Author Archives: John Ryan

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Commentary: New USA Coaches (Part 1): War Eagle and Extra Management Responsibility

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It took awhile, but USA Team Handball now has two new head coaches. The new USA Men’s Head Coach and Program Director is Mark Ortega has now been on the job for two months and the new USA Women’s Head Coach and Program Director, Sarah Gascon had the interim title officially removed on 4 October.

For the most part, I’m satisfied with the process that was used to make these hires. I took serious issue with the poor timing that saw Edina Borsos abruptly fired and then replaced with Sarah Gascon via a convoluted process. A process that, in my opinion, cost the USA Women a wild card bid to participate in the upcoming 2025 World Championships. This time, as it should be, CEO Mike King took responsibility and fully “owns” both of these decisions. I’d also prefer to have simply kept Coach Robert Hedin in place to continue the run of success his Men’s team had, but we are where we are.

An Unneccessary Dig that’s also Lacking Context

But, while the process was better I’ve got some concern with the selections and I’m scratching my head once again. I’ll highlight this quote from CEO Mike King in the Women’s Coach announcement as I think it points to my first concern.

“With realism about what it will require to climb quickly out of a nearly six-year winless stretch—and the bar-dropping disservice to our athletes during that time—we have turned that page for good. By onboarding exceptional talent, we are taking seriously our collective charge: to prepare and position this program to compete at the highest level of international handball.”

I have multiple issues with the portion I’ve bold faced and italicized

  • 1) Even if the statement “bar-dropping disservice to our athletes” were entirely true it’s not appropriate to take a jab at previous management.  I guess President Trump has kind of made such tactics “cool” to some, though.
  • 2) If you get your job through a very unorthodox sequence of events you also don’t get to create a narrative of look at the bad hand I’ve been dealt.  Nope. The only justification for such unorthodox tactics is that things are so bad we’re going to fix things immediately.  Instead such tactics caused more problems and disruption… an even bigger hole to crawl out of.
  • 3) While the last 6 years (2019-2025) for our Women’s program were clearly the worst ever in terms of wins and losses I would assess that the previous 5 years (2013-2018) centered around a residency program at Auburn were the worst ever in terms of Return on Investment (ROI).  And, disservice to athletes?  Dozens of athletes made a leap of faith move to rural Alabama, and in return they weren’t compensated and even asked to pay for their own trips to represent their country. (1 2 3) Arguably, an even greater disservice.  Athletes are still paying for their own trips, but they can live where they want to.

First a Disclaimer…

I’ll elaborate more on #3, but I guess I should do a bit of disclaimer.  Every few months or so, someone new to the USA handball scene will do a deep dive on this website, talk to a few people and then with a bit of a puzzled reaction ask me, “Man… Why does everybody hate you?”  My self-serving answer is that I tend to do a pretty good job of telling people what they need to hear, not what they want to hear and nothing more emphatically brings that point home than the 5 year Auburn experiment.  I tried to stop it before it started and I was relentless in my criticism of it. 

Why so?  Because I saw multiple problems with a 1980s and 90s solution that just wouldn’t work in a radically changed handball world.  Quietly, behind the scenes, emails and conversations expressing concern were dismissed and ignored.  I was the asshole trying to stand in the way of progress.  Even years later after virtually everything I warned about happened… I’m still defined as that asshole. I’ve always thought that maybe some day, someone in a position of authority would step back and say, “Why do we hate this guy again? He seems to know quite a bit…”  But, alas, I’ve come to realize that’s never going to happen. Enough whining.  If you want more, go here.  

And, if you don’t want to read some things that you’re not going to like I suggest that you stop here and go scroll through some Everything is Awesome handball memes on Instagram.

War Eagle!.. Really?

USA Team Handball now has both a Men’s and Women’s Head Coach where a big portion of their handball resume is anchored by their 5 years in Auburn, Alabama. As, I earlier highlighted, I assess those 5 years as the worst ever in terms of ROI for USA Team Handball. And, if you’ve been around awhile and can remember a lot of things not going very well… that is really saying something. It was not just another failed effort… No. It was the very worst initiative we’ve ever had.

The evidence is overwhelming and I don’t think anything else that has been tried even comes close. A five year residency program, initially with 2 full time coaches (later reduced to just a men’s coach), but with results not much better than doing next to nothing. Neither the Men’s or Women’s team were able to secure a World Championship berth despite competing against peer nations with far less resources. And, in 2015 both the men’s and women’s team couldn’t even beat Canada and later Uruguay to qualify for the PANAM Games. A crushing defeat that suggested major changes… but instead the program just limped along for another 3 years before finally shutting down.

Why was such a program green lighted? Why did it hang around long after it’s due date had expired? Well programs have their own inertia and with the tight knit nature of our sport there were also friendships, even familial relationships at play. Such relationships are the heart and soul of our small community… but, they can and have been very detrimental when tough decisions should be made.

Why did the program fail so comprehensively? The short answer is dismal recruiting, due in part to the location of the program and it’s limited funding support. Neither the Men’s or Women’s program were able to successfully recruit higher level athletes. But, when you put something in place and hire coaches to run a program… well, they’re going to take what they can get. Residency programs for training elite athletes became residency programs for training best available athletes. A lot of time and energy was spent training athletes that were never going to get us to where we wanted to be.

My personal assessment: In 5 years time only 2 athletes (Jence Rhodes and Ty Reed) were identified that would have likely made an Olympic team in the 80s and 90s. And, both of those athletes were the offspring of USA Handball Olympians… most likely athletes that never would have showed up in Auburn without encouragement from their parents. There were some other athletes that would have been on the fringes of the national team. Hard workers, dedicated team players. I know exactly what such athletes look like… because I was once one of those athletes. A national team can maybe have a couple of John Ryan’s to round out the roster, but if your entire roster is composed of John Ryan’s?… You’re not going to ever get there.

So, what I’m saying here? Well, let’s first be clear on what I’m not saying:

  • If you were an athlete that was recruited to come on down to Auburn to chase an Olympic dream and found the program wasn’t quite you expected, but you worked hard and made great sacrifices you are not a failure. I have nothing but respect for you and your efforts.
  • If you were a coach trying to make things work as best you can. Organizing practices and trying to develop your players to be the best handball players they can be. Again, nothing but respect for your efforts as they relate to those clear cut coaching roles.

But, here is what I am saying:

  • If you were part of the planning, implementation and management of the Auburn Residency Program I’m highly critical of the role that you played. This doesn’t mean that you didn’t didn’t have good intentions and it certainly doesn’t mean you are a bad person. But, yeah, you were part of a big failure and there should be some accountability for that.
  • And… if you were a coach, but your role was expanded beyond the traditional coaching roles of conducting practices and making the decisions on the court in competitive matches. And, your role was expanded to more of a management role overseeing the program to include the recruiting of athletes… you were also very much part of a big failure and there should be some accountability for that.

