada took 3rd place and qualified for the 2005 Men’s World Championships.  To do so, Canada pulled off arguably the biggest win in the history of their program, a 31-24 defeat of hosts Chile in the bronze medal game.  Yes, with a World Championship berth on the line Canada dominated Chile at home to qualify.

A key player on the Canadian team roster back then was current Men’s Head Coach, Alexis Bertrand.  Can he lead the Canadian men to pull off a similar victory in front of roughly 2,000 Greenland fans?  Well, the odds are against them.

Greenland’s clearly a better team.  This is evidenced by the score lines of all the matches they’ve played.  Last night they even played Brazil close for the first 10 minutes until things started to unravel.  Still they only lost by 10 goals, while Canada lost by 29.  They’ve got several players on their roster that have played semi-pro or professionally in Denmark.  Minik Dahl Hoegh and Akutaaneq Kreutzmann have been playing in Denmark’s top league for several years and have been on Pan American Championships All Star teams.  Hoegh and to a lesser extent Kreutzmann cause some serious match up problems for a smallish Canadian side.

But…

If Canada can contain Greenland’s big scorers, and force the rest of Greenland’s team to score; if they can get some fast break opportunities; if they can hit their shots; and if they get a strong performance in goal; and if they can keep it close…  Could then the tremendous pressure of playing in front of a packed house with everything on the line cause the home team to make mistakes in the final minutes?

Lots of ifs there, but these are the kinds of matches players and coaches dream of.  It’s why you play the game.

The game is at 8:00 PM Greenland time or 6:00 PM Eastern Time (U.S./Canada) and can be seen live on KNR website: Link

Standings and results: Link

Podcast (Episode 38): Canadian Men’s Head Coach, Alexis Bertrand

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Canadian Men’s Team

It’s a rest day at the Men’s Pan American Championships in Nuuk, Greenland and Canadian Men’s Head Coach, Alexis Bertrand, joins the podcast to talk about Canada’s performance so far, the atmosphere in Greenland, Cuba’s absence and the upcoming North American qualifier between Canada and the U.S. in September.

Canada is 1-2-0 in the tournament, but they if they beat Paraguay tomorrow and then beat Greenland by 3 goals on Wednesday they will make the semifinals.  A tough ask to beat Greenland in Greenland, but if they play like they did in the 2nd half vs Uruguay it just might be possible.

2018 Pan American Men’s Championship Wiki Page: Link

USA Rugby Governance Issues Provide Insight to USA Team Handball Challenges

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A first ever, fully pro U.S. Rugby team destroys Russia 62-13 in Denver. Success on the field, but major problems off the field. What might USA Team Handball learn from USA Rugby’s growing pains?

On numerous occasions I’ve pointed out the parallels between rugby and handball in America.

Both are:

  • Minor sports in the U.S. that are very popular in other portions of the world
  • Sports where the U.S. has struggled to be competitive internationally
  • Sports where an influx of expats that have boosted growth in the U.S.
  • Sports where outsiders see the U.S. as a market with great potential
  • Sports which Americans often play for the first time in college

But, there are also significant differences.  Most tellingly, while both sports are minor U.S. sports, USA Rugby is still a lot bigger than handball.  Perhaps 100 times bigger in terms of number of athletes and 30 times bigger in terms of budget.  Rugby has also made some major inroads in terms of television exposure and National Team performance.

But, while rugby has made significant progress they currently are in the midst of governance issues that will both sound familiar and serve as a cautionary tell as USA Team Handball plots out its future plans.

This recent rugby podcast provides a pretty good summary of what’s happened with USA Rugby in the past couple of years and is worth a listen to anyone interested in USA Team Handball governance issues.

Rugby PatCast: Congress’ Lewis unload on USA Rugby governance: Link

A short primer on some of the subjects covered so you can better contextually understand the discussion:

  • Pro Rugby: The first professional rugby league in the U.S. that played 1 season in 2016.  The owner is now suing USA Rugby for breach of contract.  The second professional league (Major League Rugby (MLR)) is now playing its first season.
  • Rugby International Marketing (RIM): A for profit entity established to better market rugby in the U.S. (now in the process of going bankrupt)
  • The Rugby Channel: A digital streaming (Over the Top (OTT)) channel that RIM established totally devoted to rugby.  (it lost over $4M and was recently sold to Flosports for pennies on the dollar)
  • USA Rugby Congress: A large body that in theory represents USA Rugby’s membership to the USA Rugby Board (I think USA Team Handball may have had a similar body at one time, but if so, it was a long time ago)
  • USA Rugby Board: Very similar to the USA Team Handball Board.  Currently they’ve had numerous resignations due to RIM’s failures
  • USA Rugby Nominating Committee: Very similar to the USATH Nominating & Governance Committee:  They are responsible for selecting the new members to the USA Rugby Board. (Note the discussion on the qualities that prospective board members should have)
  • Rugby World Cup 7s: 7s is the version of rugby that’s played in the Olympics.  The U.S. is holding its first ever major championship this July in San Francisco
  • Rugby World Cup: Similar to the Soccer World Cup this event is held every 4 years and the goal is to eventually have the U.S. host this major event.  (and, of course one could imagine USATH having a similar goal one day to host the IHF WC)

All told, though, while the challenges discussed are immense there’s still lots of room for optimism for USA Rugby.  The sport has never had greater TV exposure.  The Pro MLR has had outstanding attendance in some cities like Seattle (5,000 fans).  Grass roots efforts have started to migrate from colleges to high schools.  The National Team for the first time last weekend fielded an entirely professional side, with many of the athletes playing for top clubs overseas.

