By Marcos Arizpeleta

Handball, the European-dominated sport that Britain ignores

Handball is a fast-paced team sport played on a rectangular court, reflecting a combination of football and basketball. It puts two teams against each other, both aiming to score by throwing a ball into the opponent’s goal which is defended by a goalkeeper, like football.

Players pass, dribble, and shoot the ball with their hands, but they’re restricted from holding it for more than three seconds or taking more than three steps whilst holding it, akin to basketball rules. Physical contact is permitted to a certain extent, emphasising the strategic depth and intensity of the game. With its dynamic gameplay and continuous action, handball offers a thrilling experience that demands teamwork, skilful ball handling, and strategic insight. However, despite its popularity in continental Europe, it remains relatively unfamiliar in Britain.

Handball is a growing sport, with increasing numbers of fans attending matches, more online viewers, sponsors and funding. A total of 53,586 fans, a world record attendance for a handball match, were present at the Men’s EHF EURO 2024 opening matchday, breaking the previous record of 44,189 fans which had been set in 2014.

Considering that handball is becoming increasingly popular, with a rising appearance on TV as well as in person, in addition to gaining traction on platforms like TikTok and Instagram, I’ve reached out to different people involved in handball in the UK to learn more about the sport that remains relatively unknown in the British Isles.

We had a chat with Timothée Loudiere, the Men’s Head Coach at Chelsea Handball Club, which competes in England’s top club competition, the Handball Premier League. Loudiere highlighted the challenge of comparing handball in his home country with the sport in the UK.

“It is difficult to compare France and England in terms of handball. France is one of the handball European and world powerhouses for both men and women. Just in my home town, Lorient with around 100,000 inhabitants there are 12 handball clubs, which is more than inthe whole of London (9 million inhabitants)”, explains.

An unfair comparison, as the French play handball almost three times more than the British.

Around 500,000 people play handball compared to almost 170,000 in the UK, according to French government and Statista data from 2019.

There is no obvious reason why handball is not popular in the UK, however, he ventures to try and find out why.

“Without good facilities and PE teachers getting involved, handball struggles to take off in the UK. In places like France and Denmark, where handball’s big in schools, PE teachers areMarcos Arizpeleta key—they build up a real handball scene. But here, British PE teachers aren’t so keen. That’s a problem because we rely a lot on foreign players, who might not stick around. So, without local support, it’s tough to grow the sport here”, he says.

We also spoke to George Roussos. He has been involved in handball since he was eleven years old and continues to enjoy his favourite sport today but from a different perspective. He is the Club Secretary & Director and a member of the England Handball Advisory Group.

“Handball in England is where handball was in Greece in the 1970s, it is a developing sport, fighting to become a mainstream sport.”, he observes. The peak of handball in the UK was at the London 2012 Olympic Games. It was during these Olympics that the Handball Team GB qualified for the first and last time, thanks to the rule that the host country has its place secured.“

Roussos says that it “is a bit more evident and acknowledged across the English handball community that a big opportunity was missed, to built on the London 2012 Olympic Games legacy, promote and scale the size of the sport.”

Handball suffered badly two years ago because of two major events that happened simultaneously. The pandemic and Brexit. Of the nearly 170,000 people who played handball in 2019, the UK lost around 84,000 players. As Roussos explains, “COVID did not help – handball is an indoor contact sport – hence all the wrath of restrictions hit handball hard”. Loudiere, on the other hand, still feels the effects of Brexit. “As of today, the level in the UK is mainly driven by the players from abroad and I feel that the level has slightly dropped in the Premier League due to Brexit”, he says.

What the future holds for handball in Britain and its development is a question that everyone connected with the sport on the islands wonders. The young Portuguese Alexandre Gonçalves has been playing handball since he was 10 years old. Today, at 21, he maintains a positive attitude, as he believes that “handball will continue to grow in England”. Furthermore, he believes that the future of Team GB lies in “involving a lot of help from young athletes bringing their skill level from Europe to the national team; there is definite potential for it to happen, but I think it is a long-term progress.”

In the end, what this country needs for handball to flourish as it is across the rest of Europe is interest and investment. Without interest, nobody will invest, and without investment, handball will suffer due to the lack of courts, equipment, and professionals. Events such as the Olympic Games, World Cup, or European Handball Championship could potentially help, but these options are nearly impossible in the short term.

What is certain, however, is that handball will likely remain an unfamiliar sport in the UK for a few more years.