So, from my perspective we’ve now hired a Men’s and Women’s Head Coach and Program Director with very strong ties to the biggest failure in the history of USA Team Handball. I wouldn’t go so far as to say that having Auburn on your resume should be the “kiss of death” but, as they say, “You’ve got some splaining to do…” Of course, that’s just my persective based on decades of observation… I’m not doing the hiring.

Someone with a shorter timeline might even possibly think that Auburn somehow represents the “good ol days.” Might even rationale that there is so much to learn from that experience. That we can take the good parts and lose the bad. There’s a kernel of truth to that. But, just a tiny kernel. There’s a reason why the assistant coaches of super bowl teams have multiple interviews for head coaching positions with other teams. And, there’s a reason why assistant coaches for 5-12 teams are scrambling to find any position, anywhere once their head coach is fired.

Also, of concern, CEO Mike King was one of the athletes convinced to move to Auburn. Are the tight bonds formed through that shared experience unduly influencing hiring decisions a few years later? And, we’re not just talking coach hiring decisions… but, the unorthodox “hiring” of the CEO in the first place. From someone who views the Auburn experiment as the greatest failure in the history of handball in this country… the Auburn takeover of USA Team Handball is mind boggling exasperating. Why, it’s almost as if it’s 2013 all over again. Strike up the band and War Eagle!

Expanded Responsibilities Beyond Just Coaching

And, so now we get to Issue # 2. You may not have not noticed, but somewhere between the job announcement/description being posted and the job hiring, USA Team Handball went from looking for coaches to hiring a Program Director and Head Coach for both the Men’s and Women’s programs. It may not be readily apparent to some, but adding Program Director to the job title is a significant expansion in terms of responsibility.

Back in 2013, I wrote an article discussing whether the U.S. needed full time coaches. Part of that analysis reviewed what other nations did and how the job of a U.S. coach might be somewhat different. I say might be now, because it all depends on what’s needed and desired in terms of the U.S. National Teams. For old timers and anyone who’s ever participated in a residency program it’s a full time job because the coaching is on a continuous basis, fairly similar to that of a full time club club coach. Not exactly the same as there was some unique player development work required for crossover athletes and then fewer matches were played, but it’s similar. More recently, the U.S. had part time coaches, Robert Hedin and Edina Borsos fulfilling a more European style part time role. And, then many of what might be considered “Program Director” functions were the responsibility of High Performance Manager, Krista Austin, until she departed in 2023 and then… maybe nobody was really doing that job?

We could debate how effective Krista Austin was at performing programmatic, big picture tasks, but there should be no debate that having no one really empowered to perform that role was very problematic. How big a problem it is can be masked if one already has the athletes needed to be competitive (i.e. the U.S. Men) and it can be painfully self evident if the team simply lacks the athletes needed and is woefully uncompetitive (i.e. the U.S. Women),

I’ll tackle the differing circumstances of the Men’s and Women’s programs in the next couple of commentaries. What I’ll tackle now is whether Head Coaches should even be dual hatted as Program Directors. My personal viewpoint is that in most cases dual hatting these roles is problematic for these reasons:

  • The skill set needed to be a good coach and the skill set needed to perform the management and planning of a program are significantly different. There is some overlap, but fundamentally coaching a singular team and managing a program are two different things. Some people can be very good at either role, but that’s the exception rather than the rule. And, we’re not talking about straightforward, well defined management functions… No, we’re talking about developing, implementing and directing a national team program that will work in the U.S. Something no one has ever really been successful at doing.
  • The timeline and horizon for coaches and program directors are different. Or, at least they should be. Any coach worth their salt is very focused on the here and now. How to win the next game or do better in the next tournament. A program director, however, has to think more long term. Inherently, this leads to conflict… or, it should lead to conflict if both the coach and director are doing their jobs properly. So, if someone is performing both roles inevitably they will have a conflict with themselves on some matter and will have to decide whether the coach or director role takes precedence. The closest analogy is the common practice of professional teams having a General Manager (GM) and Head Coach. The GM determines the roster and the head coach, coaches the roster he’s been given. They work together, but they stay in their lane and don’t do each other’s jobs. About the only time it worked in the NFL was with Bill Belichik… until it didn’t. And, then maybe having Tom Brady as QB was the only reason it ever worked.

For these reasons I would be very hesitant to dual hat these roles. Heck, I think it’s already causing problems in terms of what the priorities should be. Going further, I think it would have made more sense to hire a Program Director or a High Performance Manager first and then have that individual very involved in the coaching selection process.

Or, to put it another way: Don’t hire a program director/coach (basically a unicorn) to try and develop a program and coach a national team at the same time. Instead, hire a program director to develop a plan and then hire coaches that are well equipped to execute that plan.

In Part 2, I’ll take a closer look at the Women’s Program and the selection of Sarah Gascon as Program Director and Head Coach

Freakonomics Explains how USA and “Rest of World” Sporting Structures are Different… and the Economic Consequences of those Differences

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Perhaps one of the most frustrating and comical experiences I have ever had is trying to explain how USA sporting structures work to anyone who wasn’t born and raised in the U.S. I have experienced this multiple times, spoken for hours and hours on this topic… and, time and time again, I have totally failed to educate people.

There are a number of reasons for this, but principally it’s because the U.S. system which closely integrates sports with schools and colleges is radically different from how the rest of the world organizes its sports. It’s not just a little different… it’s totally different. And, while many people grasp that there are differences, they don’t fully comprehend what those differences mean when it comes to developing sports like handball in the U.S. And, as people are want to do… they just plow ahead often trying to recreate what they are familiar with in the U.S. The thinking goes… “We’ll just tweak things a little bit to adjust how sports in the U.S. are a little bit different.”

Sorry, that approach hasn’t worked… and, it’s not going to work. It doesn’t mean the U.S. system for organizing sports is better. In fact, having lived in France for 5 years, I will say something you won’t hear an American say very often: I personally think the “Rest of World” sports model is superior to the American sports model. If I was supreme ruler of the United States I would decree that it be adopted immediately, lock, stock and barrel. Alas, I’m not the supreme ruler of the United States and that’s not going to happen. We’re mostly stuck with our system even if there are some cracks starting to appear in our collegiate model.

So, that means if you weren’t born and raised in the U.S. and want to grow a sport like handball in the U.S., it means you better get educated on how sports are organized in the U.S. And, conversely, if you were born and raised in the U.S. and are trying to figure out why expats think the way they do… well, it would be a good idea to better understand where they’re coming from.

