IHF Intercommission Meeting

Basle, Mar 22, 2014: Exchanging ideas, acquiring proposals and implementing new features in all parts of handball were the main tasks of around 50 members of all IHF Commissions, who participated in the two-day Intercommission Meeting at the IHF Head Office in Basle, Switzerland. Guided by the headline “How to make handball more attractive?” the IHF Commissions first held internal meetings, then all Commission members mixed in five different working groups on Thursday and Friday (20/21 March), before the Commissions met again to discuss the results and implementation of the ideas in their daily business.

In his opening speech IHF President Dr Hassan Moustafa pointed out the key points to focus on in this meeting: “Handball is a very good product, but it needs – figuratively – good salesmen and saleswomen, as it is not enough to just have a good product. Showcasing the attractiveness of this product is of utmost importance. Where are we going with our sport in the next ten years? The main target is how to make handball more attractive in the different fields for spectators or the television, as we are not alone in the field of sport.”

On day one of the meeting, two major tasks took centre stage: First the education and the requirements for IHF Technical Delegates. The working group proposed to improve the recent education and lecturers’ programme by new learning materials like e-learning or by intensifying parts of the preparation like mental or stress training.

With regard to the second task “game development”, a huge number of proposals were acquired such as the installation of a new IHF rule development working group, the more intense use of technology by referees and table officials or the stricter handling of rule interpretations. All participants shared the opinion that in case of any rule changes, the game structure in general should not be affected.

With the results of day one in mind, the IHF Commission members were split in different working groups on Friday and worked on general strategies and on different tasks such as teaching and education concepts for different target groups, ideas and proposals for IHF events, international development and game development as well as different communication strategies, including the presentation of a completely new education concept under the umbrella of an IHF Education Centre with different sections for players, coaches, referees, delegates or teachers.

All ideas and proposals will be the basis for further discussions and decisions during the next IHF Forum for the Future of Handball, which will take place in October in Bjerringbro, Denmark, at the headquarters of long-term IHF partner Grundfos. Afterwards those ideas and proposals will be implemented in the Four-Year Plan, and a project management for all departments will be set up to have a straightforward workflow. —- IHF