Switzerland's Master Plan: Capitalising on EHF EURO momentum to drive development

The national team achieved a historic result at the Women’s EHF EURO 2024, reaching the main round of the competition for the first time ever. With the EURO being the only competition in which the Switzerland women’s team have participated and the 2024 edition being their second following their debut in 2022, securing passage to the next stage was momentous, and hope is high that handball for women and girls in particular will continue to experience rapid growth and development.

On the EURO front, the Swiss Handball Federation (SHV) now look ahead to co-hosting of the men’s event in 2028, which they organise in collaboration with Spain and Portugal. Thus, Switzerland are in a significant period of development running from the top — their A national teams — down to children’s handball, making it an ideal time for participation in the Master Plan project.

Key facts

• Switzerland signed the Master Plan agreement with the EHF in September 2023, making 2025 in part the second year of collaborative activities with the EHF and a transition into the third and final year; the last month of the Master Plan project will be August 2026
• children’s handball has been a key target, encompassing education of physical education teachers, the instalment of over 200 trained ambassadors, and cooperation with clubs and school competitions
• specific projects targeting children’s handball include “Handball macht Schule” — directly translating to “handball makes school” — and “Born to play handball”
• Switzerland capitalised on the co-hosting of the Women’s EHF EURO 2024 to promote women’s handball in particular, with a number of additional activities surrounding the major championship

Creation of the concept

“In its strategic objectives, the Swiss Handball Federation has set itself the goal of increasing the number of licences, with a particular focus on a 50 per cent increase in the women's sector. In addition, we see great potential in children's handball, which can be further strengthened by the major events — the Women's EHF EURO 2024 and the upcoming Men's EHF EURO 2028. We wanted to capitalise on this momentum, and the Master Plan project offers us the ideal opportunity to realise our goals,” says project lead Dominique Meier, talking about how Switzerland decided on the key focuses for their arm of the Master Plan.

“The focus was partly based on existing projects, such as the school handball championship and the ‘Handball macht Schule’ programme, as we have a solid network and proven structures to fall back on. In addition, we have launched a children's campaign under the motto ‘Born to play handball’ to generate more online attention for handball and children's handball in particular.”

A busy period of planning and implementation followed the signing of the agreement in September 2023, and the first event took place that month: SlowUpSports, a digital experience for young and old aiming to arouse emotions and publicise both the EURO and school handball.

Various children’s handball initiatives were created and implemented in the core areas of PE teacher education, school activities and the online sphere. The initial focus, at the end of 2023, was on activating clubs to join the school handball project and identification of schools taking part, after which a detailed activity plan was developed.

The project management team includes eight members, with one full-time position having been specifically created.

Broad focus to encourage participation and develop children’s handball

Falling under the umbrella of the three key areas of PE teacher education, school handball and online campaigns, a number of different activities targeting children have been undertaken. 

The PE teacher education includes on-site instruction from the SHV as well as club and Handball macht Schule ambassadors. Four PE education courses were held in 2024, as well as two courses for ambassadors and a combined course for both ambassadors and teachers.

The school activities encompassed both curricular handball and school competitions, including voluntary programmes run by ambassadors. A pilot project of girls camps for new players — both those who are completely new to the game and those with limited experience — was launched, aiming to provide a specific space for female players and also promote the EHF EURO 2024. The first was held in October 2024.

Regarding online initiatives, the Born to play handball concept focused on social media promotion of handball for children, at school and tournaments, as well as providing activities for kids.

Handball macht Schule continues upward trajectory

The Handball macht Schule programme is one of the most comprehensive and important arms of the SHV’s Master Plan project. Ambassadors have an important and active role in the running of the programme, and receive comprehensive training in order to deliver. The programme began before the Master Plan agreement was signed, and has received further support through the collaboration with the EHF.

In 2022/23, there were 191 ambassadors. In the 2023/24 season, that figure increased to 215.

“Although the literal translation ‘Handball makes school’ is accurate, it does not fully reflect the meaning of the project. In German, the term ‘macht Schule’ also alludes to the creation of a role model or the dissemination of an idea,” says Meier, explaining the core project further.

“The free ‘Handball macht Schule’ programme aims to awaken enthusiasm for handball in schools. With the help of child-friendly soft handball and mini handball, the programme appeals to teachers and pupils from kindergarten to grade seven.

“Through specially developed demo lessons, teachers experience how handball can be integrated into lessons in a way that is not only exciting and suitable for children, but also fair and educationally valuable. They are supported by experienced and well-trained ambassadors who pass on their passion for the team sport and organise the lessons.”

With the activities now rolling, the next step is further promotion of the project. As such, the SHV are currently working on video content scheduled for release in the spring of 2025.

Women’s EHF EURO 2024 incorporated into kids’ handball initiatives

Concerning the EHF EURO 2024, a special focus was placed on Basel as the host city, where a school handball championship modelled after the international competition was held at the end of November. The competition was for children aged eight to 13, and each participating class represented a country contesting the EURO. The classes were then invited to watch EHF EURO 2024 matches in Basel, and the children were enthusiastic spectators at the event.

In addition, the EHF EURO 2024 mascot Catchy was incorporated into club events that took place in the lead up to the tournament.

“The school handball championship, inspired by the EURO, was successfully organised. On the opening day, 35 school classes from Basel and the region took part, representing different countries. Each class received a personalised video message from a player or coach from the respective nation. The EURO mascot Catchy, who presented the trophies to the winning teams, was a particular source of excitement,” says Meier. 

At the EURO, away from the court, there were specific activities targeting children in the fan zone, which itself was designed to appeal to a wide audience, from established handball fans to new fans.

Significant progress in first phase

The SHV are monitoring the development of licences in the 2024/25 season closely, but reported 99 clubs participating in 98 school competitions in 2023/24, after 98 clubs took part in 88 tournaments in 2022/23.

“We were able to make significant progress in the first phase of the project. For example, we have increased the number of children under the age of 13 by around 13 per cent,” says Meier.

“The next focus is now on the targeted promotion of girls and supporting the clubs, particularly in their work with children's handball. We still have potential for development in this area and are still some way off our long-term goals.

“The developments in school handball should also be highlighted as positive. We were able to significantly increase the number of participant school classes in tournaments. We are also seeing more clubs and ambassadors giving handball lessons in schools.”

It will take time before the SHV can determine the precise impact of the EURO, but what is clear is that a large number of children have been reached by the Master Plan project in Switzerland so far — and there is no doubt the upward trajectory will continue.

Photos © Kolektiff Images