US National Team Players Match Up Against Each Other in France

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In what might well be a USA Handball first, two American National Team players took to the court against each other in a sanctioned competition in another country. Backcourt player Kathy Darling, Bergerac HB and Megan Ballard, Toulouse met each other in a NF1 league contest in Toulouse, France. For the record Toulouse won the match 33-19. Ballard had 5 goals while Darling led Bergerac with 10 goals. Another National Team player, Jennifer Farell is playing in NF2 for Jacou (near Montpellier) and was on hand to witness the match.

NF1 is the third level league in France and you can follow the results and standings for both Toulouse and Bergerac all year long at this weblink:
http://www.ff-handball.org/ffhb/html/les-championnats/de-france/seniors/n1f/lesresultats.php

US Women’s National Team Story (with pictures): http://www.usateamhandballwomen.com/content/view/158/1/

>>> BREAKING NEWS <<< NGB certification delayed!

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The USOC's eagearly and long awaited NGB certification announcement will have to wait a little longer. As the October 15th announcement deadline approached and then passed, the US handball community became understandably restless. Emails and phone calls abounded.

Earlier today, I was able to talk by phone with USOC's [link=http://www.usocpressbox.org/usoc/pressbox.nsf]Eric Parthen[/link]. You may recall that Mr. Parthen, Director, USOC NGB Organizational Development, chaired the two NGB team handball public hearings held in Colorado Springs, CO in late August and mid September 2007 respectively.

According to him, more time was needed for due dilligence. Letters were mailed to the principals of the two NGB applicants. Dieter Esch (Utah NGB) and Mariusz Wartalowicz (Chicago NGB) were informed that a background check will be perfomed on each individual.

"This is nothing more than standard procedure. The NGB Committee must be very thorough in its assesment of each candidate(s) and organization(s). When the time comes and an official recommendation is made to the USOC Board of Directors, we want to be fully prepared and able to answer any questions, and address any concerns, which may arise," said Parthen.

"Furthermore, [link=http://www.usocpressbox.org/usoc/pressbox.nsf]a new press realease[/link] will be forthcoming, outlining the reasons for this brief delay and what the new timetable is," Parthen continued.

When asked when the next USOC Board of Directors meeting will take place, Parthen said "December 13th."

Eric sympathizes with the US team handball community. He understands the urgency of the issue but made it very clear to me that this is not an easy task.

"The NGB certification process is very tedious. The last thing we want is to find oursleves and the team handball community, in the same place two years from now. It is unfortunate that the due dilligence process has extended past the initial deadline but we are ver confident that an announcement will be made at the December USOC BOD meeting," concluded Parthen.

More details as they become available.

Joining the Handball-World Team

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Earlier this month, I was pleased to note that Handball-World.com www.handball-world.com had restarted the English language content portion of their website. Well, now I am even more pleased to announce that I have accepted the position as Editor in Chief for English Language Content at Handball-World.com.

As visitors to this website know, I’ve been a fan of the Handball-World website for some time. Even though the site had reverted to an all German format it still was an excellent source of information, even if you did have to cut and paste text into an automatic translator. At the World Championships this past January I had the opportunity to meet some members of the Handball-World team. I learned that Handball-World, like Team Handball News is an independent news site devoted to Handball. And as we had a similar mission, albeit in different languages, we started to routinely share information on events happening in the Handball World. With Handball-World now bringing English back to their site it only seemed natural that we further team up in some way. And hence my decision to join their site.

[b]So what does this mean to you, the reader?[/b]

Well, first off, you are now going to have a lot more independent, English language news reporting on handball. And these articles will include more graphics and pictures. Not every German language article at Handball-World will be translated into English, but all of the major stories will be. And, time willing, these stories will also be edited by native language speakers. Additionally, in the coming months we hope to roll out some new features that will make Handball-World.com an even better internet destination for the Handball fan.

Secondly, for the near future anyway, Team Handball News won’t be going anywhere. The site will, however, become a little more North American focused. Many stories with “world” appeal will still be posted to both sites, but stories and commentary with a more narrow focus on Canada or the US will stay on the Team Handball News site. That’s not to say that some North American content won’t find its way to the Handball-World.com site. Events like the PATHF championships have broad appeal and deserve a wider audience. But other events, like details on the USA Handball Federation application process will stay with the Team Handball News site.

As always, I’d like to express my thanks to you, the readers, and your continued support of Team Handball News.com. And I, and the Handball-World team, look forward to your support there as well. If you have any comments/suggestions or would like to volunteer to help with either website, just drop me an email at john.ryan@teamhandballnews.com

Group Club Handball (GCH) Joins Soccer G-14 in Weighing in on EU Reform Treaty

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Group Club Handball (GCH) has jointly signed a letter with Soccer's G-14 and Euroleague Basketball to European Union leaders expressing their concerns with the proposed modifications to EU Reform Treaty which could alter the current business practices for club teams in Europe.

