Women’s Handball Conference to deliver unmissable insights
With the start of the Women’s EHF EURO 2024 in Austria, Hungary, and Switzerland now three months away, the excitement for the tournament is building – not just because of the on-court action. On the fringes of the European championship, the second Women’s Handball Conference is set to take place. At the Flemings Hotel in Vienna on Tuesday 10 and Wednesday 11 December, it is all about “From grassroots to professional sport and beyond,” with a packed schedule full of renown international speakers.
Dr. Jacqueline Mueller will take the stage twice. On the opening day, the lecturer and assistant professor Sport Business and Leadership at the Loughborough University London talks about social sustainability in women’s handball in Europe.
Sustainability, so Mueller, makes us “think about the environment, CO2 emissions, and green energy” though “social sustainability is none the less crucial.” She will explain what its link with sports in general and handball in specific could be, and how everyone can be affected by it.
Mueller will introduce current social sustainability initiatives by the EHF, but also “critically identify some room for growths when it comes to gender equality.”
On the following day, Mueller will give a presentation entitled "Developing female leaders in and through sport", and she will ignite a dialogue with the participants “to identify some of the biggest remaining outer (society), institutional (federations, clubs), as well as inner (personal) barriers to female leadership in handball.”
Sasha Martell is also one of the speakers who will share her invaluable insights with a presentation on "How to create a safe environment for girls in handball". Martell is specialised in this area, working as an IOC Certified Safeguarding Officer in Sport.
Two more presentations have been confirmed. Nora Kaalstad will dive into the subject of "Young female leadership" on the first day of the conference. The executive board member of the Norwegian Handball Federation wants “to grasp upon the understanding of diversity in decision-making in sports, and especially tie the knot to young female leadership.”
Kaalstad will address the “enrichment that exists in recruitment of executive board members in the world of handball, and sports in general” to ensure “a diverse basis for decision-making.”
For the development and growth of organisations in handball and the sport as such, Kaalstad is convinced that “female leadership, and ultimately gender equality, has to be prioritised.”
On the closing day of the conference, EHF Delegate Jamila Boulhimsse talks about "Working initiatives for female officials and referees". Apart from her duties as EHF Delegate, Boulhimsse is a representative of the French Handball Federation, where the Refereeing Committee is her main field of expertise.
With this being only a glimpse of what participants will await in Vienna on 10 and 11 December, it is time to register for the Women’s Handball Conference during the Women's EHF EURO 2024 now.
main photo © Anze Malovrh / kolektiff images
