In the Dominican Republic, about a 2 hour flight from Miami, the International Handball Federation (IHF) Youth World Championships are currently taking place. 19 nations from around the world and hundreds of athletes, 18 years old or younger, are participating in this event. The U.S. is not there as no team was sent to the earlier qualifying events for this hemisphere.

The decision not to compete is nothing new as U.S. participation in age based IHF tournaments has historically been sporadic and infrequent. There are a number of reasons why this has been the case, but I’ll briefly highlight 3 primary factors:

1) Cost: Not only can it be expensive to simply send a team to the actual championships, the costs for qualifying events also have to be factored in. And this could be 2 qualifying tournaments if the U.S. has to first play in a Div 1 event prior to the Pan American Championships. And if you want to prepare for these events in a meaningful way there will also be costs for team tryouts and training camps
2) Scheduling/Calendar: The IHF championships are in the summer, but the Pan American Championships qualifying events take place during the school year. Inevitably, this will mean that some High School and Collegiate athletes won’t be able to make these events.
3) Insufficient talent pool: Historically, most U.S. athletes have been introduced to the sport in their late teens and early 20’s. This means that there have been very few athletes to choose from for these events and that they were very inexperienced in relation to the other nations participating.

But, this is past history. Is there any reason to think that plans might change? Certainly, the Federation’s youth focus would seem to indicate that it is at least being considered. A youth team recently travelled to participate in the annual tournament in Partille, Sweden and the Futures High School program has been given a lot of emphasis by the Federation. Factor in the decision not to fund participation in upcoming Men’s and Women’s Senior events and one conclude that perhaps resources are being channeled in this direction. Not much can be done considering calendar issues, but the U.S. is working to broaden the talent pool. One could at least envision a high school all star team comprised of athletes who are currently playing in the futures program or have traveled to events like the Partille Cup.

So, are Youth and Junior Championships part of the Federation’s plans? So far there have been no official pronouncements and if all you did was check the U.S. website you probably wouldn’t know that these events even existed. Last May, I submitted a series of questions to the Federation seeking information concerning their future plans across the board and specifically what the plans were for participating in future PATHF and IHF events. I’m still waiting, but barring answers, perspective players can still look at the calendar and work backwards.

The IHF has settled into a routine for the Youth and Junior Championships. The Women’s events take place in even years (2010, 2012, etc) and the Men’s events take place in odd years (2009, 2011, etc). The PATHF webpage indicates that the Men’s Div 1 Junior Championships will take place this October in Venezuela. As this is around the corner, it’s probably pretty unlikely the U.S. will attempt to qualify. In terms of Youth Qualifying events nothing is listed for Div 1, so it may be that there are only enough nations for a championship in the April time. Bottom line, though is that it looks like time is running short for 2011. Perhaps 2012 will be the first time the U.S. will make a run at qualifying.

For more information on the ages for youth and junior tournaments check out our new qualification page in the links on the right side of our homepage: https://teamhandballnews.com/page38.html

IHF 2010 Youth Championships: http://www.ihf.info/IHFCompetitions/WorldChampionships/WomensYouthWorldChampionships/WomensYouthWorldChampionship2010/tabid/5092/Default.aspx
PATHF Women’s Youth Championships Results (April 2010): http://www.panamhandball.org/index.php?option=com_joomleague&func=showPlan&mode=1&p=13&Itemid=30
THN Commentary (26 Nov 09): Another PATHF Tournament in Costa Rica: Where are the Americans?: https://teamhandballnews.com/news.php?item.888

Last October, I was flabbergasted by the International Handball Federation (IHF) going an incredible 42 days without an update to their webpage. The IHF took a lot of criticism, but made a commitment and signed a contract for a much needed web update. Last month the IHF unveiled this much needed new look. Without question it’s a significant improvement on the old site in terms of style and aesthetics even if it is mostly a repackaging of the same information.