The proposed modifications to the treaty are being pushed by UEFA President, Michel Platini, with support from the EHF and FIBA Europe. Platini has called for the EU treaty to include specific safeguards to protect the unique nature of the game, including the pyramid structure which allows any team — in principle — to reach the top, and the financial support of lower leagues by professional clubs. In his letter Platini further states that the European game is being threatened by "the malign and ever-present influence of money."

The combined G-14, GCH, Euroleague Basketball letter states that there is no problems with the current treaty and highlights that UEFA, the EHF and FIBA Europe are not neutral players, but are sports entities as well and that all of these entities should be equal under the law.

The underlying current for these disagreements between the European level sports bodies and the professional clubs are conflicts over players playing to many games (club and national team) as well as fears that the top clubs have become too powerful within the current European structure.

Group Club Handball Press Release: www.groupclubhandball.com/0_menue/0_0_index.htm
UEFA Statement on Platini Letter: www.uefa.com/uefa/keytopics/kind=64/newsid=594068.html

Add Chicago Inter to YOUR tournament list.

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The Inter of Chicago Team Handball Club hosted its inaugural tournament this past weekend (Oct. 5, 6 and 7). The three day tournament featured men and women teams from West Point, Houston, Chicago and Atlanta. 60 minutes matches, IHF rules and court size. Shiny, clean wooden floors. Professional grade, sturdy goals. Two scoreboards, scorekeepers, PA system, music, fans (cheering and air), stands, trainers, heat and humidity. It was all there.

I was also there. I can tell you, without hesitation, that you should add Chicago to your top 5 MUST ATTEND TOURNAMENTS for 2008.

Chicago is now a hotbed for handball just like Atlanta, Houston, Miami and West Point. The Inter Club features over 80 registered adult players (men and women) who practice three times a week. New players join every week. Having a huge Eastern European community to choose from, the club is set to prosper for years to come.

You can check out photos, stats and even video footage of all matches by visiting the following websites:
– http://www.houstonhandball.org – Houston Stars
– http://www.chicagointerhandball.org/Tournament.html – Chicago Inter

Enjoy.

Handball on TV in the USA? Yes!

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Well, OK, it wasn’t on my TV, but the HBL.TV broadcast I watched last night between Flensburg and Hamburg on my computer monitor was indeed of TV quality. HBL.TV www.hbl.tv is the video streaming platform of the German Bundesliga and it’s definitely an improvement over previous video I’ve watched on my computer.

Using my own personal 1-10 scale, with a 1 being a 1970ish over air reception on a small Black and White TV and a 10 being an HDTV transmission on a big screen plasma set, I grade the experience as a 7. The picture was clear with no pixilation- By no means HD quality, but just as good as your standard TV set. The audio was clear, with an occasional dropout that didn’t effect the video. As I don’t know any German, this wasn’t a problem, however. Crowd atmosphere and whistles still could be heard. Bottom line: a “7” score is pretty good and is a significant upgrade from earlier experiences which were closer to a “3” for free EHF video in 2006 and a “5” for the World Championships video this past January.

As for why the quality has improved I would guess that it’s a combination of improved streaming technology as well as my willingness to pay for the maximum high speed line (10MB), which is a little more expensive, but worth it if you think that Internet TV is going to be your only handball viewing option for the near future. A few notes:

[b]How to setup your account[/b]: Well if you know a little German it’s going to be easier for you then it was for me. The site is entirely void of English and you’ll be sure to give the babelfish translator a workout: http://babelfish.altavista.com/tr. You first have to register on the site by entering the standard name, address and date of birth information. One tip on something that stumped me for several minutes: In the country drop down menu the United States is Vereinigte Staaten. Once you have your account registered you then have to purchase credits. You can buy the whole season for 54.99 Euros, but you might want to just purchase 1 game first to see if it works for you. The lowest credit that you can purchase is 5 Euros and a match costs 3 Euros. Another tip: you’ve got to buy the credit before you can actually buy a match.

[b]What to purchase:[/b] I recommend that you look for matches which feature 2 of the following 6 teams: Kiel, Flensburg, Hamburg, Gummersbach, Nordhorn, and Madgeburg. The rosters for these teams are loaded with top international players from around the world. That’s not to say that a team from the bottom half of the league won’t challenge these teams from time to time, but with limited time you might as well see the best teams play each other.

[b]The future: [/b] Well as I cracked open a beer and watched high level handball in the peace and quiet of the computer room I couldn’t help but think how this could be so much better. For starters, it would be nice to watch it on the big TV in the living room. English language commentary would be nice as well. How about a Champions League package for purchase? The good news is all of these things are coming and sooner that we all might think.

