European Handball Federation
Encyclopedia
The European Handball Federation (EHF) is the umbrella organisation for Europe
an handball
. Founded in November 1991, it is made of 50 member federations and one associated member (Kosovo
), and is headquartered
in Vienna
, Austria
. Its current Secretary General is Michael Wiederer.
, Germany
, although the first EHF Congress convened on 5 June 1992 and assigned EHF's headquarters to Vienna
, Austria
from 1 September that year. In the subsequent years, the number of member countries has expanded from the initial 29 to its current number of 50, after Andorra have been granted a full membership on 29 May 2011. The EHF represents its members in the development
of the sport both in terms of grass-roots talent, as well as commercial growth. EHF-organised events such as the Men’s and Women’s European Handball Championships and the EHF Champions League represent major revenue-contributors, while initiatives such as beach handball
, handball at school and wheelchair handball expand the attraction of the sport.
Club Men's Competitions
Club Women's Competitions
and Women’s
European Championships have been carried out a total of 15 times (incl. 2008 Men’s European Handball Championship), in host countries all over Europe. Sixteen of the best national teams in the world take part in each of these events and they continue to reach new heights. Recently published figures show a continuous upwards spiral, with a cumulative audience in the 2008 men’s event of over one billion views and more than 1000 hours of programming.
has changed considerably over the past 15 years. The EHF is particularly proud of the product’s pro-active, new branding strategy, which was launched by the EHF sister company, EHF Marketing GmbH. The market has been presented with a "clean" and attractive package, which has taken EHF Champions League handball into a new dimension. On 29 June 2007, the start of the 15th EHF Champions League season was celebrated with a Champions League Gala on the occasion of the men’s and women’s draw for the group phase. A special edition compendium of the EHF Champions League History was published under the title "Celebrate the Passion".
, EHF Cup Winners' Cup and EHF Challenge Cup
. The EHF administers over 730 European club matches each year, which take place in all corners of the continent. The European Handball Federation is also proud of the fact that all 50 member federations are active within the organisation, which speaks for itself.
Croatia
Czech Republic Denmark
Faroe Islands Finland France
Germany Greece Hungary Iceland
Israel Italy
Lithuania Macedonia
Malta
Montenegro
Netherlands Norway
Poland
Romania
Russia
Scotland
Serbia Slovakia Slovenia
Spain
Sweden Switzerland Turkey Ukraine
Special members Great Britain
Kosovo
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an handball
Team handball
Handball is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each pass a ball to throw it into the goal of the other team...
. Founded in November 1991, it is made of 50 member federations and one associated member (Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
), and is headquartered
Headquarters
Headquarters denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the top of a corporation taking full responsibility managing all business activities...
in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
. Its current Secretary General is Michael Wiederer.
History of the EHF
EHF was founded on 17 November 1991 in BerlinBerlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, although the first EHF Congress convened on 5 June 1992 and assigned EHF's headquarters to Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
from 1 September that year. In the subsequent years, the number of member countries has expanded from the initial 29 to its current number of 50, after Andorra have been granted a full membership on 29 May 2011. The EHF represents its members in the development
Business development
A subset of the field of commerce, business development comprises a number of techniques and responsibilities which aim at:1. Researching new types of business/products/services with an emphasis on identifying gaps in the mitigation of needs of potential clients .2. Attracting new customers3...
of the sport both in terms of grass-roots talent, as well as commercial growth. EHF-organised events such as the Men’s and Women’s European Handball Championships and the EHF Champions League represent major revenue-contributors, while initiatives such as beach handball
Beach handball
Beach handball is a team sport where two teams pass and bounce a ball, trying to throw it in the goal of the opposing team. The game is similar to team handball, but is not played in a sports hall but on sand instead...
, handball at school and wheelchair handball expand the attraction of the sport.
Tournaments
European Championships- European Men's Handball ChampionshipEuropean Men's Handball ChampionshipThe European men's handball championship is the official competition for senior men's national handball teams of Europe, and takes place every two years. In addition to crowning the European champions, the tournament also serves as a qualifying tournament for the World Championship...
- European Women's Handball ChampionshipEuropean Women's Handball ChampionshipThe European Women's Handball Championship is the official competition for senior women's national handball teams of Europe, and takes place every two years. In addition to crowning the European champions, the tournament also serves as a qualifying tournament for the World Championship...
