British Handball Mens U21 IHF Trophy Participation

Dear Sports Fans, 

Are you the sort of sports fan who likes to support the underdog? If so, then this story from a sport little-known in the UK is for you. We're talking about handball.

Putting GB handball on the map

Handball is an emerging sport in the UK. While there’s funding at the adult level, there’s no funding at the junior (under 21) level. So, it was with great excitement and much anticipation that Great Britain men’s junior team (GB U21) headed to Bulgaria this summer to play in the M20 EHF Championship 2022 having never won a competitive match before. 

GB’s pre-tournament preparation was a self-funded, five-day training camp to ready themselves to play against nations with more established handball leagues, bigger budgets and plenty of infrastructure, such as those teams from Switzerland, Israel and Ukraine. For comparison, it’s believed that Israel had an officially-funded nine-week training programme ahead of the tournament.

Despite facing strong opposition, GB remained competitive throughout, improving with every match and then they WON their first ever match! Finishing the tournament in eighth place out of the 10 teams and winning accolades from all. 

The President of the Israel Handball Federation said the "GB team were the definition of sportsmanship. Given nothing but still fighting every second of every match."

An invitation for more competitive handball 

Following on from the European Handball Federation (EHF) tournament, GB were invited to the European phase of the International Handball Federation (IHF) Trophy, which took place in Kosovo in October 2022. This tournament is designed for developing handball nations to play more competitive matches.

GB were not expected to challenge the host nation Kosovo or favourites Bulgaria. However, after making progress in the summer, the U21 team had a newfound confidence and they went on to win - yes, WIN - the tournament without losing a match. It was a truly historic moment for the GB handball team.

Looking ahead: what comes next?

In March 2023 the GB U21 team will play in the IHF Inter-Continental Trophy against the qualifying nations from the other IHF Trophy continent championships around the world. 

This will be another historic event for GB as the U21s may well start as favourites and the tournament is a qualifying event for the U21 World Handball Championships in June 2023. As any sports fan knows, walking out to play in a world championship against the big boys, such as France, Norway, Denmark and other incredible teams, is a dream. 

The GB players are determined to build on their success in Kosovo but they do not underestimate the enormous effort required. Every one of them has dreamt of such an opportunity. As one GB player said after the IHF Trophy win, "this has made four years of hard work worth every bit of sacrifice."

How you can help GB achieve the dream

The GB U21 players can only do so much on their own. The British Handball Association is a small organisation, in which every one of the management and coaching staff are volunteers and the players are self-funding.

This is why we are asking for your help. If you are to help these players reach their goal of playing at the U21 World Handball Championships then please do; your contribution will be used to:

1.    Cover costs of a vital pre-tournament camp 

2.    Ensure all players have new kit and equipment prior to participating 

3.    Should the donations exceed the target, contribute towards travel costs of coaches, team staff and players 

Reaching the £5,000 target will enable the team to focus their energy on continuing to improve and take us all along with them on this incredible journey.

*Please note that all signed items that are being made available under this campaign will be available and distributed to donors after the team meet in March 2023. 

Many thanks, 

GB men's U21 Handball