I’m not going to try and explain everything here in this one post. But, what I will share is an excellent primer on how the U.S. and the “Rest of the World” organize their sports and the major economic consequences those difference have for athletes, clubs and fans.

Freakonomics Tackles Promotion/Relegation and other Topics

This education comes courtesy of the Freakonomics Podcast. In a two parter seriers, “The Merger you Never Knew you Wanted” they propose a merger of NCAA collegiate football and the NFL. This merger is not practical for a number of reasons, but the exercise of assessing how feasible it would be they really to a great job of breaking down just how the U.S. and “rest of world” sports models are different.

  • Part 1: The Merger you Never Knew you Wanted Website Youtube
  • Part 2: Should Ohio State (and Michigan, and Clemson) Join the N.F.L.? Website YouTube

Here are some of the ramifications of the different models that they address:

  • How ridiculously unfair to athletes the U.S. Collegiate model was and to a certain extent still is
  • How Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) might hurt non revenue NCAA sports
  • How promotion and relegation provides more meaning to competition across the board
  • How the U.S. closed system with a limited number of franchines for pro sports impacts the number of professional athletes in the U.S. and the salaries for those athletes
  • How the U.S. closed system for pro sports makes minor leagues irrelevant
  • Why top European clubs look on with envy at the U.S. model and would like to copy aspects of it.

One person interviewed throughout the two podcasts if former pro football player and NFL Player’s Union President, Dominique Foxworth, who made a few comments about handball back in 2020.

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Commentary: Lewis Howes’ “Chase your Dreams” Project is Unrealistic, but I’ve got a Reboot Suggestion for him…

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(In my re-imagined “Chase your Dreams” project, Lewis Howes uses his platform to find new crossover women athletes and then chronicles their efforts to make the 2028 Olympic Team)

Social media influencer and podcaster, Lewis Howes, has lately been providing some great publicity for handball in the U.S. He first started chronicling his effort to jumpstart his handball career to make the 2028 USA Men’s Olympic Handball team. There’s a YouTube docuseries and he was interviewed on the EHF “The Spin” podcast. Now he’s the new owner and President of the Los Angeles Team Handball Club and has raised (as of this posting) over $75,000 on GoFundMe to support his and LA’s Olympic Handball Dreams.

I’ve mostly been amused by this quixotic quest. Unrealistic, but mostly harmless and great publicity for our sport. I’m also pleased to see that his personal quest has now been expanded to include support to other athletes seeking to make the 28 Olympic Team.

An Unrealistic Quixotic Quest

So why do I assess this quest to be quixotic? Unrealistic with a very low likelihood of success?

First, let’s take a closer look at his athletic resume. A resume that is solid, but one that has been amplified considerably by very effective marketing. Lewis Howes is an NCAA Football record holder, was an NCAA All American in both football and track & field and played professional football. Those are all true statements, and I think some people immediately paint a picture of a D1 career at some prominent college followed by a promising NFL career cut short by injury. Not quite… Lewis Howes did play football in college, but he mostly played at the Division 3 level, the 4th and lowest level of college football. Athletes receive no scholarships and everyone plays simply for the love of the game. And, while he did play professionally after college it was with the Tennessee Valley Vipers of the AF2, which was actually a minor league under the now defunct Arena Football League.

While this context makes the resume less impressive it would also be very wrong to dismiss these achievements. In particular, it would seem that Howes was at least a D2 level athlete competing against D3 competition. In fact, one little noted aspect of his athletic resume was his 2001 Freshman season at D2 Southwest Minnesota St where he saw very limited playing time. I’m guessing he received a partial scholarship to attend college there and, for one reason or another, it didn’t work out. And, with the transfer rules at the time athletes either had to sit out a year or drop to a lower division which he did with a transfer to D3 Principia College in Ohio. His football record of 17 receptions for 418 yards in a game still stands and is a monster game at any level. Incidentally, this game wasn’t a blowout. In fact, his team lost 42-35. He played two years at Principia and then two years at Capital College, a more established and competitive D3 program. It’s hard to really know, but I suspect he was the type of player that in today’s simpler transfer framework could have received offers to transfer to a D2 or even a lower level D1 program. 418 receiving yards in a game?… There are coaches that would definitely take a look see at an athlete that did that.

And while Arena Football is a long, long way from the NFL, if you’ve ever attended a game in person you’ll quickly realize that it’s for real, competitive football. There were quite a few good college football players who didn’t make the NFL so it was still pretty tough to make an Arena Football roster. And, for a D3 athlete to make it against athletes from bigger schools is a significant achievement.

USA Team Handball: A Long History of Decent Athletes Giving Handball a Try

So, what I’m saying here? All, I’m saying is like many others before him, Lewis Howes is a decent American athlete who decided to give handball a try after running out of options in his primary sport. This reality has been true for EVERY SINGLE STATESIDE AMERICAN ATHLETE since the sport was introduced in this country. Yes, 100%… every athlete born and raised in the U.S. has only started to seriously play handball after their other sporting careers have played out. This happens at different points. Post college, post high school, heck, even in high school, now. But it’s what’s happened… EVERY SINGLE TIME.

There is no shame in that and, as far as I’m concerned, the more the merrier. But, we want to get those ahtletes at age 22… not age 42. And, while Howes has played handball before for the U.S. National Team he did so during one of the weaker eras in our history. An era where there was no residency program and only limited utilization of our dual citizen athlete pool. The teams of that era were so weak… there was plenty of room for a good athlete like Howes with very limited handball experience to make a U.S. roster. I’m pretty sure that if Howes, in his 20s had participated in a residency program like the one I participated in the 1990s that he would have had a very good chance of making the 1996 Olympic team. He wouldn’t have been a “lock” to make it, but he would competed well for one of the coveted roster spots.

Making the 2028 Olympic Team?

I don’t know for sure, but I think Howes’ previous experience with the National team is clouding his perception of what he’s capable of achieving. He was one of the better athletes and overall the technical handball skills of those U.S. teams he played were fairly low. I suspect that he assessed (correctly, in my opinion) that if he truly focused on his development as a handball player in a quality training atmosphere that he would eventually be one of the best players, maybe even the best player on the team.

Alas, this is not a weaker era for the U.S. Men’s National Team and Lewis Howes is now 42 years old. Our current Men’s National Team would clobber the teams he played for by around 20 goals. In terms of raw athletic talent the athletes on the current roster are similar to the raw talent he had in his 20s. Maybe, his 20 something athletic prowess is slightly better in some areas, but, for sure, no one on the team would be totally outclassed athletically. In terms of technical handball skills… every single athlete on the team has him beat by a considerable margin. And, this goes pretty far down on the depth chart.

