How am I going to watch all of this Team Handball?

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If you haven’t noticed, we’ve added a pretty significant advertisement to our home page here at Team Handball News. Yes, incredibly German Handball Bundesliga matches are now available for viewing on your TV screen here in the U.S. via Dish Network’s “My Sports Germany” channel. I’ve been watching it for about a month and I am very happy with the product.

How happy you might ask? Well, for the first time in my life, I am Handball saturated. Yes, I’m living in America and I don’t have enough hours in a day to watch all the Handball recording on my DVR on a near daily basis. Contrast that to my complaints just a few years ago that I couldn’t watch handball at all. Or the old school days of watching the same grainy VCR tape over and over. How quaint. Now, no fewer than 5 matches are currently queued up waiting for me to find time to watch. Looks like I’m going to get more selective on what to watch: Wetzlar-Melsungen is just going to have to wait as marquee matches like Flensburg-Kiel or Hamburg-Berlin pop up.

I’ll be the first to tell you that a $27.99/month, the German Language package with Dish Network is a little pricier upgrade than say adding HBO or Cinemax. But, in the big scheme of things if you’re a handball fan that’s been starved for content it’s a total no-brainer to add this channel. If you add up the cost of a few restaurant trips and movie nights you’ll quickly see that paying a $1/day to watch the best Handball league from the comfort of your living room is still a good deal. If you’re a German speaker you’ll also be besides yourself silly with the other German language channels. And if you’re a soccer fan, how could you not like the opportunity to see every single first and second division match, every week. Heck, you can’t even do that in Germany.

So, am I 100% satisfied with this product? No, but only because it’s time to start moving the goal posts further back. It’s time to start the campaign for High Def and My Sports Spain for Liga Asobal action. Or why stop there? Where’s my Handball all the time, Fox Handball Plus channel with Champions League, Euro qualification matches and even oddities like Canada-US PANAM Games qualification, all in one place, 24/7?

Patience my friends, this too shall come to pass. And, you’ve heard this before—sooner than you think.

Club views on competition calendar

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Gerd Butzeck, the Managing Director of Group Club Handball (GCH), gave an interesting interview in handball-world.com recently, touching on a broad spectrum of current issues. http://www.handball-world.com/news-index.php?LID=1&GID=1&auswahl=28020

I find that I very often tend to agree with the views and ideas that Gerd brings out, either as a spokesperson for GCH or as a handball observor. This time I can appreciate most of his points, but there is one area where I am not so sure that he is coming up with the best arguments in order to get opponents or neutral observers on his side.

Gerd Butzeck is commenting at length about the progress the GCH and the broader grouping FCH (Forum for Club Handball) has made, primarily in negotiations with the EHF but gradually perhaps also with the IHF, regarding compensation and insurance issues. ‘Teamhandballnews’ has reported about these developments extensively in the past. Gerd also comments on the burden on the clubs caused by the substantial aggregate amount of time that the top players spend in a year with their respective national teams. This brings the interview to the question of the competition calendar. And this is where I am concerned about some of his statements on the competition calendar, and also about some things he is [u]not[/u] saying.

Quite naturally, as a representative of clubs, he is arguing in favor of a reduction in the number of ‘big events’, meaning the Olympic Games, the two World Championships and the two Continental Championships in each four-year period. He argues for eliminating 1 WC and 1 EC, so that there are only 3 major events ever four years. To me, this seems drastic and sounds like some kind of ‘bargaining position’. But when he comments on the expected reaction to such proposals, he makes an argument that I consider to be both tactically and factually wrong. He essentially says: “it is all about money”. Of course, the TV and advertising revenues for a major championship is a really major consideration. But, especially as someone who is used to looking at these matters from a European perspective, he overlooks other considerations.

[b]Impact for non-European nations[/b]

In Europe there is the Champions League and the other EHF club events, which do not have any serious equivalents in other continents. Similarly, the European Championship, which in Europe is often described as a tougher event than the World Championship, really creates a level of interest in Europe that cannot at all be matched by the championships in the other continents. What the top countries in the other continents really want is the opportunity to compete directly against the European nations. In other words, for all practical purposes non-European nations are already down to three ‘big events’ in each four-year period. They certainly do not want to lose one of those.

[b]Loss of propaganda value[/b]

Moreover, for these countries, and also for many European countries, money is not the only concern. The ‘propaganda’ value of the ‘big events’ is enormous, especially of course if one manages to qualify for participation, but also as a spectator and TV event. It is fair to say that the entire handball family, including the clubs, benefit from this. So I understand Gerd Butzeck’s objectives, but be careful with the arguments used and the arguments overlooked!