But in at least one area (Video analysis) the IHF deserves credit for providing handball followers new and useful information. At the recently completed Women’s Junior World Championship several short videos analyzing play are now available for download. The videos are edited with captions and use slow-motion to highlight strategy and techniques used during the tournament. While these videos are not the quality of a “Sports Center” breakdown they are pretty decent and should be informative for coaches and players. The videos also are a little hard to find, so follow the links at the bottom.

But, while I find the videos a nice addition I can’t help but be amused and perplexed by the national team rankings prominently displayed on the homepage. The methodology for these rankings are not explained and most visitors would probably assume that it is a rough measure of how National Teams currently stand performance wise perhaps using some weighted formula taking into account recent competitions. But, as the French Men’s team, currently in the midst of one of the more dominating runs in the history of the sport is listed as the 6th best Men’s side that’s obviously not the case. No instead, it appears to be a compendium of historical performance which even includes the 11 a side outdoor game played at the 1936 Olympics.

I suppose this is mildly interesting, but it would have been much better to have come up with a ranking system that’s focused on recent performance. Other sports, such as soccer and rugby have been using rankings like this for years. While the formulas used for those sports have also resulted in questionable rankings, they usually have been in the ballpark and are a useful marker for nations to assess where they stand compared to their peers. Hopefully, the IHF will rethink the rankings and come up with a new system to reflect this.

THN Commentary (1 Oct 09): 42 Days and Counting: IHF misses the boat on self promotion and new media
https://teamhandballnews.com/news.php?item.836
THN Commentary (21 Oct 09): IHF to seek more progressive web presence: https://teamhandballnews.com/news.php?item.852

IHF Home page: www.ihf.info
IHF: IHF website offers new content and new design: http://www.ihf.info/TheIHF/Organization/President/Wordfromthepresident/tabid/1719/Default.aspx
IHF Women’s WC Analysis (Article): http://www.ihf.info/MediaCenter/News/NewsDetails/tabid/130/Default.aspx?ID=388
IHF: Women’s Junior WC Video Analysis:
http://www.ihf.info/IHFCompetitions/WorldChampionships/WomenJuniorworldchampionships/WomensJuniorWorldChampionshipinKorea2010/VideoAnalyses/tabid/5624/Default.aspx

IHF Rankings: http://www.ihf.info/TheGame/RankingTable/tabid/98/Default.aspx
IHF Rankings Spread Sheet: http://www.ihf.info/files/ranking/EWIGEBES.XLS (Extra credit to any reader that can explain what all the numbers mean in this file)

In April 2009, the French Professional league staged their league’s Final Four Cup in Miami. Last week, the German and Polish National Teams played an International friendly in Chicago. As perhaps the only person to attend both events in person here’s a comparison and contrast of the two events and some speculation regarding future ventures.

Venue: The Miami event was held at the American Airlines Arena, the home of the NBA’s Miami Heat. It is a world class arena with a seating capacity of 19,600 and is a magnificent venue for any sporting event. The University of Illinois, Chicago (UIC) Pavilion, on the other hand is a more modest, somewhat aging facility with a seating capacity of around 7,000. Setting aside attendance, there’s no comparison as to which venue is better.

Attendance: Of course, you can’t set aside attendance, though. In reality, it’s probably the single most important metric to assess the success of a major sporting event. The paltry number of fans (300 – 1,000) that showed up in Miami was made even more stark by a large cavernous arena. Aesthetically, for those in attendance and watching on TV seeing rows and rows of empty seats can take the energy out of an event. By contrast fewer fans were needed to fill seats in the more modest Chicago arena. Even still there were noticeable pockets of empty seats. Judging attendance involves some guesswork, but if the venue holds around 7,000 for sporting events, I would guess that there were around 4,000 – 5,000 fans in the seats. Far short of a sell out, but easily the most people ever assembled to watch a Handball event in the U.S. outside of the Olympics. In and of itself, that is a major achievement.