And, he’s 42 years old. I saw him play for the California Eagles at the NACHC Club Championships in Las Vegas this summer. He’s a decent 42 year old player, but nothing special. And, against quicker, younger, elite competition that knows how to play handball he’s going to struggle. Multiple times I saw him get beat 1v1. Side to side movement declines significantly as one ages… I know this from personal experience. There’s no shame in that… It happens to everyone.

A “Mostly” Harmlesss Quest, but…Some Cause for Concern

The commonly quoted axiom that almost always applies to handball in the U.S. is that “Any publicity is good publicity.” Whether it’s Jake Cutler or Pat McAffee talking nonsense about how their boys who’ve never played the sport can win an Olympic gold medal it gets people talking about the sport of handball and by default introducing the sport to more people in this country.

Howes’ positive messages regarding his love of handball are great and he’s gotten people, most of whom know next to nothing about the the sport to donate money. That’s awesome! Kind of amazing, when you think about it.

But, at the same time he has said a few things in interviews that I strongly disagree with and give me some concern. In this clip from his interview on “The Spin” he talks about how his leadership could help bring a team of stateside and overseas Americans together. Having observed the U.S. team and chatted with players and coaches for the past 6 years I would assess this as a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist. Even more troubling were some comments he made on a podcast with NYC’s Bini Moustafa during the pandemic where he highlighted how he first made the U.S. National Team via his networking skills. Does he think he can do it again with a modified, but similar campaign? That USA Team Handball can be persuaded to leave one roster spot for an aging, but still decent athlete that can provide leadership, marketing and exposure for the sport.

I’d like to think that the current USA Team Handball Coaching/Management team would stand firmly in the way of such a possibility. That roster decisions will simply be a matter that will be decided by athlete merit, but with everything that has taken place in the past year… I’ve got my doubts.

Yes, I was shaking my head and sighing as I typed the last sentence. Let’s move on to some real positive aspects of this effort and a proposed reboot that could really make a difference.

Suppporting the Dreams of Other Athletes and a Suggested Pivot to Focus on Women’s Athlete Development

While folks might be skeptical of a 42 year old athlete chasing their dreams everyone should get behind an effort that seeks to do the same for other athletes. As oulined in the GoFundMe page the club’s mission is to “provide athletes of all ages—youth, juniors, men, and women—a place to learn, play, and improve their handball skills.” And, the money being raised will be use to provide facilities, coaching, equipment and travel. I’m not very excited about paying for athlete travel costs, but I’m certainly down with the aim to restore Los Angeles as a premier hub for handball excellence. The Olympics are coming to town in 3 years. It just makes sense and we should already be doing something like this.

However, while I believe all athletes are worthy of help… I’ll make a pitch here for this effort to strongly consider a pivot to focus on the dreams of women athletes. The reason for this is simply pragmatic. During the 2024 Olympics I wrote a candid commentary on just how very unlikely it was for a male newcomer to the sport to make our 2028 Olympic team and, in turn, how very feasible it was for a female newcomer to make the 2028 Olympic team. The difference is night and day and the women’s national team situation is dire. We are currently on a path to very uncompetitive, very embarassing results in 3 years. Help is needed… yesterday.

And, I’ll tell you something… If Lewis Howes was Linda Howes, a 42 year old female athlete with a similar pedigree… I’d still be skeptical about her Chase Your Dreams project, but I wouldn’t write it off. The current talent level on the U.S. Women’s National Team is such that a great athlete, even at age 42, with proper training could very quickly find a roster spot.

But, LA THC and Lewis Howes don’t have to go after women in their 40s and 30s. They could scour the LA basin for top athletes in their early 20s. Howes could use his social media platforms (10M across IG, X and Facebook) to get the word out. And, the message, “of train to be an Handball Olympian with me in LA” would not be a car salesmanlike “what am I not being told here?” situation. No, it would be 100% legit. He could even shift his docuseries to focus on these new women athletes. From their first practice in LA, to their training in Europe, to their first national team appearance and on to the Olympic Games. Maybe even use his marketing acumen to turn a youtube show into a reality show on a major platform for a broader audience.

I don’t think LA has even fielded a Women’s team for several years, but with the right focus and resources, I think they could win a National Title as early as next spring. Heck, the core of the 2028 Olympic Team could eventually come from an LA based program. This may not be the personal dream Lewis Howes envisioned, but it’s still a rewarding one.

From personal experience, I saw my own Olympic dreams fall short, but I took some solace in being a part of another athlete’s (Dave DeGraaf, 96 Olympian) journey to reach their dreams. And, that was just a supporting role for one athlete. Lewis Howes is not going to be an Olympian, but he could be the catalyst directly responsible for fielding a large chunk of our Women’s Olympic Team… He really could and, if he did so, it would truly be “Greatness.”

Lewis Howes Cheering on the USA Team Handball Women at the 2028 LA Olympics
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Commentary: Yo-Yo Membership Dues: Again, Bad Optics… but, Does that Even Matter Anymore?

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(The timeline for recent changes in USA Team Handball’s Annual Membership Dues)

A Letter Missing Some Important Context…

USA Team Handball’s September Membership Newletter contains a letter from CEO Mike King to the USA Team Handball Community explaining the need to raise annual membership dues from $35 to $55. Here’s the first part of that letter:

“As many of you know, membership rates have changed over the years historically at $70, later reduced to $35. While that reduction helped lower barriers to participation, it is no longer sustainable. At $35, we do not cover even the essential costs associated with each member, including pro rata expenses for facility and accident insurance, SafeSport compliance, and administrative support. 

After careful review, the Board has approved a new membership rate of $55, which better reflects the real costs of maintaining a safe, compliant, and effective environment for our athletes and programs, and does so without passing along costs of USATH’s broader operations & overhead to our members.

While this adjustment is within the Board’s authority and responsibility, it is important to note that it was informed by broader analysis of costs and operations, and made with my full recommendation as well. We understand there has been much discussion and concern in the community about this change.”