[b]Not all club matches are of the highest value either[/b]

Also, I hope the objective of the discussions regarding the competition calendar is not just about a shift in the balance between clubs and federations, but also about the health and well-being of the players. But even though Gerd represents club interests, I think he would sound more credible on this point if he occasionally pointed out that the clubs themselves waste the energy and the health of the players on games that are useless, except in one respect: ‘it is all about the money’ that they bring into the coffers of the clubs.

Finally, I have had a dialog with Gerd Butzeck over the years about different competition formats that would lessen the impact that major competition have on the big teams and the top players. I hope he will pursue this aspect also.

A bit more colonial spirit would help!

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Many of our readers know about Inaki Urdangarin, probably the most successful player in the history of Spanish handball. The final role of his career was as a captain for the Spanish national team in the 2000 Olympics. I had met him earlier, of course, as he was always very approachable and friendly both on and off the court, but that’s where I got a chance to see how he nicely he juggled the final stage of his playing career with his family responsibilities. That’s where he first introduced me to his wife, H.R.H La Infanta Dona Cristina and we had a nice chat in their native language. But I must admit I got a bit rattled when he soon thereafter wanted to introduce me to ‘his mother-in-law’. It took me a few seconds to realize that I was about to face H.M. the Queen of Spain.

Anyway, Inaki, now better known as the Duke of Palma de Mallorca, is now an established family man and well into a professional career, drawing on his academic background in business administration. The interesting thing is, however, that after his transfer last year to a new position with Telefonica, the large Spanish multinational, he has now doubled the number of handball fanatics in the Washington D.C., area, as he lives across town from me in a Maryland suburb.

When his move first became known, I was joking with some handball players in the area that perhaps they could entice him to join their modest local team, and I suggested to the USA federation that they ought to find a way to rope him in and get some help with the propaganda efforts for handball in this country. After all, the Spanish made themselves ‘popular’ for their colonial spirit here in the Western Hemisphere a few centuries ago, so the spirit of converting the ‘hedonists’ from basketball to handball would be natural thing. Well, I figure that, more realistically, the former handball star has been too busy with work, family, and representational duties to worry much about handball in the U.S.

But I did get a shock the other day, when a friend drew my attention to a photo that was floating around on the internet:

[img]http://img37.imageshack.us/img37/4642/bewf7bd86.jpg[/img]

bicycle riding is of course just fine; but that terrible way of bringing up one of his sons by allowing him to… well, I do not even want to mention the word here! Of course, I could not use words as strong as ‘treason’ when commenting on the acts of a member of a Royal family, even if I know that our handball friend would understand the ‘pique’ intended and save me from court marshal procedures.

But I hope this article will somehow in some mysterious ways get to his attention, so: I beg you dear handball friend: put a stop to this before it is too late. Tennis, in the spirit of Nadal, would be OK, especially given your position as the Duke of Palma de Mallorca, but not…. And I think the only way to make amends at this point would be to find an opportunity to make some handball propaganda among the ignorant Americans while you continue to live among us!

Three Champions League matches – some comparisons and contrasts

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A rainy weekend made it tempting to watch 3 matches on EHFTV, as all of them promised to offer some excitement. Well, one of them did not, but two out of three is not too bad… I will not offer detailed match commentary as you can find that elsewhere. Instead I will try to highlight some impressions and aspects of each match, including some comments on the role that the refereeing played.

Croatia O.G. vs. Ciudad Real turned out to be a real ‘propaganda’ match for handball lovers. It offered speed, great individual moves, tactical sophistication and a close score throughout the match. The players generally tried to be constructive, despite some conspicuous fouls, although most of these came in moments of desperation. There was a sense of great mutual respect. The spectators gave their home team strong support, but they also knew to appreciate good moves from the opponents.

The referees adapted well to this type of game and generally stayed in the background, preferring to trust the players as much as possible. There was a nice emphasis on maintaining good relations and a good atmosphere. Somewhat surprisingly, they may have been relatively tougher on the home team (even though one of their 2-min. penalties probably should have been a ‘red card’). But the sanctions against the visitors came a bit late and were not quite enough. But all in all it was a performance that suited this game, and the match remained good-spirited until the end, despite the 30-30 final result.

