Master Plan: Looking back on a successful start in Serbia

Serbia have a long and vibrant tradition of handball on all levels, with the game being one long practised from amateur through to elite status and national teams that have celebrated medals at World Championships and EHF EURO events.

But the last big senior national team successes date to just over a decade ago, with the men’s side having taken the silver medal at the EHF EURO 2012 and the women’s team finishing as runners-up at the 2013 World Championship. Therefore, the Serbian Handball Federation (Rukometni Savez Srbije; RSS) came into the Master Plan project aiming to improve all the systems that eventually feed into the national teams, starting at the youngest age.

Grassroots growth is at the heart of Serbia’s Master Plan project, particularly with children aged six to 10 years. On the other end of the scale, the RSS wants to restore the cult status of the national teams, and children’s interest in handball is a vital part of that as well.

Key facts

• the Serbia Master Plan project has yet to reach the end of the first phase, with the focus so far on being setting up the initiatives that will be built upon throughout the three-year period; the project began in October 2024 and will conclude in September 2027
• the core focus of the project is children’s handball: running events and festivals to encourage interest in the game among kids, involving adult players as ambassadors, and helping to set up structures for clubs to attract and retain players
• in addition, promotion of the different activities through local media has been key, as visibility of what is available is crucial to help drive participation
• in conjunction with the work to increase participation among children, coaching seminars targeting mini handball have been held
• referee development is also in focus, with increased opportunities for young referees through the children’s events

Creation of the concept

As with all EHF Master Plan projects, the overall approach is comprehensive, with many different areas addressed, although children’s handball is the clear focus.

At the project outset, numerous middle- and long-term objectives were defined. Some of the most important goals outlined were:

• player development: Implement comprehensive youth development programmes and establish strong partnerships with schools and clubs
• marketing and promotion: Implement marketing strategies to increase visibility and engage in partnerships with sponsors and media outlets
• competition and leagues: Develop and promote competitive leagues in various age groups, encourage participation in regional competitions and host international tournaments
• coaching excellence: Invest in education and certification programmes and establish mentorship programmes
• community engagement: Establish community outreach programmes to promote grassroots handball and encourage inclusivity and diversity by reaching underrepresented communities

In addition, the RSS aimed to develop the following areas:

• infrastructure and facilities: Expand the number of as well as upgrade and maintain modern handball facilities
• sports science and medical support: Optimise player performance and reduce the risk of injuries through integration and collaboration in this context
• international collaboration: Foster international partnerships towards joint initiatives, friendly matches and exchange programmes, and adapt strategies according to global trends
• governance and administration: Ensure transparent and efficient governance structures and regularly reviewing and updating policies
• financial stability: Develop diversified revenue streams and efficiently allocate resources

Visibility of handball is a core part of the RSS’ strategy, and promotion of the Master Plan project is therefore not a secondary goal but a primary part of the initiatives — everything undertaken towards the project needs to be promoted in order to raise awareness of what is on offer regarding the sport. That would, in turn, lead to increased participation.

“The basis was to create good social networks that would be the nucleus that would collect all information about events related to the project,” says project coordinator Darko Grbic.

"The idea was that there were three ways of communication, the first and main being events for the project — animations in schools, promotions in clubs; the second, creating a connection between the representation, the national selection, with schools and clubs where their gatherings are; and the third, monitoring the events and activities of clubs and people who set a real example with their engagement — tournaments, promotions, festivals.

“To make it more interesting for the children, we created a mascot that is a symbol of recognition and an integral part of all our activities. The mascot's name, SVEMIRKO —little cosmic space, universe — in our language is a play on the words ‘SVE-world MI-mini R-handball.’ We also tried to ensure that all events were covered by the media — newspapers and local or national TV stations.”

14 cities and thousands of children reached

All initiatives have been implemented with the support of the relevant authorities in Serbia: the Ministry of Youth and Sport, the Ministry of Education, local authorities, the Serbian Olympic Committee and the Serbian School Sport Association. While all the children’s events and activities so far have been run by Grbic and other members of the RSS, regional coordinators with responsibility for implementing mini handball on a local level have been appointed.

A total of 13 cities have seen children’s handball events as part of the Master Plan project: Loznica, Bor, Kragujevac, Priboj, Vranje, Leskovac, Arilje, Novi Sad, Belgrade, Petrovac na Mlavi, Zaječar, Banja Koviljača and Mužija. In addition, a large-scale festival was held in Lazarevac.

“During the first year of the project, we organised 13 events in different cities. During that time, we had the opportunity to socialise and play with 3,700 children — 1,000 of whom were from the school programme system who encountered mini handball for the first time. Thanks to our regional Master Plan coordinators, another 700 children had the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge through various mini handball tournaments,” reports Grbic.

“The final festival was in Lazarevac, where over 1,100 children from all over Serbia gathered — 47 or 48 clubs,” explains Grbic. 

“We turned the football field into nine mini handball fields. During the day, we played nearly 170 games. The event was raised to the highest level, confirmed by the presence of Zoran Gajić, Minister of Sports of the Republic of Serbia, and Ratko Nikolić, a former handball player, State Secretary for Sports. That handball festival was also covered by numerous media outlets.”

Alongside the core initiatives of events for children, the RSS have been working on the development of coaches and referees. That has involved two mini handball coaching courses led by EHF lecturer Luisa Estriga.

“We divided the lectures into two cities with the idea of making it as easy as possible for coaches and teachers to respond. One was in Stara Pazova, where 34 coaches were present, and the second day in Arilje, where 25 coaches responded. Among these numbers we also had five physical education teachers,” says Grbic.

“In Arilje, we also organised a mini handball tournament where the lecture participants had the opportunity to see and practically apply the ideas from the presentation by Professor Luisa Estriga.”

While the opportunity to expand their education may be a no-brainer for coaches and physical education teachers, it is somewhat more difficult to encourage referees to gain experience by overseeing children’s matches. However, the RSS find it highly productive to involve developing referees in the children’s events, to help them gain more experience.

“In cooperation with the Association of Referees and Controllers of the Belgrade Handball Federation, there were 28 participants for young referees who, after the training, got involved in mini handball activities — six in Vojvodina, five in central Serbia and 17 in the Belgrade region. The idea is to conduct another education for new participants at the end of this year,” says Grbic.

Acceleration approaching as initial setup phase comes to an end

Grbic highlights that the first year of the project has involved an enormous amount of movement in activities, with a sharp increase from the pre-project stage to where they are now: 11 months in and ready to start expanding on what they have implemented so far.

“The Master Plan is a living thing, and it depends primarily on the love and dedication of the people and stakeholders involved in it. We have plenty of room to develop and improve individual elements. Certainly, one part of it in the future will be the education and training of teachers and trainers,” says Grbic.

“It was important for us to gain the trust of the clubs regarding the project and to expand the network and cooperation with new actors — clubs and schools.”

Now comes the time to build on the foundation that has been meticulously and successfully laid.

Photos © Serbian Handball Federation