The missing context? Well, let’s break down the first two sentences of the letter

  • “As many of you know, membership rates have changed over the years“: As someone who has paid dues off and on since 1987 I can assure you that is very much a true statement. My recollection is that for many years it was gradual and almost always upward… $5 here, 10 there. The primary reason for the increases? Well, the economic term is inflation.
  • “historically at $70,”: Using the Internet Wayback machine I was able to track how dues have changed since 2012. Adult dues, have indeed been $70 since at least 2012, but there was 3 year period (2016-18) whereby clubs received a $15 rebate for each affiliated athlete, so, that sort of lowered dues to $55. With collegiate dues the picture is more convoluted as dues went from $35 to $50 (with a $10 rebate), then the rebate went away and then in 2021, the college rate went away entirely.
  • “later reduced to $35.”: The appropriate reaction here is… “Holy missing context, Batman! What on earth happened that caused USA Team Handball to suddenly decide that a dramatic 50% reduction in dues from $70 to $35 was warranted?
  • “While that reduction helped lower barriers to participation“: This next sentence implies this reduction was simply a strategy to increase participation. To entice people who weren’t playing handball because of the $70 yearly fee, but would play if the fee was just $35/year. And, arguably it also implies that this lowering of barriers actually led to significantly more participation. I’ll argue in greater detail below that both of these implications are wrong. Dues were not cut in half to lower barriers to participation and even if that was the intent… it didn’t result in significantly greater participation.
  • “it is no longer sustainable.“: Sustainable is defined as “able to continue over a period of time”: If one truly wants to set a dues price that is “sustainable” the logical course of action is to set a price that is above costs such that it can absorb price increases (principally due to inflation) for several years. One would have to see the financials, but I’m thinking that $35 was never realistically sustainable.

The Bad and Comical Optics: The Same Person is Responsible for the Largest Drop and Highest Increase in USA Team Handball Dues History:

So why did then USA Team Handball suddenly decide two years ago that a 50% cost reduction was the thing to do? Well, that would be entirely attributable to the short lived US Handball Union’s strategy in August 2023 to undercut USA Team Handball with a $35 membership fee. Handball athletes, like most people, are hesitant to change and uncertainty, but if you’re going to charge 50% less for something… that, just might be worth the risk. And, coupled with USA Team Handball’s painfully slow reaction (they matched the lower price in Nov 2023) to a new competitor it resulted in a disrupted season, with some competitions under the Union, some being run independently and just 2 events being sanctioned by USA Team Handball.

This portion of the “Sequence of Events” is discussed here. And, really if you haven’t watched the whole sequence and are looking for more context as to why we are in the state we are in now… you probably should find the time.

I guess one could view the Handball Union dues reduction strategy as simply a sound disruptive, business strategy. For sure, it wouldn’t be the first time a new business came online with a substantially lower price to siphon away customers from the legacy business. Competition is a good thing and helps keep prices low and service better.

The argument at the time was that USA Team Handball was not doing a very good job at organizing competition. In particular, many people were not pleased with the National Championships being held in Spokane two years in a row. And, that it was costing everyone way more than it should… hence the dramatically cheaper US Handball Union memberships dues price. I don’t think the Handball Union season (2023-24) was any better than the USA Team Handball season before it… but it sure was cheaper for the athletes. And, so was last season (2024-25).

And, now we get to the bad optics. Everyone is now being told that the two year experiment with $35 dues is suddenly no longer sustainable. And, the person (USA Team Handball, CEO Mike King) providing this new message of “no longer sustainable” is the very same person (US Handball Union, Exec Director Mike King) who convinced people two years ago to join the bargain, better and cheaper, only $35/year, US Handball Union. If you don’t understand how this is bad, even comical optics… I give up.

FYI folks… it was never sustainable from day 1. But, it sure was effective in getting some folks to buy into a scheme a couple of years ago. And, to be clear, I don’t really hold anything against a rank and file athlete deciding whether he wants to pay $35 or $70 to play handball. That’s a no-brainer. But, the higher up the food chain you go… Yeah, there’s some blame there. And, if you were a USA Team Handball board member and not asking some financial related questions prior to the “merger” of the US Handball Union and USA Team Handball… Well, if one reviews the Board Meeting Notes from the summer of 2024… you’ll note that some board members were more curious than others and you don’t need to be a rocket scientist to guess how they voted in the infamous 3-2 vote that installed our current CEO.

The Already Committed do not Need Lower Barriers

Furthermore, the dues reduction did not result in a run on new memberships. Certainly, not for already committed handball playing athletes. No, all that did was put a little smile on the faces of a bunch of people who wouldn’t have thought twice about paying $70. Seriously, virtually every adult member who plays handball in the U.S. pays several hunded dollars a year to play handball. And, those travelling by plane 2-3 times a year are likely somewhere in the $1-2K range for their handball hobby. $35 is practically nothing in that context. Where it might possibly make sense is with new handball athletes, the bulk of whom are collegiate athletes.

At the end of the day… we are almost right back where we started from. Teams are still playing in the same weekend tournaments they were playing before the disruption. I actually like some of the recent reforms done for beach handball and NACHC Club Championship qualification… but, that could have been done without all the disruption.

Back to a College/Adult Price Split?

And, while dues are still less than what they were before ($55 instead of $70) don’t be surprised if this is just a temporary stop on the way to higher, more sustainable price. In fact, I would argue that USA Team Handball should actually go back to the $35/$70 split between the college and adult charge. Yes, I know that college students are adults, but having spent the last couple of weeks recruiting college students to try a new sport I would advocate charging them less… because they are more price conscious. So, I’m not sure whether the financials support it, but theoretically the money for an one rate ($55) vs two rates ($35-college and $70-adult) might not be too much different. Yes, let’s go back to 2015

Kudos to new Independent Board Member, Olga Chaikouskaya

Also worthy of mention: I suspect that the issue of bargain basement dues rate might never have even been addressed if not for new Board Member, Olga Chaikouskaya who also is on the audit committee. In the July 2 Board Meeting Minutes she brought the topic up.

I say this because the financial costs of a wide ranging operation like USA Team Handball don’t necessarily have to be fully alligned with revenue. Or, in other words the budget deficit associated with membership benefits could, and probably was being paid by revenues accrued elsewhere. Maybe our CEO was already aware of this disconnect and had brought it to the Audit Committee’s attention. Maybe…

Such pay Peter to pay Paul budgeting, if done to excess, can be problematic and such a maneuver by USA Rugby led to a lawsuit and played a role in that organization going bankrupt. Except in USA Rugby’s case it was the membership getting screwed over by the accounting switcheroo… not benefitting from it. Again, I’d have to see the financial data to make that assessment, but it’s good to know that at least one board member seems to already be asking the right questions.

Bad Optics. Does it even Matter anymore?