Kielce vs. Rhein-Neckar Lowen, with the appearance on Polish soil by Karol Bielecki and two more Polish players on the RNL team, playing against the dominant Polish club coached by Bogdan Wenta, promised to offer high emotions. And that is what we got, but unfortunately it seemed to cause to players to get a bit carried away. It was really a fight, where the ‘end justified the means’, and thus a regrettable contrast to the CRO-CdR game! It was typical that the match ended with a cynical foul by precisely Bielecki, whereby he destroyed a counterattack for Kielce that could have won the game. Instead, Kielce got a 7-meter throw which RNL goalie Fritz stopped. Presumably, Bielecki will now miss out on the next game (against Kiel).

One could argue that it was the kind of game where the players ignored the referees and continued their consistent pattern of rough play and reckless fouls. The referees tried at the beginning but then seemed to give up, preferring to pick out the worst transgressions and letting the rest go; hardly the approach one wants to see. To make things worse, the teams persisted in using penetrations at the 6-meter line, and this led to a considerable amount of ‘wrestling’. And this means that in a somewhat capricious manner there is sometimes a 7-meter throw and sometimes a quick whistle for a free-throw.

Celje vs. Kiel turned out to be the disappointing game. There was some special interest in having Kiel confront a team coached by their own recent coach Serdarusic, who left Kiel ‘under a cloud’. But it soon became evident that he is being asked to coach a Celje team that does not have much in common with the stronger versions of recent years. They held their own for only 20 minutes, with a result of 8-9, but this was soon converted into a 9-17 deficit shortly before half-time. The main difference maker was Omeyer, who seemed to ‘drive the opponents crazy’ with his frequent saves on ‘point blank’ opportunities. In the second half, Kiel relaxed quite a bit and allowed Celje to narrow the margin.

In this game, the referees tried to maintain a consistent line from the beginning, and the teams generally complied. There were also many more fast-breaks and goals scored from a distance. But the impression was clearly affected by the inability of the referees to stay sharp in the second half. The game was never very rough, but several fouls and technical violations were left without action, or handled with bad timing or misunderstandings in the interventions. In a game that is so easy in the second half, the main challenge is simply to remain concentrated, so there is really no excuse.

So a weekend with three top games can indeed offer an interesting experience and, above all, show some very sharp contrasts from one game to another. Handball is indeed unpredictable!

Cautious reactions to the conclusions from the IHF Forum; dangers of rules deviations

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I commented recently about the main conclusions from the IHF Forum regarding rules and refereeing. As I noted, it was generally felt that there is no need for major rules changes at this time, in order to make our handball more attractive. Indeed, the recommendations were more focused on trying to support the task of the referees through strengthened education and other means, something with which I agree fully.

Having scanned the handball media to look for reactions to the conclusions from the IHF Forum, I find only a modest number of comments, which may not be so surprising, considering that there were no earth-shattering proposals. However, the intention to investigate the scope for utilization of video reviews seems to gain general support, although with some words of caution. Some commentators note that we must take care to put limitations on any video review policy, so that it does not get the unintended and unwanted effect of interrupting the flow of the game through lengthy interruptions. Drawing on my experience with video review in the NBA, NHL and NFL here in USA, I can well understand and agree with those concerns.

Other comments involve the general dilemma of having different rules or regulations at different levels; clearly, video review is only feasible in games at those levels where TV broadcasting brings the availability of adequate camera coverage. So video review could never be part of the general rules for handball; it could only be part of the regulations for specific competitions. But this is a broader issue, because I have also noticed comments to the effect that one could have several ideas for changes in the rules, if one could have separate rules for the top level and for handball in general. However, as the commentators themselves note, this is generally not a good situation. We want to have clarity and consistency on the basis of uniform rules.

Of course, aspects that do not directly affect how the game is being played in a technical/practical sense could be a different matter, such as the length of the intermission, the tie-breaking procedures, the number of players used etc. But we have seen recent examples of how also such modifications can cause confusion. The IHF recently announced that, while the playing rules allow only up to 14 players in a game, the IHF would allow 16 players in World Championships and would support similar exceptions in high-level continental events. The rationale is that a World Championship may involve an intensive schedule with up to ten games in three weeks for a team, so it would then make sense to reduce the pressure by allowing all the 16 players on the squad to be used in each game. The same rationale would apply for instance in the European Championship tournament for national teams.