- U20 European Men's Handball Championship
- U19 European Women's Handball Championship
- U18 European Men's Handball Championship
- U17 European Women's Handball ChampionshipEuropean Women's Youth Handball ChampionshipThe European Women's Youth Handball Championship is the official competition for youth women handball national teams in Europe, managed by the European Handball Federation.-Tournaments:-Medal table:...
Club Men's Competitions
- EHF Champions LeagueEHF Champions LeagueThe EHF Champions League is the most important professional club handball competition in Europe . The competition was started in the 1956–57 season, and is administered by the European Handball Federation.The most successful teams are from Germany and Spain...
- EHF Cup Winners' Cup
- EHF CupEHF CupThe EHF Cup is an official competition for men's handball clubs of Europe and takes place every year. From 2012/13 it will be merged with EHF Cup Winners' Cup to EHF European Cup....
- EHF Challenge CupEHF Challenge CupThe EHF Challenge Cup is an official European Handball Federation competition for men's clubs of Europe and takes place every year. Before 1999/2000, it was called EHF City Cup....
(former EHF City Cup)
Club Women's Competitions
- Women's EHF Champions LeagueWomen's EHF Champions LeagueThe EHF Women's Champions League is an official competition for women's handball clubs of Europe, organized annually by the European Handball Federation . It is the most competitive and prestigious tournament for clubs since the champions of the best national leagues participate on it.- Eligibility...
- Women's EHF Cup Winner's CupWomen's EHF Cup Winner's CupThe Women's EHF Cup Winners' Cup is an official competition for women's handball clubs of Europe and takes place yearly since 1993. It is organized by the European Handball Federation...
- Women's EHF CupWomen's EHF CupThe Women's EHF Cup is an official competition for women's handball clubs of Europe. It takes place every year, from September to May. It was first organized by the European Handball Federation in 1993...
- Women's EHF Challenge CupWomen's EHF Challenge CupThe Women's EHF Challenge Cup is an annual team handball competition for women's clubs of Europe. It was known as the EHF City Cup until the 1999-2000 season.- Summary :- External links :*...
(former EHF City Cup)
European Championships
The Men’sEuropean Men's Handball Championship
The European men's handball championship is the official competition for senior men's national handball teams of Europe, and takes place every two years. In addition to crowning the European champions, the tournament also serves as a qualifying tournament for the World Championship...
and Women’s
European Women's Handball Championship
The European Women's Handball Championship is the official competition for senior women's national handball teams of Europe, and takes place every two years. In addition to crowning the European champions, the tournament also serves as a qualifying tournament for the World Championship...
European Championships have been carried out a total of 15 times (incl. 2008 Men’s European Handball Championship), in host countries all over Europe. Sixteen of the best national teams in the world take part in each of these events and they continue to reach new heights. Recently published figures show a continuous upwards spiral, with a cumulative audience in the 2008 men’s event of over one billion views and more than 1000 hours of programming.
EHF Champions League
The EHF Champions LeagueEHF Champions League
The EHF Champions League is the most important professional club handball competition in Europe . The competition was started in the 1956–57 season, and is administered by the European Handball Federation.The most successful teams are from Germany and Spain...
has changed considerably over the past 15 years. The EHF is particularly proud of the product’s pro-active, new branding strategy, which was launched by the EHF sister company, EHF Marketing GmbH. The market has been presented with a "clean" and attractive package, which has taken EHF Champions League handball into a new dimension. On 29 June 2007, the start of the 15th EHF Champions League season was celebrated with a Champions League Gala on the occasion of the men’s and women’s draw for the group phase. A special edition compendium of the EHF Champions League History was published under the title "Celebrate the Passion".
EHF European Cup Competitions
Over 250 clubs take part in the EHF European Cup competitions, which include EHF CupEHF Cup
The EHF Cup is an official competition for men's handball clubs of Europe and takes place every year. From 2012/13 it will be merged with EHF Cup Winners' Cup to EHF European Cup....
, EHF Cup Winners' Cup and EHF Challenge Cup
EHF Challenge Cup
The EHF Challenge Cup is an official European Handball Federation competition for men's clubs of Europe and takes place every year. Before 1999/2000, it was called EHF City Cup....
. The EHF administers over 730 European club matches each year, which take place in all corners of the continent. The European Handball Federation is also proud of the fact that all 50 member federations are active within the organisation, which speaks for itself.