It’s all a bit bewildering to me. Whether it’s the yo-yo dues issue I’ve detailed here or the loss of Forum Club Handball (FCH) support to USA Player development or a lost World Championships Wild Card due to a convoluted hiring process for an interim Women’s coach or the best Men’s coach we’ve had in years departing on acrimonious terms or a Men’s coaching hiring with quid pro quo optics so bad it leads to a former European Handball Federation (EHF) President resigning from the IHF USA New Market Project it seemingly doesn’t matter… at least to some people anyway. Bewildering, but begrudgingly, though I have to admire the salesmanship. Folks that were up in arms over the previous CEO’s “incompetence” seemingly can look the other way at all the bad news that’s come afterwards as if it’s all no big deal. And, that’s not even factoring in what was essentially a lost season (23-24) where rival organizations led to very little being accomplished in what should have been a lot of promotion tied to the 2024 Paris Olympics. Yes, it was all totally worth it… <sigh>

It even sort of reminds me a bit of Donald Trump’s claim that he could shoot someone on New York’s 5th Avenue and not lose his voters. I’m not a fan of our current President, but I’ve got to respect his ability to continuously sell his presidency to his unwavering base of support. And, yes I’m not a fan of our current CEO, but one has to respect the salesmanship. People that really should know better are apparently happy with everything that has taken place. That, my friends, is some uber salesmanship.

I just wish those skills were also bringing in more significant sponsorship. And, honestly, I’m pretty surprised it hasn’t yet. After all, if you can sell some folks who really care about handball that everything is A-OK, then selling our great sport to companies that want to be part of the LA 2028 Olympics should be a walk in the park.

2025 Jr PANAM Games Men’s Handball Competition (U21)

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The USA Men’s Junior National Team is participating in the 2025 Jr PANAM Games Women’s Handball Competition in Asuncion, Paraguay. The Jr PANAM Games is a U21 multi-sport competition for nations from North and South America. Here’s a look at the roster and some links to follow the tournament. Some matches will likely be streamed on the PANAM Sports Channel, but based on the 2023 PANAM Games handball coverage may be spotty.

USA Roster

<Table with club, previous tournaments, etc in devlopment>

Likely Player Positions

<Schematic in development>

USA Schedule

  • Sunday, 17 August
    • USA vs Chile 26-23 (13-13) Stats
  • Monday, 18 August
    • USA vs Mexico 39-35 (19-15) Stats
  • Tuesday, 19 August
    • USA vs Brazil 22-32 (10=13) Stats
  • Wednesday, 20 August
    • <Off Day>
  • Thursday, 21 August
    • Semifinal USA vs Argentina 13-28 (8-13) Stats
  • Friday, 22 August
    • 3rd Place Match USA vs Paraguay 39-29 (17-11) Stats

Group B (Final Standings)

Links

  • Tournament Page (Wikipedia): Link
  • Jr PANAM Games Competitions Page: Link
  • USA Final Roster Announcement: Link
  • USA Preview Page: Link
  • Jr PANAM Games Rosters: Link
  • Match Web Streaming: Link
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Jean Brihault Resigns from the IHF’s New Markets USA Project

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Shortly after USA Team Handball’s recent announcement of new appointments to the Men’s National Team coaching staff I received multiple reports that Jean Brihault, the IHF’s lead on the USA New Markets Project since 2017 was no longer involved in the effort.

I contacted the International Handball Federation (IHF) for confirmation and I received, in part, the following response from Amal Khalifa, the IHF General Director:

Mr Brihault joined the IHF from the very first moment the project was launched in the USA. He was one of the main catalysts for the successful implementation of the project. The IHF and USATH appreciated his efforts and wanted to work with him to further develop handball in the USA. Unfortunately, for personal reasons, he has apologised for continuing.
We have a few other missions for Mr Brihault, in which he will certainly also participate successfully.

I also contacted Jean Brihault and he provided the following response:

Last year, I was shocked at the way the new CEO and Board President of USATH came to their positions and I was tempted to add my resignation to those of others who had resigned at the time.

I nevertheless considered that it was my duty to try and rebuild a relationship of confidence with USATH. The recent ousting of those who had been so successful at leading the US MNT and the recent choices made to replace them have confirmed my initial impression that there was a contradiction between the forms of governance now prevailing in USATH and those I am familiar with and believe in.

I therefore made the painful decision to ask the IHF President to end my mission in support of the USA New Markets Project.

Jean Brihault is a former President of the European Handball Federation (EHF) (2012-2016) and was the IHF Advisor for their New Markets USA Project from 2017 to 2025

2018 Handball Inside Interview with Jean Brihault on the USA Project: Link

2025 Jr PANAM Games Women’s Handball Competition (U20)

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The USA Women’s Junior National Team is participating in the 2025 Jr PANAM Games Women’s Handball Competition in Asuncion, Paraguay. The Jr PANAM Games is a multi-sport competition for nations from North and South America. Here’s a look at the roster and some links to follow the tournament. Some matches will likely be streamed on the PANAM Sports Channel, but based on the 2023 PANAM Games handball coverage may be spotty.

USA Roster

<Table with club, previous tournaments, etc in devlopment>

Likely Player Positions

<Schematic in development>

USA Schedule

  • Sunday, 10 August
    • USA vs Paraguay 12-19 (8-11) Stats
  • Monday, 11 August
    • USA vs Chile 26-31 (9-18) Stats
  • Tuesday, 12 August
    • USA vs Uruguay 16-20 (10-11) Stats
  • Wednesday, 13 August
    • <Off Day>
  • Thursday, 14 August 0800 US ET / 1400 CET
    • 5th-8th Place Semifinal USA vs Mexico 27-22 (12-16) Stats
  • Friday, 15 August
    • 5th Place Match USA vs Chile 24-30 (14-14) Stats

Group B (Final Standings)

Links

  • Tournament Page (Wikipedia): Link
  • Jr PANAM Games Competitions Page: Link
  • USA Final Roster Announcement: Link
  • USA Preview Page: Link
  • Jr PANAM Games Rosters: Link
  • Match Web Streaming: Link

2025 IHF Men’s Youth (U19) Handball World Championships Information Page

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The USA Men’s Youth National Team is participating in the 2025 IHF Men’s Jr World Championships in Poland from 6-17 August in Egypt Poland. Here’s a look at the roster and some links to follow the tournament. All matches will be streamed on the IHF Competitions YouTube Channel and I will post direct link to individual matches when they are available.