However, the EHF somehow also decided that the exception with 16 players should also be permitted in Champions League matches for clubs, even though this does not involve a tournament with a concentrated schedule. Apparently this created some confusion for other EHF competitions, because very quickly it happened that a team in one of the other club competitions also thought they could use 16, prompting a formal protest from the opponents. http://www.handball-planet.com/2010/10/hc-meshkov-brest-fined-5000-e/ And suddenly there were also doubts about what was the situation in the upcoming qualification games for the European Championships… These games are of course not played in a tournament format, so the initial rationale does not apply, but they are in a sense a part of the Championship. In the end, the EHF had to decide to allow 16 also here. http://www.eurohandball.com/article/13425 All this seems to confirm that any deviation from full uniformity can have its drawbacks and needs to be introduced more cautiously and with a clear logic.

EHF game of the week: Rhein-Neckar Lowen at Kielce (Live and with English Commentary)

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At first glance this Group A matchup between 3-0 Rhein-Neckar Lowen (R-NL) and O-3 Kielce looks like a stinker and the EHF should have looked for another option for its game of the week. But, this is the Group of Death where all 6 clubs have a realistic shot at qualifying for the round of 16 and where 3 clubs, Kiel, Barcelona and R-NL have realistic expectations of winning the title.

Poland’s Kielce started their Champions League campaign with 2 bad losses to Celje and Chambery. The 36-30 loss to Celje at home, in particular, could come back to haunt them if the 4th place slot in this group comes down to a head-to-head with Celje. Last weekend, however, they gave defending champions Kiel a real battle in Germany losing only by a score of 33-29. As is often the case in the smaller handball nations in Europe, there’s only room enough for one good club in their National League. Kielce is clearly that side for Poland and their roster has several national team players as well as the national team coach, Bogdan Wenta. Several players have also spent time in the German Bundesliga so there will be no intimidation whatsoever. Because they’ve dug themselves a hole they are also in desperate need of a victory.

Rhein-Neckar Lowen, on the other hand is sitting pretty all alone in first place. They’re smart enough to know, however, that if they want to stay there, they’re going to have to take care of sides like Kielce on the road. For 3 R-NL players, Karol Bielecki, Slawomir Szmal and Gregrory Tkaczyk they will also get to play a match in front of their countrymen. Szmal has even signed a contract to play for Kielce next year. As for Bielecki, the James Worthy of the HBL (Sometimes I like to go old school on my references), this will be the opportunity for many to see first hand on TV, how he’s adjusted to losing the sight in one of his eyes.

The oddsmakers have installed R-NL as a 2.5 goal favorite. The match is available live on ehfTV at 3:00 PM (Central European Time) or 9:00 AM on the East Coast of the U.S, this Sunday, 17 October. For those with access to the MhZ network it will be rebroadcast at 4:00 PM (East Coast Time). As always, THN will post the On-Demand link when it’s available.

ehfTV On Demand Link: http://www.ehftv.com/ec/cl/men/2010-11/video/001244
USA Team Handball: MHz Worldview to Air Velux EHF Champions League Across USA: http://usateamhandball.org/news/2010/10/08/mhz-worldview-to-air-velux-ehf-champions-league-across-usa/38948?ngb_id=42
EHF: Interview with Kielce and Polish National Team Head Coach, Bogdan Wenta: http://www.ehfcl.com/men/2010-11/article/13441/Strong+support+by+the+%22eighth+player%22
EHF: Interview with Kielce and Serbian National Team player Rastko Stojković: http://www.ehfcl.com/men/2010-11/article/13421/Results+will+come+soon
EHF: Interview with R-NL and Polish National Team Goalie, Slawomir Szmal: http://www.ehfcl.com/men/2010-11/article/13443/Szmal%3A+%22Great+to+be+at+home%22
EHF: RNL Playing with new confidence: http://www.ehfcl.com/men/2010-11/article/13439/RNL+playing+with+new+confidence

Istvan Madarasz — a ‘handball scientist’ and a true gentleman

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The news reached me yesterday that Istvan Madarasz of Hungary had just passed away at the age of 76. Istvan was not only a key figure in Hungarian handball during many decades, serving as Secretary General of the handball federation during about 25 years. He was also an important figure on the international scene, more than many handball fans today realize. Istvan held the position as President of the IHF Medical Commission during almost 20 years. He demonstrated the technical knowledge of a true handball expert, but he was also a researcher and analytical expert, who was able to back up his opinions and ideas with the help of research and studies.