Yes, USA Team Handball would gladly, willingly trade places with USA Rugby in a heartbeat.  Even if we had to take all those governance issues at the same time.  Not a trade that can be made, but understanding what a similar team sport is going through sure can provide some lessons as handball seeks similar progress and growth in the U.S.

Yes, maybe conceivably we could take all the good lessons and avoid all the bad ones USA Rugby is now working through.

USA Women with Solid Performance in Korean Tournament

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USA Women in Korea

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The USA Women recently participated in the 3rd annual Busan International Friendly Tournament in South Korea.  They played 5 matches and finished in 4th place with a 2-3-0 record.  All of the matches are available for viewing and the streaming quality/production is pretty good:

Videos for all matches: Link

30 May 2018 USA 22×28 Mie Violet Iris (Japan): Link

31 May 2018 USA 24×25 Senegal: Link

2 June 2018 USA 28×14 Australia: Link

3 June 2018 USA 23×17 Hong Kong: Link

4 June 2018 USA 24×34 Bisco (S Korea): Link

(Coach Latulippe is also interviewed at the very end of the video)

USA Women in Dance Competition: Link

Tournament Standings:

 

 

 

 

 

Analysis

The tournament field with the absence of pro clubs from Europe was a bit weaker than last year’s tourney, but still provided ample competition for the U.S.  The U.S. easily beat Australia and Hong Kong and almost beat Senegal a team that would have qualified for the 2017 World Championships if not for their disqualification for an ineligible athlete at the African Championships.  They also played the club sides from South Korea and Japan close until their short handed roster ran out of steam.  Short handed in that they were missing Sarah Gascon, Ashley Van Ryn and Sophie Fasold for the whole tournament and then lost a couple more players for their last match against host Bisco.  The U.S.’s best player was again Jence Rhoads and her performance was recognized with her selection to the all tourney team at center back.

You’ve got to hand it to Coach Latulippe and the U.S. Women for somehow finding the means for travel to France, Italy, South Korea and now China for meaningful competition all in just the past 7 months.  As far as I know USA Team Handball has virtually no budget resources to support travel so they’ve been able to make do on a combination of donations, sponsorship and their own pockets to fund these trips.

On 2 and 5 September they will play Canada in a home and away, 2 game series for qualification to the 2019 PANAM Games in Lima, Peru.  Locations are TBD, but will likely be Auburn and Quebec.  Canada will be no push over, but with this steady stream of match experience I would assess that the U.S. women are solid favorites to win that head to head match up.

And, on a side note both Canada and the U.S. also now know their likely toughest 2nd Chance Tournament opponent should they lose the upcoming North American Qualification.  The Chile women took 3rd place at the South American Games and await the loser of the September showdown, and the 4th and 5th place teams from Central America and the Caribbean Games.  This is a mild surprise in that Chile took 7th place at last summer’s Pan American Championship, but was able to knock off Paraguay for bronze.  As expected Brazil and Argentina took 1st and 2nd respectively and have already qualified for the PANAM Games.

Podcast (Episode 37) EHF Final Four: An Emotional, Cathartic Experience for America’s #1 Handball Fan

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My new friend, Michel, and I celebrate Montpellier’s unlikely return to the top of Europe.

Last weekend I had the opportunity to attend the Velux EHF Final Four in Cologne, Germany.  Six days later I’m just starting to come down from the “high” of doing so.  I’ll touch on a number of items.

What an Experience!

From the moment I arrived in Cologne it was simply special to be surrounded by so many reminders (signage, flags, etc) that this was the mecca for handball.  The opening night party with the club fans cheering on their teams introduction was also special and a reminder that I was now here in the center of the handball world.

But, stepping foot in the LanXess arena as just 1 amongst 18,000 fans was truly a cathartic experience for this American handball fan.  This is because virtually every match I’ve witnessed or played in my home country has been in front of nobody or perhaps a few other players.  I’ve watched games on my computer at home by myself.  I’ve grown a bit tired of explaining the game that I am so passionate about to others.  I’ve come to accept that I’m a bit of an anomaly in my own little cocoon of a world.

In the LanXess arena, though, that feeling of being the sole outlier evaporated in an instant.  It’s a great feeling for even just one weekend to be part of a throng instead of a lone voice crying out in the wilderness.  It’s a long way to get there, but attending at least one Final Four should be on every handball fan’s bucket list.