USA Roster

<Table with club, previous tournaments, etc in devlopment>

Likely Player Positions

<Schematic in development>

USA Schedule

  • Wednesday, 6 August
  • Thursday, 7 August,
  • Friday, 8 August
    • <Off Day>
  • Saturday, 9 August
  • Sunday, 10 August
    • <Off Day>
  • Monday, 11 August
  • Tuesday, 12 August
  • Wednesday, 13 August
    • <Off Day>
  • Thursday, 14 August
  • Friday, 15 August

Preliminary Group H (Final Standings)

President’s Cup Group IV (Final Standings)

29th to 32 Place Bracket

Links

  • Tournament Page (Wikipedia): Link
  • IHF Competitions Page: Link
  • USA Provisional Roster Announcement: Link
  • USA Preview Page: Link
  • IHF profile of Simon Neumaier: Link
  • IHF Team USA Page: Link
  • Official Roster provided to IHF: Provisional Final
  • Team Cumulative Stats: Link
  • Match Web Streaming: Link
  • Match Odds at Odds Portal: Link

USA Handball Talk (Episode 50): USA Team Handball Town Hall

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On Monday, 28 July, USA Team Handball conducted an online Town Hall. I recorded the meeting and recorded almost the entire meeting. (There are a couple of gaps due to recording issues.) The YouTube version has 18 different segments identified of different people speaking and Q&A. Here are those 18 segments with a few notes for context:

  • 1) (0:00) USA Team Handball CEO, Mike King provided a summary of recent activities
  • 2) (13:00) Handball Futures Executive Director, Karen Rosolowski provided an updated on the Handball Futures effort
  • 3) (17:53) CEO discussion on future activities and plans
  • 4) (29:25) Q&A Question from John Ryan regarding regarding making the Strategic Plan available to the membership
    • Note: The recording is hard to understand towards the end due to feedback. I was a bit confused regarding the document being approved… but, still being fine tuned in terms of Key Performance Indicators (KPI). Generally speaking, my experience is that documents that are still being fine tuned… are not final
    • My thoughts on Strategic Plan development: Link
  • 5) Recording Gap
  • 6) (31:00) Q&A Question from former national team member, Mark Wright regarding the impact of Men’s Coach Robert Hedin’s departure and the plans for his replacement
    • Handball Woche article on Coach Hedin’s resignation: “Robert Hedin resigns as Men’s National Team Coach, but not for sporting reasons“: Link
    • USA Team Handball article on Coach Hedin: “Robert Hedin Steps Down as Men’s National Team Head Coach“: Link
  • 7) (35:25) Brief remarks from Board President, Patrick Jalabert and Board Member David Eldridge
  • 8) (36:24) Question from John Ryan as to whether the CEO will make the hiring decision for head coaches
    • The interim head coach for the Women’s National Team had been decided by a commitee: Link
  • 9) (37:05) Question from Cristofer Conner on how stateside Americans can be identified and developed for national team consideration
    • Note: U.S. Men’s and to a lesser extent, Women’s National Teams have been mostly comprised of Americans who learned and developed their handball skills in other countries:
      • “Two handball championships in Sweden separated by 30 years: from 0% to 83% dual citizens: Does that matter“: Link
      • “Expatica Americana“: A closer look at the dual citizens who play such an important role on U.S. national teams: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3
  • 10) (41:44) Question from John Ryan regarding plans for a stateside residency program
    • Note: I consider the decision to start a Residency Program at Auburn to be the biggest strategic mistake in the history of USA Team Handball. I guess my head is safe from exploding for the time being: Link
    • However, it does beg the question… If not a residency program, what is the plan going forward to field a competitive women’s team in 2028?
  • 11) (43:26) Question from John Ryan regarding how current overall revenue and sponsorship revenue compares to last year and pre-COVID years
    • Note: I mistakenly pulled the $116,000 figure from the Handball Futures presentation. CEO, Mike King did not provide specific dollar figures and spoke in broad terms on several different finanancial topics such as revenues, expenses and net equity. These topics, of course, are intertwined, but it’s hard to get a handle on the current financial state of the organization without looking at numbers.
    • My comment at the end regarding the merits of a 20% increase in sponsorship revenue relates to the reality that when the numbers are smaller, percentages can be deceptive in terms of what they say. More is better than less, but expectations in an Olympic Quadrennial cycle should be much higher. (for reference, check out the 75% increase in total revenue from 1993 to 1994 below)
    • In the near future I plan to provide an update to this financial status article from 2024. In simple terms, my projection of skyrocketing revenues has clearly not materialized yet.
  • 12) (50:58) Question from John Ryan regarding how the Board will decide to vote in the upcoming IHF President Election
    • Gerd Butzeck, the Managing Director for the Forum Club Handball (FCH) is challenging Dr Hassan Moustafa for the upcoming IHF President Election in December. Here’s a recent Handball-World interview: Link
    • My assessment: I found Board President, Patrick Jalabert’s response thoughtful and reassuring
  • 13) (52:39) Question from John Ryan regarding the loss of Forum Club Handball support for the development of USA athletes with top handball clubs in Europe
    • The Forum Club Handball has placed several USA athletes with top clubs in Europe and paid for those athlete’s compensation. This program provided those athletes with an opportunity to train in a quality environment at no cost to USA Team Handball. Due to concerns with USA Team Handball management changes the program was put on hold in November 2024: Link
    • My assessment: I was surprised with the CEO response that the previous coaching staff had indicated that the program was no longer a high priority. I reached out to Coach Hedin and his recollection did not match the CEO’s words. I would assess that the number of player pool candidates for an FCH Program opportunity will ebb and flow. Perhaps we were at a temporary low point in terms of current candidates available, but that’s about to change if it already hasn’t. I see several strong candidates: Gary Philips, Mark Miller and Simon Neumaier to name a few.
  • 14) (55:02) Question from John Ryan regarding the Interim Board President becoming the Permanent Board President
    • Note: I’m not sure what happened with the audio breaking up during Patrick Jalabert’s response
    • My assessment: It should be noted that the need to get the “board back to a place of stablity”… stems from the sequence of events that resulted in 4 independent board members resigning from the board
  • 15) (56:45) Question from Cristofer Conner regarding efforts to support youth development
    • My assessment: I wholeheartedly agree with the CEO comments regarding the need to develop sustainable youth development. One off events to introduce handball are nice, but unless there is a pathway for continued development the benefits of such events are limited.
  • 16) Recording Gap
  • 17) (1:01:10) Tracey Williams-Johnson (Handball Futures) request for club collaboration and support to new athlete development
  • 18) (1:04:10) John Ryan question regarding the roster composition of the USA clubs participating in the North American & Caribbean Handball Confederation (NACHC) Club Championships
    • Commentary regarding last year’s California Eagles roster: Link
    • Note: I am working on yet another commentary regarding this topic

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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USA Handball Talk (Episode 49): Interviews in Las Vegas at the NACHC Club Championships and World Series of Handball

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From 3-7 July, the Las Vegas Westgate Resort was home to two handball competitions: The North American & Caribbean Handball Confederation (NACHC) Club Championships and the World Series of Handball. I had the opportunity to see some of the matches and interview some of the participants. Included on this podcast are interviews with California Eagles right wings, Sean Corning and Ebiye Udo-Udoma and one of the organizers of the World Series of Handball, JD Orr. The mp3 audio file is available on Apple podcasts, Spotify and for download at the top of the page. Below are the YouTube videos for each interview and some links to what was discussed

Sean Corning Interview

JD Orr Interview

Ebiye Udo-Udoma Interview

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 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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2025 IHF Trophy Women’s Jr Championships (Scenarios for the Final Day)

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The Final Match Day is today and the scenarios for finishing 1st or 2nd in the competition could get a little complicated. Canada or the USA will finish 1st, but it’s still possible for those teams to finish 3rd. Mexico and Greenland also have chances to finish 2nd. Here’s my attempt to simplify the possibilities. And, I should emphasize that while I think my calculations are correct they are by no means official.