Istvan Madarasz also took a keen interest in the challenges involved in refereeing. He was ahead of many others in focusing on the psychological and physical dimensions. Although he did not have a direct role in the rules development, he managed to contribute on many occasions, with his own ideas and as an informal adviser to the IHF Rules Working Groups. I had reason to think about him quite recently, when I wrote my overview of rules changes in the past 30-40 years. In fact, I was always grateful to Istvan for the support he offered when I myself had some ideas for rules changes that needed the backing of a respected technical expert.

But people who came in contact with Istvan were always enjoying his friendliness and helpful attitude even if they did not need, or know about, his enormous technical expertise. Istvan had many reasons to be proud of his status and accomplishments, but the most striking thing about him was his modesty, his gentle personality and his winning smile. It was always a pleasure to meet him at some event and benefit from his wisdom but also simply to enjoy the pleasure of his company. Istvan Madarasz will be missed, but he should always be remembered as an important contributor to the development of our sport and as a true gentleman!

Olympic Notes: Next U.S. Summer Games could be 2028

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A couple of recent news reports are worth highlighting. At the end of September, the U.S. Olympic Committee held its annual assembly. During that time, USOC CEO, Scott Blackmun noted that it was highly unlikely that the U.S. would bid for the Olympics in 2020. At the same time, Lake Tahoe and Denver are planning to bid for a 2022 Winter Olympics. With the U.S. putting forth a lot of effort to repair international relationships a 2022 victory for an American city could be more likely in a few years. Should that occur it would then be unlikely that the IOC would grant a summer Olympics bid two years later to the same country. Hence, if this scenario plays out it could be 2028 at the earliest before the U.S. hosts the Olympics and get an automatic qualification in Team Handball.

On a more positive note more Handball could be shown on TV during the 2012 Olympic Games as NBC Chairman, Dick Ebersol indicated that NBC’s will broadcast 100 more hours on their cable channel partners than they did in Beijing. This translates to about 6 or 7 more hours a day and surely an additional handball match or two will be part of that equation.

Inside the Games (24 Sep 10): America rules out bid for 2020 Olympics: http://insidethegames.biz/summer-olympics/summer-olympics-2016-news/10590-america-rules-out-bid-for-2020-olympics
Inside the Games (25 Sep 10): NBC network to televise 200 hours plus from London 2012: http://insidethegames.biz/summer-olympics/london-2012-news/10594-nbc-to-televise-over-200-hours-from-london-2012-

Balic and Karabatic teammates?

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There are some interesting developments and rumors in the Croatian handball. It is well known that the dominating club on the men’s side, Croatia Osiguranje Zagreb, is undergoing a form of ‘restructuring’, in terms of ownership and status. This naturally is combined with increased ambitions regarding the club’s strength and status on the European scene. One key objective is then obviously to hold on to Ivano Balic beyond his current contract. He is assumed to like the idea of finishing his career at home in Croatia, but someone of his caliber will always be sought after by other wealthy clubs.

But the real ‘coup’ would be if the rumors are true that the club also endeavors to try to sign up Nikola Karabatic next season. http://www.handball-planet.com/2010/10/nikola-karabatic-to-join-hc-zagreb/ The mere thought of a Balic-Karabatic combination at the club level is obviously very intriguing. That would surely create a serious obstacle for the German-Spanish domination in the Champions League. Of course, many observer if the notion of having these strong rivals and handball personalities on the same team is not just a bit too explosive and risky. Would they really be compatible and how would it affect the team’s cohesiveness?

One of the dominating personalities in Croatian handball during recent decades has clearly been Zoran Gobac. He has just resigned from his position as Chairman of C.O. Zagreb, and he has also announced that he will leave his key position in the Croatian Handball Federation next year. http://www.balkan-handball.com/english/co-zagreb-chairman-zoran-gobac-resigned From my observations during my IHF period, Gobac has had a great and positive influence on the status of handball in Croatia. He would surely be leaving on a positive note, if the developments described above were to materialize.

Finally, another key figure in Croatian handball, Lino Cervar, continues be a person in the spotlight. After his many years of great successes, but also some degree of controversy, as the coach of the Croatian national team, he is currently coaching the Macedonian top club team Metalurg Skopje. The desire of the Macedonian Federation has been to get Cervar to extend his services also to the men’s national team. It seems, however, that this will not happen, as the wealthy sponsors of Metalurg frown at the idea of supporting in this a national team that apparently is not enjoying any kind of serious backing from the Macedonian government and its sports authorities.

EHF game of the week: Montpellier at Veszprem (And with same day TV coverage in the U.S.!)