A Really, Really, Really Unlikely Final (as in 2,400 to 1 at the start of the season)

Choosing which side to cheer on Saturday in the semifinals was pretty easy for me.  If you don’t have a team you root for the underdogs.  And both Nantes and Montpellier clearly fit into that category.  Last September I wrote an article highlighting the odds for each team winning the upcoming Champions League.  In the article I also provided a few predictions of my own and it included this little gem of prophecy:

“Potential party crashers again will be those pesky French sides Nantes and Montpellier.”

But, before I get all braggadocious of my prognostication skills let’s be clear:  I was just referring to “possible” Round of 16 upsets.  Not the freakin Championship match!  Get out of here!  What were the preseason odds to win the Champions League for those two sides?  Nantes was listed at 65 to 1.  Montpellier was listed at 150 to 1.

And what would the odds have been for a quinella bet for those two sides to meet in the final?  I’m guessing that such a bet wasn’t offered anywhere, but if it had been offered here’s the back of the envelope calculations for that match up.  Since winning it all was 65 to 1 and 150 to 1, one can roughly assume that the odds for just reaching the final would be half that (32 to 1 and 75 to 1).  And, then the odds for both occurring is a simple multiplication of those two odds, which equates to 2,400 to 1.

For context, this would be roughly the equivalent of an NBA preseason bet for a projected #8 and #6 meeting in the finals.  Every once in a while you can picture one team coming out of nowhere, but you just don’t expect 2 teams to do so in the same year.

Montpellier, Montpellier, Montpellier 

The unlikely final matchup made it a bit more challenging for me to pick a side on Sunday.  Or, did it?

Time for a bit of a diatribe here, but it’s necessary for full context.  Many readers already know, but as a reminder, I lived in France from 2002-2007.  And, if you were a handball fan living in France during that time frame, you got to see Montpellier play… a lot.  You really had no choice in the matter.  Watch Montpellier (yet again) or don’t watch handball.  Back in 2005 one of my first blog postings lamented this reality with a commentary listing my “Top 10 reasons why I love to hate Montpellier handball.”  I say lamented, but to be honest I really enjoyed “hate watching” Montpellier quite a bit.  Yes, rooting against the NY Yankees of French Handball was just as much fun as rooting against the NY Yankees, New England Patriots and the Golden St Warriors.

After leaving France I continued to follow the French League from afar, but with no league matches available for viewing I could only see the French qualifiers in Champions League matches.  The French league faded from my consciousness.  But, then in 2012 the French League and Montpellier made the news in a big way with the infamous betting scandal.  With several Montpellier players including the Karabatic brothers being implicated and eventually found guilty.  Ha, ha, I said to myself from afar as Montpellier got their comeuppance.

But, then in the aftermath a couple of things happened that got me rethinking Montpellier and its place in French Handball.  First, Montpellier, both their management and their fans handled a very bad situation about as well as they could.  Montpellier cleaned house and got new players.  Their performance dipped, but those Montpellier fans stayed with them.  Begrudgingly, I had to recognize that.

And, then Paris St-Germain invested in Paris handball in a big way.  Qatari money poured in creating a new super team of stars.  They even brought the Karabatic brothers back to France.  I may have once called Montpellier the NY Yankees of France, but PS-G has clearly taken over that mantle with a budget that dwarfs the rest of the league.

Coming Full Circle in Cologne

Sunday’s final was a tour de force for French Handball.  The little league with annually, maybe a quarterfinal participant now had 2 teams facing off against each other in the final.  It was a wonderful atmosphere and a great first half between two sides, both with passionate fans.  At halftime, I decided that the only real way to watch the rest of this match was with those fans.  So I left my seat and made my way to the purple corner of Nantes.  I stood behind the loud and boisterous contingent as they cheered on their team and reacted to every play.  After a while, though, I reflected that I was with the wrong team and found my way to the opposite corner.  To the team that I had “hate watched” so many, many times.

“Really?”  I thought to myself.  “Am I really going to jump on the Montpellier bandwagon?”

Yes, wholeheartedly.  It was the right thing to do.  As the game wound down the fans around me genuinely relished in their victory.  They cheered on their players who later joined them in celebration.

Afterwards, I searched for a Montpellier fan who spoke good English and Michel was kind enough to join me to discuss the experience, the team and their road to redemption.   The interview is about 9 minutes and the link is at the top of the page.

At the end of the interview I reflect a bit on how I’ve come full circle and probably should get a scarf and join the Blue Fox (Montpellier’s fan club).  At which point Michel’s wife reached into her purse and immediately took care of my wish.

I’ve had a lot of great handball experiences in my life and a lot of mementos to remember them, but right now my Blue Fox scarf is my most prized handball possession.

Allez, Allez, Montpellier!

Podcast (Episode 36): Paris St-Germain GM, Bruno Martini

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Paris GM, Bruno Martini

 

 

 

 

 

 

Paris St-Germain’s General Manager, Bruno Martini and I discuss the growth of the French League, marketing in the U.S., possible rule changes that might be considered and what the result would be if all 14 French League teams played the top 14 German League teams in a pre-season showdown next August. (Interview is approximately 12 minutes long)

Podcast (Episode 35): EHF President Michael Wiederer

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EHF President, Michael Wiederer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EHF President Michael Wiederer discusses handball marketing opportunities in the U.S.  (5 minute interview)