Local Promotion: So, why were there fewer fans in Miami? The simple answer is that there appears to have been a fairly effective campaign in Chicago directly targeted at the Polish community there. Certainly, anyone in attendance could not miss the loud and boisterous Polish support in the stands. The Miami promoters sought out French supporters, but in reality there is no significant French community in the U.S. For that matter, there is not much of a German community despite the fact that are over 100 million Americans of German descent. In fact, there are only a few places left in the U.S. where assimilation hasn’t made “Little Italy’s” into nothing more than a place to eat Italian food. Clearly Polish Chicago is an exception to the nearly total assimilation of European ethnic groups in most parts of the U.S. Also, I didn’t conduct a survey, but I would speculate that a fair number of those Polish fans were there more to wave a Polish banner than they were to see a great handball match. Nothing wrong with that, though, and who knows maybe some of those folks left the arena as converted handball fans.

In terms of getting non-Polish fans in attendance, though, the Chicago effort appears to have been largely unsuccessful. The very low attendance for the U.S. – L.A. game is certainly an indicator of this. While Germany – Poland is clearly more of a marquee matchup American fans of Handball (without a Polish or German connection) would logically also have found time to arrive early and see the U.S. National Team play. There were fans that did this, but the number was around 300 – 500 or Miami like numbers.

Quality of Competition: The U.S. – L.A. match was competitive, but the overall skill level of the players was a couple of steps down from professionals. The Germany – Poland match involved players with world class talent, but as a friendly months away from any meaningful competition the match was used by both teams as an opportunity to experiment with different player combinations. They played hard, but there was nothing really at stake. Last year’s French Clubs were a notch below talent wise, but as these teams were playing for a title, in my opinion there was more purpose and intensity in those games. Perhaps, though, there are only a few knowledgeable handball fans currently in the U.S. that can fully appreciate the difference between exhibition and competitive matches.

Overall: I think most observers with an American perspective will agree that overall this event was clearly a success. Quality match, decent crowd and TV exposure: All positive outcomes. Some might argue that Federation resources could have been better spent on Grassroots efforts, but I think it makes sense to continue to stage promotional events like this in the future. There’s no denying that there are substantial cost in both time and money, but the overall promotional benefit is worth it and it should feed grass roots effort with increased interest from fans and potential players. Surely, somewhere out there, is a kid who saw the U.S. National play and is already making plans to give this game a try. It won’t surprise me either if this currently unknown individual when asked in 2016 or 2020 how he first got interested in Handball mentions seeing this event on TV in 2010.

Don’t get me wrong. An effective Grassroots program is still the most important element of the Federation’s overall program. Events like Chicago shouldn’t become the over-riding focus of the Federation, but they still need to be staged periodically to promote the sport.

The Future

The buzz in Chicago is that a similar event will likely be held next year, perhaps with four teams. There are problems with scheduling that need to be addressed, but my sense is that this is an event that will be repeated. In terms of location, though, the Polish connection is a lesson that won’t soon be forgotten. Until there is a much larger base of handball fans in the U.S. it is probably imperative that such an event be staged in a city where national ties can be counted on to fill a good portion of the seats. This means there are only a few locales where such an event can be staged successfully. Chicago has proven itself and the next most logical candidate is New York City. New York City will likely add more logistical challenges as it is an expensive city to stage an event in. But as they say, “If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere.”

THN (18 Apr 09): Commentary on Miami Tournament: Link

The German and Polish National Teams took time out from training to catch a Major League Baseball game between the Chicago Cubs and the Philadelphia Phillies. I was not there, but I'm pretty sure that more than one of those players was thinking, “These Americans will sit through 3 hours of this, but don’t even know that our sport exists. How can that be?”