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Montpellier travels to Hungary Saturday to face unbeaten Veszprem in a key Group B showdown. Montpellier bounced back from their week 1 defeat to Hamburg with an easy victory over Sweden’s IK Savehof in week 2. Meanwhile Veszprem is riding high from their 3 goal victory last week over Group B favorite Hamburg. A victory for Veszprem gives them a leg up in Group B, while a loss for Montpellier will put them at 1-2. According to online sportsbooks Veszprem is a 3 or 3.5 goal favorite.

As my colleague, Chirster Ahl, pointed out recently four teams will advance from each Group and it’s a safe bet these two sides will advance. So what makes these matches important is the seeding that will come out of the group. A first seed will likely mean an easy match up in the round of 16 and an easier opponent in the quarter finals. A second seed will mean a stronger challenge in the round of 16 and a likely matchup vs. a #1 seed in the quarter. A third seed means even worse prospects and who knows, Denmark’s KIF Kolding might be for real with their 2-0 record so Montpellier could even be looking at a fourth seed if they keep losing.

For U.S. residents there is the added treat that this broadcast will be available on TV via the MHz Network at 1600 Eastern Time. See the press release for information on where you can watch this channel. MHZ is not ESPN, but it is available through a number of different avenues including Direct TV and via arrangements with local stations in several markets. We’ll be researching this more in the coming weeks. For those without MHz ehfTV will broadcast the match live at 1725 Central European Time (1125 U.S. Eastern Time)

ehfTV On Demand Video Link: http://www.ehftv.com/ec/cl/men/2010-11/video/001160
USA Team Handball: MHz Worldview to Air Velux EHF Champions League Across USA: http://usateamhandball.org/news/2010/10/08/mhz-worldview-to-air-velux-ehf-champions-league-across-usa/38948?ngb_id=42
EHF: Interview with Veszprem’s Mark Vujin: http://www.ehfcl.com/men/2010-11/article/13406/%22My+legs+are+much+stronger%21%22

Same old story!?

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It is always risky to make predictions after just 6 rounds of 34, but it seems that only one major change has taken place in the Bundesliga since the 2009-10 season: last year the league really had only 9 strong teams out of 18, considering the huge 14-point gap from the 9th team to the 10th, but now the league probably consists of 10 serious teams… Magdeburg seems to have joined the top group, after have won three times in five matches against very tough opponents.

And then one has to point to the quick start of the Rhein-Neckar Loewen, the only team without a loss so far, despite the turbulence that one would expect to come with a coaching change so early in the season. Kiel and Hamburg, last year’s top two teams, have lost only one time each and are clearly playing well. Kiel looked quite superior to many observers before the start of the season, but the long-term injuries to several key players cannot be just shaken off, despite the large number of top talents on the Kiel squad.

In Spain we had a similarly divided Liga ASOBAL last year, with less than half of the teams being really competitive. Like in Germany, there were two real top clubs, Ciudad Real and Barcelona, with two ‘almost’ rivals in the form of Valladolid and Leon and another three teams competing for European slots. Prior to the start of this season, there have been many stories about clubs having severe financial difficulties, with a resulting need for cutting back on their expenses and their ambitions. To some extent it seems this also affects the top clubs.

Nevertheless, after 4 rounds, precisely the top four teams from last year are again the ones showing the best form, winning all their games. The traditional powers from Granollers are next in the ranking. And at the bottom, winless, whom do we find if not the five teams who finished just above the relegation line last season. So how predictable can it get!? It goes without saying that also Montpellier in France and the new Danish ‘conglomerate’ AG are quickly at the top of their respective leagues.

So can we then find enough consolation and excitement in the current format of the Champions League? Well, perhaps on the women’s side, which is just about to start. But the first two rounds of the men’s competition show, on the one hand how fantastic a league or a format with the [u]real [/u]top teams could be, but on the other hand that in each group there are one or two teams that do not quite have the necessary strength.

So let us enjoy some really good handball matches, while we ignore that most of the results are either predictable or not so important for the final standings. And let us dream about how much more exciting it could be in a different format. Most likely, by saying that I will annoy some fanatic supporters of, for instance, Balingen and Torrevieja or AaB and Kielce; but I am sure you will continue to enjoy seeing your clubs play against first-class teams, even if they are losing.

Interview: USA Team Handball General Manager, Steve Pastorino: Part 4: Federation Organization and Financial Status

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In the 4th and final installment of our interview, we discuss how USA Team Handball is now organized and its current financial status.

