Forum Club Handball (Part 1): An Overview of this Influential Organization

Forum Club Handball: An organization quietly influencing handball behind the scenes.

Recently, I’ve fielded some questions regarding the Forum Club Handball (FCH). What is this organization and why are they helping the development of U.S. players.

Fortunately, a couple of podcasts were aired recently to help educate handball fans about the FCH. First, Xavier O’Callaghan was interviewed by Bini Mustafa on the Straight Handball Talk podcast and was asked about it. O’Callaghan was the President of the FCH and he provides a great top level explanation from a European perspective.

Then, on this Shootin’ Straight podcast I was also asked about the FCH. To answer that question, though, I first went on a bit of a diatribe to explain how U.S. and European pro sports are organized differently. This is because understanding those differences first is fundamental to understanding why there was a need for an organization (FCH) to represent Europe’s top clubs. I also elaborate on why it’s a “loose confederation” or forum and why initially the EHF was a bit wary of this upstart organization.

More Information

  • Forum Club Handball Website: Link
  • FCH Key Message: Link
  • FCH Member Clubs: Link (Note: voting rights shift based on participation/performance in European club competitions)
  • FCH Wikipedia Page: Link

Side note: There was lots of great discussion on a variety of topics (U.S. challenges and college development are a couple) in the Shootin’ Straight podcast that’s worth checking out.

In part 2, I’ll take a closer look at the FCH’s support to U.S. player development