“Every single woman is important on our way to change the mindset”

We have previously examined approaching the new generation, which is tied to the theme “she plays handball,” and social sustainability in handball, linked to “inspiring HERstory.” Now, we look at the empowering HERstory topic, with the help of four presenters who will share their expertise in different areas come December.

Executive board member of the Norwegian Handball Federation Nora Kaalstad is the scheduled keynote speaker for the late afternoon portion of the day one programme. Kaalstad will speak on the topic of young female leadership.

“My presentation will focus on the importance of gender diversity, some reflections on stereotypes and also present advantages that come with diversity in age in decision-making bodies. I will grasp upon a broader approach and focus on ‘Young female leadership’ in general. I want to address some significant statistical gaps existing, both within the world of handball/sports and more generally in our global society,” says Kaalstad.

“It is an important area of focus based on two basic dimensions, as I see it. The first one is simply the fundamental belief in gender equality as foremost a societal value in itself. It strongly connects to the principle of equality of opportunity.

“The second one is also simple to put into words: If you are serious about maximising an organisation's ability to deliver a good product, diversity is needed, among decision-makers and in leadership. An organisation is being enriched by diversity in general, and gender equality and a width in age specifically in this case. The people in position will have the opportunity to personally benefit from the leadership experience, with all that entails. This, in turn, helps foster growth and progress within the organisational frames.”

Also speaking on day one of the Women’s Handball Conference will be Joyce van Haaster, female MVP of the 1^st IHF Four-a-Side World Championship in 2022 and multiple-time All-star Team member at national team wheelchair handball tournaments. Van Haaster’s presentation will focus on expecting the unexpected through the lens of her own journey, which has involved being part of the junior national team in the 1990s, discovering a malignant tumour in her leg in 2002, years of treatment including getting an artificial bone in her leg and the removal of muscle, and ultimately overcoming all of that to return to top-level competitive sport.

“With my presentation ‘Expect the unexpected,’ I want to tell my story how I came from a valid handball player to a wheelchair handball player. Besides my illness period, I had faced several major challenges in my life. The phrase ‘expect the unexpected’ has also served as a signpost during these times. I would also like to mention the role of women in wheelchair handball. There is still much to be gained for women in this mixed sport,” says van Haaster.

“No matter how tough a situation is, it always turns out differently than your ego or your brain predicts. By having the attitude of expecting the unexpected, you can still find the gems of life in the most difficult times. And it can take you to places you could never have imagined beforehand.”

German sisters Maike Merz and Tanja Kuttler combine to make one of the top referee pairs in handball. They have whistled every Women’s World Championship since 2019, the EHF Champions League Women final in 2022, the Men’s World Championship in 2023, the last two editions of the EHF EURO — the Women’s event in Slovenia, North Macedonia and Montenegro and the Men’s in Germany, plus the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Their presenting duties at the second Women’s Handball Conference will combine with their role as referees at the Women’s EHF EURO 2024 as well.

Merz and Kuttler will present one of the breakout sessions, “The world of refereeing: The path and challenges for elite female referees,” on the morning of the second (half) day of the Conference.

“We will try to give the audience an insight to our referee lives. Of course, on the one hand, speaking about our way to the top of refereeing, looking at the biggest challenges that we were faced with. But, on the other side, we also want to talk about what it entails to be a top referee now and what it means to handle our lives beside handball,” says Merz.  

“Often when we talk to people who don’t know much about referees, they are very surprised about our lives and the circumstances that we perform in. It’s important to sensitise people and give them more knowledge about refereeing, to create more understanding for this job and improve the image of refereeing. Within these topics, we will of course talk about motherhood and being a referee, as this is probably the biggest issue that especially female referees are confronted with.”

The meaning of empowering HERstory

The most basic way to define empowering others is enabling, and it is a subject that applies across essentially all of the work undertaken in the handball world, whether by federations, clubs, coaches, or even from teammate to teammate. Every step taken to try to accomplish something new involves enabling someone or a group of people to do something they could not before. Therefore, empowerment must be considered a key element of growth and development in any context, including beyond the involvement of women and girls.

However, the empowerment of women and girls in handball is perhaps the most important tool to catalyse the fastest possible growth of the sport. It is simple math: Where there might have been limitations in terms of who was involved in the development of handball before, the inclusion of diverse groups — the end of exclusion due to gender, age, and other factors — means the drive, ideas, time and work of more people can be incorporated.

And the bonus with the doors being opened to all is that the chance of overlooking some area that brings great potential is drastically reduced. The more diverse, empowered people are involved in handball in any capacity, the greater the chance for everyone in the sport to move forward in the most effective way.

As the subject of empowerment is so broad, the meaning and understanding of the phrase “empowering HERstory” is quite personal. So, what does this topic mean for this group of presenters?

“To me, equality of opportunity is an essential principle related to women's empowerment. I define equality in its broadest sense as being the space of opportunity, without gender or any other innate qualities acting as obstacles,” says Kaalstad.

The topic of empowering HERstory brings mixed feelings for Merz and Kuttler.

“When I hear topics like this, the first thing I feel is somehow a little bit of sadness, because the fact that we have to talk about ‘empowering women’ shows that we are still not equal yet. But having the possibility to be part of changing the world and having a voice to share experiences and go forward on the new way makes me very happy again,” says Kuttler.

“Maybe we only have the opportunity to modify little things and go step by step, but anyhow every single woman is important on our way to change the mindset of everyone. On our road, we want to encourage women and young girls to be part of this development and of course go ahead to create a world that makes it somehow easier for all the females that are going the same way in the future.”

For van Haaster, the topic is focused very specifically on individuals. “‘Empowering HERstory’ means to me that a woman has got the power and the courage to follow her own path. That she has the courage to reflect and take time to note for herself if she still is in the right place at this moment, or is it time to make some hard decisions to better herself,” she says.   

Kaalstad and van Haalster will speak on the opening day of the Conference, 10 December, with van Haalster in a breakout session from 15:00 CET and Kaalstad featuring in the main room from 16:00 to 16:30 CET. Merz and Kuttler will present their breakout session on day two, 11 December, starting at 11:30 CET.

Find more information on the Women’s Handball Conference, including how to register, here.