[b]Federation Organization/Financial Status[/b]

John Ryan: One of the bigger changes between the old Federation and the newest incarnation is the radically different staffing philosophies. For many years 3 or 4 staff members oversaw operations from a national office. The current staff is much larger. Exactly how many full time and part time employees are there?

Steve Pastorino:

Full Time ADMINISTRATION:
1. Steve Pastorino/General Manager (UT);
2. Dan Bush/Membership & National Teams (UT);
3. Alex Leopold (IL) / PR, Website/Development

Full Time HANDBALL DEVELOPMENT:
4. Mariusz Wartalowicz/Technical Director (IL)
5. Brian Finley/West Region (CA)
6. Dominique Dumont/East (FL)
7. Marko Brezic/Regional Coach (UT)

PART TIME/INTERNS:
8. Greg Myers/Marketing & Chicago Youth Development (IL);
9. Aida Kulasic, Intern Chicago (IL)
10. Brandon Gustafson, Intern SLC (UT)
11. Tim Fifield, Intern Fresno (CA)
12. Jaclyn Rymer, Intern LA (CA)
13. Timo Krueger, Intern Chicago (IL) (from Germany)
14. Ditte Rasmussen, Intern (UT) (from Denmark)

JR: Why the change in staffing philosophy? What are the benefits?

SP:
1. I believe we should be a national federation, with presence in multiple regions. There is not one central hub of handball in America where all of the resources/people/development should be centered (not Atlanta, not NY, not LA).
2. I think we need to be significant enough (in size, dollars, manpower) to run this sport with the attention, breadth and aspiration it deserves. Therefore, my staffing plan is bigger and more aggressive than in the past.
3. Mariusz, Brian, Dominique and Marko give USA Team Handball a face and on-the-ground presence in four important and different regions. We are trying to be far more ambitious in scope than our predecessors, and our staff is far more useful in four different time zones than all in one place.

JR: Such a staff takes a bigger slice of a limited budget. Are you concerned that this will preclude other expenditures like international travel, funds for club development, etc?

SP: Everything requires money. We have made a case to USOC that handball deserves substantially greater funding, and our message has been well-received when we pitch our long-term plans to them. I want to grow USATH into a $1M-$5M/year organization, with proper grassroots programs, proper National Team expenditures, substantial staff/club/player/referee/coach development.

JR: I understand that USATH wants the budget to grow, but in the meantime you’re dealing with a limited budget. Some tough decisions are being made that impact a lot of people. If the U.S. was spending a little less on salaries we wouldn’t have athletes digging into their own pockets to represent our country in international competition. Conversely, someone could even make the argument that if we cancelled a few more trips we could hire another regional director. Everything does require money, but how are those tough decisions being made?

SP: My staff provides budgets based upon their geographical location and/or projects where they are assigned; I compile these and then I present proposed budgets to our board; and they assist me in the prioritization process.

JR: What are the current year projected overall revenues and expenses?

SP: Approx. $800,000 (up from $500k in 2008-09 fiscal year.)

JR: Do you see overall revenues increasing from year to year? Can you give me a rough idea of where will be in 2012,2016,2020?

SP: I’d like to be a $5M/year organization by 2016.

JR: How much has Board Chairman, Dieter Esch, personally contributed since being certified by the USOC?

SP: More than $500,000.

JR: Wow. Even for a wealthy man that’s a significant chunk of change. Where would USATH be right now without that level of contribution?

SP: There would be no USATH. Perhaps there would be another group running a federation; or perhaps the USOC would still be administering the sport.

JR: Have all other independent board members contributed the $50,000 required by the Federation by laws?

SP: Several are spreading the payments over multiple years. All are on track to make at least $50,000 in donations.

JR: How much funding has the USOC provided? What percentage of total revenue is it? Do you see that percentage becoming smaller?

SP: In 2009, it was approximately $140,000. In 2010, approximately $260,000. It has been less than 30% of operating revenues. We anticipate that USOC will continue to increase their contributions, and the percentage of overall revenues will be in line with other NGB’s of our size and scope.

JR: How much funding have our sponsors provided on a yearly basis? Do you see this increasing over time? How much has progress on this front been stymied by the recession?

SP: $100,000 – $150,000 in 2009 and 2010; I would like to see this grow substantially. The recession has made it difficult, but sponsors and grants are a key to our long-term viability.

JR: You indicated that USATH wants to grow the budget to $5,000,000. The current budget is $800,000. How does the USATH increase its budget 6-fold?