First off, I’m going to assume that the U.S. will defeat winless St Kitt’s & Nevis in the 2nd game of the day. Considering the scorelines for the first four matches this is a pretty same assumption.

The first match of the day, however, between Mexico and Puerto Rico is more up in the air. If Mexico wins they will finish with 7 points and there will be 3 different tie breaking scenarios for the result of the Canada – Greenland match (CAN win, GRL win and CAN-GRL draw). And, then there are also 3 different scenarios if Mexico loses or draws vs Puerto. Here’s a look at the 6 different scenarios

Scenarios 1A, 1B and 1C: Mexico Loses or Draws vs Puerto Rico

If Mexico fails to defeat Puerto Rico in the first match of the day, here are the 3 relatively straightforward scenarios for the final match of the day:

  • 1A (Canada defeats Greenland)
    • Canada finishes 1st with 8 pts; USA finishes 2nd with 7 points
  • 1B (Greenland defeats Canada)
    • USA and Greenland finish with 7 pts
      • Tiebreaker (USA defeated Greenland) USA 1st, Greenland 2nd)
  • 1C (Canada – Greenland draw)
    • Canada and USA finish with 7 pts
      • Tiebreaker (Canada defeated USA) Canada 1st, USA 2nd

Scenarios 2A, 2B and 2C: Mexico Wins vs Puerto Rico

If Mexico defeats Puerto Rico in the first match of the day, here are the 3 more complicated scenarios for the final match of the day:

  • 2A (Canada defeats Greenland)
    • Canada finishes 1st with 8 pts; USA and Mexico finish 2nd with 7 points
      • Tiebreaker (USA defeated Mexico) USA 2nd, Mexico 3rd
  • 2B (Greenland defeats Canada)
    • USA, Mexico and Greenland finish with 7 pts
      • Tiebreaker 1 (Points in the common matches: USA defeated Greenland, 31-22; USA defeated Mexico, 22-21; Mexico and Greenland played to a 26-26 draw) USA 1st with 4 pts; Greenland and Mexico with 1 pt each; go to 2nd tiebreaker
      • Tiebreaker 2 (Goad Differential in the common matches: USA +10; Mexico -1; Greenland -9) Mexico 2nd, Greenland 3rd
  • 2C (Canada – Greenland draw)
    • Mexico, Canada and USA finish with 7 pts
      • Tiebreaker 1 (Points in the common matches) Canada defeated USA, 26-22; USA defeated Mexico, 22-21; Mexico defeated Canada, 35-34) All 3 teams with 2 points each; go to 2nd tiebreaker
      • Tiebreaker 2 (Goad Differential in the common matches: Canada +3; Mexico 0; USA -3) Canada 1st, Mexico 2nd, USA 3rd
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2025 IHF Trophy Women’s Jr (U19) NORCA Championships Information Page

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The USA Women’s Jr National Team is participating in the 2025 IHF Trophy Women’s Jr NORCA Championships from 16-20 July in Drummondville, Quebec, Canada. This competition is a U19 event with all athletes born in 2006 or later. It also serves as qualification to two follow on events. The winner of this competition will qualify for the IHF Trophy Intercontinental Championships, while the top two teams will qualify for the 2026 IHF Jr (U20) Championship.

The 6 nations participating (Canada, Greenland, Mexico, Puerto Rico, St Kitts & Nevis, and the USA will play a full round robin. There will be no knockout phase and the group standings will determine the final team ranking.

All matches will be streamed on the IHF Drummondville YouTube Channel and I will post direct link to individual matches when they are available. Additionally, the Handball Show is experimenting with a live commentary of the matches that needs to be synched up with the match video feed.

Here’s a look at the roster and some links to follow the tournament.

USA Roster

Likely Court Positions

Schedule/Results

Group Standings (Final)

Final Ranking

  • 1) Canada: Qualified for IHF Trophy Intercontinenal Championship and 2026 Jr World Championships
  • 2) USA: Qualified for 2026 Jr World Championshps
  • 3) Greenland*
  • 4) Puerto Rico*
  • 5) Mexico*
  • 6) St Kitts & Nevis
    *Tiebreaker for Greenland/Mexico/Puerto Rico mini-table: Greenland 3 pts, Puerto Rico 2 pts, Mexico 1 pt

Links

  • Tournament Page (Wikipedia): 
  • IHF Competitions Page: Link (Template page: Not updated)
  • “The Handball Show” Information Page: Link
  • USA Roster Announcement: Link
  • IHF Team USA Page: Link
  • Official Roster provided to IHF: 
  • Team Cumulative Stats: 
  • Match Web Streaming: Link
  • IHF Drummondville Social Media: IG FB

USA Handball Talk (Episode 48): Did a Questionable Hiring Process Result in a Lost Wild Card? (Part 2)

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In 2018, the IHF Council awarded the USA Men and Women wild card spots for 2025 and 2027 World Championships. This award was made to help the USA teams prepare for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. The award, however, was not 100% guaranteed and included a vague caveat “provided that the USA National Teams have reached a certain performance level” that could be invoked to pull back the award. The first warning that this caveat would be used came on 27 March 2025 when an IHF annoucement awarding a wild card for China quietly omitted any mention of a wild card for the U.S. and was later confirmed on 12 May 2025 when the IHF awarded Croatia the 2nd available wild card for the 2025 World Championships.

While the U.S. Women’s National Team performance has been pretty low for several years it’s my opinion that the IHF decision to not award a wild card to the U.S. was ultimately triggered by a very questionable process to fire and hire a new Women’s Head Coach quickly before the North American & Caribbean Handball Confederation (NACHC) Champions this past April.

Part 1 addressed the questionable timing and the use of a committee to select the coach. Part 2 addresses the selection criteria, the composition of the committee, the lack of transparency and the impact of not participating in the World Championship for the U.S. Women’s program.

Here are some links to what was discussed:

  • Coach Selection Process Procedures: Link
  • Handball Futures Coach Selection Announcement: Link
  • The “Sequence of Events” that resulted in four board member resignations, one board member being removed and reinstated and the unorthodox hiring and firing of a CEO: Link
  • 2025 Women’s World Championship Draw: Link

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 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