Development work
A considerable part of EHF business revolves around the further development of the sport itself and handball within the European Handball Family. Events and projects of 2006, which proved to be catalysts for this development, included the EHF Youth Handball Convention, a variety of referee and delegate courses, coaches’ course and, for example, the EHF Foster Project, where the "big brothers" of the European handball world guide and give a helping hand to developing handball nations.Handball management
Professional handball management has become a business like any other. Ever since the foundation of the EHF, the organisation has placed huge importance on its open and pro-active communication strategy and the exchange of information. The EHF is the voice of Europe on handball matters and is in permanent consultation with all its partners. Each year, many meetings, workshops, conferences, congresses and events take place to ensure that this communication process falls into place and that the key link between all handball protagonists from all fields of the sport is strengthened even further.Members
Austria Belarus Bosnia and HerzegovinaHandball Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Handball Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina is the highest Handball governing body in the country. It organizes the Premier league of Bosnia-Herzegovina and Cup of Bosnia-Herzegovina...
Croatia
Croatian Handball Federation
The Croatian Handball Federation is the governing body of team handball in Croatia. It is based in Zagreb.It organizes the handball leagues:* Croatian First League of Handball* Croatian Second League of Handball...
Czech Republic Denmark
Danish Handball Federation
The Danish Handball Federation is the national governing body for handball in Denmark. It is based in Brøndby.- History :The DHF was founded on 2 June 1935. It is a member of the European Handball Federation and the International Handball Federation....
Faroe Islands Finland France
French Handball Federation
The French Handball Federation is the national handball association in France. FFHB organizes team handball within France and represents French handball internationally. It sorts under the French Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. The federation is a member of the European Handball Federation ...
Germany Greece Hungary Iceland
Icelandic Handball Association
The Icelandic Handball Association is the national governing body for handball in Iceland. It is based in Reykjavík....
Israel Italy
Lithuania Macedonia
Macedonian Handball Federation
The Macedonian Handball Federation commonly known by its acronym, RFM, is the national governing body of handball in Macedonia. Its headquarters are in Skopje, Macedonia...
Malta
Malta Handball Association
The Malta Handball Association is the governing body of handball in Malta. Founded in 1995, it is affiliated to the European Handball Federation and is represented in European international games by the Malta National Handball Team....
Montenegro
Handball Federation of Montenegro
The Handball Federation of Montenegro is the governing body of team handball in Montenegro...
Netherlands Norway
Norwegian Handball Federation
The Norwegian Handball Federation is the national handball association in Norway.The Norwegian Handball Federation was founded in 1937, and is a member of the Norwegian Confederation of Sports , the European Handball Federation and the International Handball Federation. Its headquarters are in Oslo...
Poland
Poland Handball Federation
The Polish Handball Federation is the national handball association in Poland.The Poland Handball Federation is a member of the European Handball Federation and the International Handball Federation ....
Romania
Romanian Handball Federation
The Romanian Handball Federation is the governing body of handball in Romania. It is based in Bucharest. FRH is led by 6 departments.-History:...
Russia
Handball Union of Russia
The Handball Union of Russia commonly known by its acronym, HUR, is the national governing body of handball in Russia. Its headquarters are in Moscow, Russia, and its current president is Vladimir Maksimov...
Scotland
Scottish Handball Association
The Scottish Handball Association is the governing body for non-International Handball Federation related matters of team handball in Scotland while the British Handball Association has governance over matters relating to the International Handball Federation...
Serbia Slovakia Slovenia
Handball Federation of Slovenia
The Handball Federation of Slovenia is the national handball association of Slovenia.The Handball Federation of Slovenia is a member of the European Handball Federation and the International Handball Federation . The organisation is responsible for the Slovenia national handball team and the...
Spain
Royal Spanish Handball Federation
The Royal Spanish Handball Federation is the national handball association in Spain.The Royal Spanish Handball Federation is a member of the European Handball Federation and the International Handball Federation ....
Sweden Switzerland Turkey Ukraine
Special members Great Britain
British Handball Association
The British Handball Association is the governing body of Team Handball in Britain. It is a member of the International Handball Federation since 1970 and of the European Handball Federation for IHF matters. Other representation at European level is under different national associations: the...
Kosovo
Handball Federation of Kosovo
The Kosovo Handball Federation is the governing body of team handball in Kosovo, based in Pristina. It is a member of the European Handball Federation and International Handball Federation. However, the Federation's club competitions are only recognized, but not a national team. The current...