USA Board Chairman, Dieter Esch, Polish Team Captain, Slawomir Szmal and German Team Captain Pascal Hens: http://usateamhandball.org/multimedia/photo_gallery/1754/photo/39891#gallery-header
Szmal and Hens get Cubs jerseys: http://usateamhandball.org/multimedia/photo_gallery/1754/photo/39872#gallery-header

Well, I’m eagerly awaiting my departure out of Vegas for Chicago this evening. This Saturday’s matches should be a real treat for American Handball fans and should be the the biggest Handball event in the U.S. ever outside of the 1984 and 1996 Olympics. The Germany and Poland rosters have most of their top players listed and while it’s a friendly match the unique atmosphere and the rivalry between these two teams should provide a memorable contest. Also of interest will be the warm up match between Team USA and the Los Angeles Team Handball Club. For many of these players this will be their very first opportunity to play in front of a large crowd and a live TV audience.

Come again? [i]A live TV broadcast of Handball in the United States?[/i] Really? OK. Say it with me. [u]A live TV broadcast of Handball in the United States.[/u] Soak in the reality. Say it with me one more time. [b]A live TV broadcast of Handball in the United States! [/b]

OK, it’s on a regional network, but this is still a very significant first for this country. And with the availability of Direct TV and Dish Network what’s on one regional network actually is available to millions all across the country. If you have either of those two satellite options the channels for watching live are 642 for Direct TV and 424 for the Dish Network. Tape delay options will be also be available on other channels in the days and weeks to come.

Game Times
USA vs. Los Angeles, 12:00 PM (East Coast Time)
Germany vs. Poland, 2:00 PM (East Coast Time)

USA Team Handball: TV Air times: http://usateamhandball.org/news/2010/07/14/world-s-best-arrive-tv-times-announced/37241?ngb_id=42

One final note: Along with Kenn Tomasch I will be providing the TV commentary for the USA vs. Los Angeles match. Christer Ahl, will be in Chicago as well. If you’re in Chicago, don’t hesitate to chat us up about Handball and the website.

As many of you already know, I spent five years living in Paris from 2002-2007. My wife has just published a book about her experiences as a stay at home mom in the City of Lights. It is a very amusing and heartfelt memoir that highlights her struggles to fit in with the fashionable Parisian 'mamans' and overcome French bureaucracy. And while I realize the core readers of this website are men, I promised I'd give her a plug because I didn't want to end up in the proverbial doghouse and because the book really is a great read. So, if you have a wife or girlfriend she'd definitely enjoy reading Paris with Kids (I'm even mentioned a few times in the book—-along with my obsession for handball). It's available on Amazon.com (see the link below).
[img]{e_IMAGE}newspost_images/Paris_with_Kids _Cover.jpg[/img]
Amazon.com (Paris with Kids): http://www.amazon.com/Paris-Kids-Alison-Ryan/dp/1439268991/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1278783713&sr=8-15

Christer‘s commentary a few weeks ago on international skepticism regarding USA Team Handball did a good job of summarizing what he‘s seen from 32 years experience. I won‘t repeat his analysis, as it is a pretty good summary of the somewhat misinformed perspectives that Americans and non-Americans have on USA Team Handball. I will offer up though, my favorite non-American assessment courtesy of French Coach Claude Onesta, who when asked by reporter Stefan Fatsis at a 2004 Olympic press conference why the U.S. isn’t very good at handball, replied in perfect, dismissive French: “As far as I am concerned, there are a lot of games at which the United States does not excel.” He might just as well have said, “Who cares and so what?”

Here’s my attempt to answer that question and there’s probably no better way to do so then to first take a look at how much headway soccer has made in the U.S. in the last 30 years or so. Back in 1980 soccer was played in a few high schools and colleges, but there was no pro league and virtually no matches on TV. Perhaps the World Cup final was shown on TV via tape delay, but I certainly have no recollection of seeing it on TV.

In the past few weeks as I‘ve worked on this commentary, I‘ve seen constant reminders of how the World Cup actually matters in this country now. For instance, at an airport terminal I sat next to a father and son watching Paraguay – Italy via webstream on their laptop. As little as 12 years ago that World Cup match couldn‘t have even been watched on TV anywhere in the U.S. Now every World Cup game is shown live and European Club football is available on multiple soccer focused cable stations. Clearly, there‘s a significant percentage of Americans who actually care about all these games.