SP: We’ve tried to build a business model for the long term. We have identified new areas of income (international events i.e., Battle of Chicago) and taken advantage of new and/or less cheaper technology to connect and promote our sport (televising events both on our website and channels like ESPN3 and Comcast Sport Net, making our home page a portal for news/info relevant to handball players in America, social media such as Facebook, etc. We’re trying to make the federation less dependent on one board member or one Executive Director by bringing board and staff on board with different business acumen, geographic location and ideas about sport development. We’ve forged a close relationship and accountability with USOC and multiple federations and clubs across Europe. This business foundation allows us to do more of the sport development at youth, teen and adult levels.

JR: The current Board of Directors (BoD) construct consists of 7 members with independent credentials and 2 athlete representatives. None of these directors, with the exception of the athlete reps are elected by the membership. While, I think the independent directors have given the Board a better business orientation I’m concerned that the rank and file doesn’t have much of a voice on this current board. Do you think this is true? Should it be a concern?

SP: We are adding another athlete rep who will be elected by a broader group of individuals than the AAC Rep (which is an artificially small number per USOC Bylaws). The rules for this election will be established this week. This Board member will have an important voice. Additionally, we have had guests at several board meetings now, and we will continue to facilitate that. Any rank-and-file member who wishes to voice opinions (through board members, my staff or directly to me) is encouraged to do so – and we hear from members every single day. I think our Board representation is fair and this has not been an issue to date.

JR: Some sports have a larger body (e.g. a congress) that provides input to the board in an advisory role. Do you see USATH adding that?

SP: We’ve discussed it… but until I see / hear more feedback that it is requested by the membership, it is not a priority.

JR: You’ve covered a lot of ground in this interview and I’ve found it very informative. In some respects, though, I think it only scratches the surface in terms of USATH’s plans for the future. Does the USATH have a more detailed plan which outlines objectives and includes benchmarks to measure performance? If so, can the membership see that plan and provide input?

SP: We provide a High Performance Plan to USOC annually, but they primarily want to know about our long-term Olympic prospects, not the broader plans, business model, etc. I have read several “10-year Plans” that were written in the past at USTHF, and unfortunately, none of them came to fruition. I prefer to let our work speak for itself, but there is always room for more public input and participation.

JR: In closing, I’ll ask the same question I asked you two years ago when we first met at the USA Team Handball Summit in St Louis. You had just taken the GM job and had heard 8 solid hours of discussion in regards to the challenges of developing Team Handball in this country. I asked you then if you were starting to realize just how hard it was going to be and whether there any second thoughts about taking on this challenge. You were full of optimism then. Two years later, how do you feel?

SP: No second thoughts. This sport is rich in history and tradition, inspires great passion and has unlimited potential. Is it a challenge? Absolutely. Is it exciting to be a part of the process? Without a doubt. I’m still optimistic. Go USA.

This concludes the interview, here are links to the other 3 installments.
Interview Part 1 (National Team Planning): https://teamhandballnews.com/news.php?item.1098
Interview Part 2 (Overseas Players and Future’s Program): https://teamhandballnews.com/news.php?item.1101
Interview Part 3 (Part 3: College Programs and Club Issues): https://teamhandballnews.com/news.php?item.1104

EHF Game of the Week: Barcelona tries to avoid back to back losses to German clubs

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Barcelona lost last week, 31-30, on their home floor to Germany’s Rhein-Neckar Lowen. This week they travel to Germany to take on last year’s champion Kiel. Barcelona will want to avoid going 0-2 in the standings in Group A and show a little Spanish League pride as one of the more heated ongoing debates in Handball is to whether the German or Spanish league is better. With Rhein-Neckar (arguably the 3rd best side in Germany) dispatching Reale Ademar in the Wild Card playoff and taking care of Barcelona in Barcelona, the argument appears to currently be leaning in Germany’s favor. Spain’s Ciudad Real easily dispatched Flensburg last week and few would argue against that club being one of the world’s best, but it could be that Spanish League is turning into a one horse town with Ciudad Real far outclassing even rivals like Barcelona.

Barcelona will want to show that they are still a team to be reckoned with. The oddsmakers at least still have some faith in Barcelona. Kiel is only a consensus 2 goal favorite.

EHF Preview: Duel of Kings in Kiel: http://www.ehfcl.com/men/2010-11/article/13388/Duel+of+Kings+in+Kiel

Kiel v Barcelona On Demand Full Match Video: http://www.ehftv.com/ec/cl/men/2010-11/video/001157