[b]Earlier Reviews of Handball Video Streaming:[/b]

EHF Champions League Video Review (March 2006): https://teamhandballnews.com/news.php?extend.37
World Championship’s VideoSport Broadcast Review (Is it Worth the 19.99 Euros?)(January 2007): https://teamhandballnews.com/news.php?item.242
World Championship’s VideoSport Broadcast Review (Part 2): https://teamhandballnews.com/news.php?item.251

British Handball Program in Full Gear

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The British Handball Program has been busy identifying new talent and sharpening their skills. Here’s a couple of articles about their ongoing program:

BBC Sport: “Handball addict gives up day job” http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/olympics_2012/6987576.stm Profile on 23 year old Rugby convert Tim Maynard

British Handball Federation: “Handball Hopefuls in Denmark” http://britishhandball.worldhandball.com/DesktopDefault.aspx?menuid=1093&itemid=1662 Story on British Handball Talent Identification program

IHF Managing Director: Korean Women Were Cheated in 2004 Olympic Final

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Frank Birkefeld, the IHF Managing Director, in an interview with Germany’s Handball Magazine expressed the following, "In 2004 the Koreans were fouled out of the victory obviously, so that I have this match already in bad memory." And he further states, “Denmark was not able to lose this match, because Korea was not allowed to win. I don´t want to say anything else to this."

Frank Birkefeld is scheduled to retire from his post at the end of September. He has worked 17 years for the IHF, including the last 12 as the Managing Director.

Article from Handball-World: http://www.handball-world.com/o.red.c/news.php?GID=2&auswahl=4008
IHF Article on Birkefeld Retirement: http://www.ihf.info/front_content.php?idcat=57&idart=845

Note: The Handball-World site is now in English for some articles. Simply click on the UK flag at the top of the page for the English version.

Liga Asobal vs. Bundesliga (Olafur Stefansson Weighs In)

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In an interview on the EHF Champions League website Icelander, Olafur Stefansson , who plays for Spanish side, Ciudad Real was asked the following:

Eurohandball.com: You played in both leagues, for Wuppertal and Magdeburg in Germany and now for Ciudad Real in Spain. Which league is better: Asobal or Bundesliga?

Stefansson: If you look at the best three German and Spanish teams, they are all a class of their own, full of world class players. If they play against each other, there’s no favourite, they are similar. When you look further and see the first five teams of both leagues, the comparison is still the same. But if you take all teams of both leagues, Germany is better. The teams from 5 to 18 have more class than the similar teams in Spain. But as these teams are getting better in Spain, while the gap between place 5 and 12 is widening in Germany. It’s like in Spain: the good ones are getting better and the bad ones getting worse.

The whole interview is here: http://championsleague.eurohandball.com/index.asp?page=20081071X,10577#scroll

And if you don’t already do so, be sure to check the EHF Champions League website regularly as the quality and frequency of articles placed on their site has improved dramatically. (The link is on the right hand side of the THN Homepage.) Now if they can just add a satellite TV or web streaming package at a reasonable price….

Two ATHA Board Members Resign (NGB Bid Likely Over)

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Cristian Zaharia and Bogdan Pasat, two key Board Members of the American Team Handball Association (ATHA), have resigned from their ATHA Board positions. The move was made shortly after the 2nd USOC open hearing to discuss the ATHA’s and Utah Team Handball Foundation (UTHF) proposals to become the National Governing Body (NGB) for Team Handball in the United States.

According to Bogdan Pasat, the move was made as a result of ATHA Board Chairman,Mariusz Wartalowicz’s failure to properly emphasize ATHA’s willingness to work openly with all elements of the American Handball community. This directly conflicted with an earlier ATHA Board decision that was essentially deigned to give notice to the USOC and the UTHF, that the ATHA would not only work with the UTHF but it would also consider absorbing it for the sake of team handball development.

Bogdan Pasat Note on Houston Website: http://houstonhandball.org/comment.php?comment.news.613

Analysis: With two of the three board members who were physically present at the USOC open hearings resigning the ATHA bid is in an untenable position. The USOC can only conclude that the ATHA is not ready to manage the sport effectively if it can be openly split by internal politics in the middle of a competitive bidding process. The USOC’s decision is now to simply determine whether the UTHF bid is acceptable or not.

USOC NGB Open Hearing #2 Audio Podcast

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The United States Olympic Committee (USOC) conducted their 2nd Open Hearing to discuss the two applications to become the new National Governing Body (NGB) for Team Handball in the United States. The meeting followed the same format as the first meeting. The American Team Handball Association (ATHA) and the Utah Team Handball Foundation (UTHF) first gave presentations (roughly 20 minutes each) and then the remainder of the time was devoted to questions. The quality of this audio appears to better than last time. The length of the podcast is 1 hour and 58 minutes and the file is 40 MB.

https://teamhandballnews.com/request39.html

Left click to play; right click to download.

USOC NGB Open Hearing #2

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The USOC will be conducting a second open hearing to discuss the two competing bids to become the new National Governing Body (NGB) for the United States. The hearing is scheduled for Thursday, September 13, 2007 and will commence at 3:00pm, MDT at the Colorado Springs Olympic Training Center. Individuals who would like to participate via conference call can do so by dialing toll free (866) 205-3978, access code 9969956.