But, while there‘s a significant slice of Americans who now care about soccer, it still doesn‘t even approach the passion in the rest of the world. The vast majority of Americans still either don‘t care or like me, have just a passing interest. But while that percentage is small, we are still a nation of 308 Million affluent people. We can argue about what the percent is exactly, but let’s say it’s 5%. That’s still 15 million fans and advertisers and overseas clubs have started to take notice. You may be shocked to find out (as I was) that behind the host country of South Africa, the #2 country in ticket purchases for the World Cup matches was the U.S. Yes, a sizable percentage of those buyers were expats living in the U.S. and Mexico fans, but still this is a surprising development.

So if soccer has a 5% slice of America, where does Team Handball currently stand? Depending on what criteria you want to use to count up the faithful, the number of people who really care about the sport in the U.S. is very, very, very small. Shockingly, this number probably ranges from perhaps 300 to 2,000 people. And if you don’t count the Expats living in this county the number truly is paltry.

Yes, if you are a true handball aficionado and own an American passport, it‘s not a stretch to think of yourself as literally “1 in a million.”

This startling fact, is generally not fully conceptualized by non-Americans, be they fans, coaches or administrators. There’s a couple of ways to look at this. First, you can be dismissive and have the so what attitude: The sport of Handball has been doing just fine and dandy without American fans, it can continue to do so.

Or you can look at the reality that Handball might actually be plodding along (at best) compared to the progress being made by other team sports. And you can look at those examples of success like the NBA’s aggressive campaigns that have gained market share in Europe and China. Or the fact that millions of American care about soccer now and actually know what Manchester United and Barcelona mean to the sport.

Is it really possible that Team Handball can find its way to the upper tier of American Sports like basketball and American Football? Or perhaps even to the 2nd tier level of popularity that soccer has? Sure it‘s possible, but I wouldn‘t bet the farm on it happening any time soon. No, if that’s ever accomplished it will take decades.

But, what I would bet on is the prospect of changing “1 in a million” to let’s say “1 in 10,000.” Seriously, the fact that only 1 in a million people really care about handball in the U.S. is absolutely ridiculous. Call me an optimist, but I think that if you expose 10,000 Americans to Handball, you’re going to get at least 1 fully engaged convert. A modest goal, for sure, but one that would still mean 30,000 T-shirt, hat buying, sports channel subscribing, ticket buying Americans. Real fans spending real money.  That’s why it matters if you are a European administrator. Start with a few fans and then grow that base.

The key then is promoting the sport to as many Americans as possible. Signs are pointing in the right direction as the U.S. Federation has been successfully courting different European entities into seeing the light. Most notably Germany and Poland will be playing a match in Chicago in two weeks and it will be broadcast in several U.S. markets. Outside of the Olympics this is the best promotion of the sport since a USA-Brazil match was aired on ESPN in 1996.

A small step for sure, but a notable one. Here’s to that first step in changing “1 in a million” to “1 in 10,000”.

FIFA (30 May 10): US soccer fans ‘phenomenal’ SA support: Link
Wall St Journal (12 Jun 10): Can the U.S. Be a Soccer Nation?: Link
THN (26 May 10): AUDIO: Interview with USA Team Handball Chairman, Dieter Esch:  Link
THN (14 Jun 10): The long (and frustrating) history of international skepticism about U.S handball: Link
Video: American reaction to Donovan goal in 91st minute against Algeria: Link
USA Team Handball (24 Jun 10): Comcast to air Battle of Chicago in first-of-its-kind handball broadcast: http://usateamhandball.org/news/2010/06/24/comcast-to-air-battle-of-chicago-in-first-of-its-kind-handball-broadcast/36786?ngb_id=42