With the current year drawing to close, the sight was firmly set on the next one, 2024, and some key decisions for the second part of the club competition season and beyond were made.
The meeting was also a special for Leonor Mallozzi of Portugal. As it had been previously agreed, Mallozzi has taken over the chair of the Women’s Handball Board from Marta Bon halfway through the election period and therefore also took over the Slovenian’s seat in the EHF Executive Committee.
The EXEC meeting was preceded by the EHF Marketing General Assembly (GA) at which the business year of the EHF’s marketing arm was officially concluded, and Managing Director David Szlezak received the official approval for the conduct of business in the past season. The General Assembly also confirmed EHF Marketing’s 2023/24 budget.
The EXEC took note of the information provided of the GA and praised the positive outcomes and EHF Marketing’s results of 2022/23.
EHF Finals go to Hamburg and Graz
In a move which underlines the European Handball Federation’s endeavour to also have the final events of the EHF European League, the EHF’s second-tier club competition, played on neutral ground, the EXEC confirmed Graz and Hamburg as host cities for EHF Finals Women and Men in 2024.
Following the successful first edition in 2023, Graz will host the women’s event for the second time, while a European club handball competition final event will be played in Hamburg for the first time ever when the EHF Finals Men come to town. (additional information in the media release).
Furthermore, the future of the EHF FINAL4 events in Budapest and Cologne was addressed. The EXEC took note of initial efforts to prolong the existing contracts (currently until 2026 for the TruckScout24 EHF FINAL4 in Cologne and until 2024 for the EHF FINAL4 Women in Budapest) and provided the mandate to continue the talks with all parties involved.
Men’s EHF EURO 2024 looming, women’s 2026 event to be awarded
With the Men’s EHF EURO 2024 in Germany (10-28 January) being the next major event on the competition calendar, the EHF EXEC as part of the overall event report was informed on the latest preparations for the championship.
This included the status of preparations for the world-record breaking opening matchday in Düsseldorf in front of more than 50,000 fans as well as information on side events such as the EHF’s first grassroots handball convention and the first module of the Master Coach Course.
Furthermore, the EXEC approved a Master Plan project submitted by the German Handball Federation (DHB).
The DHB is one of the latest applicants for the EHF’s Master Plan funding scheme; its project is the so-called ‘handball grassroots coaches license’ with the aim to educate and train more qualified coaches working with the kids and more kids playing and enjoying handball.
It is planned to have 1,000 new ‘grassroots handball coaches’ educated during the upcoming Men’s EHF EURO 2024, and the project shall continue afterwards.
The German project is one of more than a dozen projects already successfully implemented as part of the EHF’s Master Plan scheme to foster the development of handball in Europe.
The Men’s EHF EURO 2024 will also be the place where the Women’s EHF EURO 2026 will be awarded by the Executive Committee.
Romania and Slovakia as well as Poland and Czechia have submitted joint bids; Türkiye has submitted a single bid.
First inspections took place in November and all bidding federations had the opportunity to present their approach to the EHF Office in December.
The EXEC took note of the bids’ status and will take the information provided into consideration for the eventual allocation of the Women’s EHF EURO 2026 which will take place as part of the next meeting of the EHF Executive Committee in Cologne on 27 January.
Furthermore, the Executive Committee was informed that the bidding documents for the EHF EUROs in 2030 and 2032 have been been finalised and provided to the all federations who had expressed their interest in hosting event.
Support for wheelchair handball
Following a motion submitted by the Methods Commission, the EHF Executive Committee expressed its support for the future organisation of European Wheelchair Handball Championships.
With the tournament format still to be determined on the technical level, this may also support additional financial aid for the organisers.
EHF Sustainability Board established
At the Men’s EHF EURO 2024 the first meeting of the EHF’s Sustainability Board will take place. The new board has been established following the EHF Congress in Basel in September at the which the EHF presented its sustainability strategy.
It was suggested to establish the board to bring forward initiatives and mirror the interface between the daily business and the political decision-making process.
Meetings shall take place twice a year – the inaugural meeting is scheduled for 28 January 2024 in Cologne. The board is chaired by EHF Executive Committee member Franjo Bobinac and includes external experts from various fields.
The EXEC confirmed the approach as well as the board’s composition.
Task Force ‘Harmonisation of Statutes’
Also looking back to the EHF Congress in Basel as well as ahead to next Extraordinary Congress, scheduled for 14 December 2024 in Vienna, the EXEC was informed on the work of the new task force ‘Harmonisation of Statutes’.
The task force was established after the motions accepted in Basel meant an extensive restructuring, reorganisation and change of numbering in the EHF Statutes. In connection with this aspect, it was foreseeable that a non-material review of the statutes concerning the basic structure, the readability and correct numbering will be required after such a massive adaptation.
The EXEC praised the task force’s clarifying work, approved the part concerning reorganisation and decided to present – underlining the need for thoroughness and diligence – any proposed amendments or changes to the next Congress.
And while the next EHF Congress takes place in just under a year, the next meeting of the EHF Executive Committee is already scheduled for the next month, as its members will convene in Cologne on 27 January during the final weekend of the Men’s EHF EURO 2024.
