The Kids Handball Festival in July in Portugal is one of the first pilot projects to take place within the framework of the "Circle of a Handball Life" concept.
Among the central focuses of the Circle of a Handball Life concept is the aim to create a love for handball from childhood upwards. Several EHF member federations have already started to bring the grassroots movement at the centre of the circle to life with different projects. Portugal’s Kids Handball Festival forms part of the Portuguese federation’s Master Plan agreement with the EHF.
From 4 to 7 July, approximately 1,000 children aged between eight and 11 will participate in the festival, which will take place in the cities of Pinhel, Meda, Almeida and Figueira Castelo Rodrigo, around 220 kilometres from Porto.
As well as a round robin indoor handball tournament, the festival will offer a lot of other indoor and outdoor activities including different sports, painting, dancing and a huge party. The most important thing is having fun by playing handball and all tournaments will be played without any rankings. The children taking part will be supported by former EHF Champions League winner Carlos Prieto, official EHF ambassador for kids handball projects and part of the grassroot working group.
To find out more about the Handball Festival, we talked to one of the organisers, Paulo Sa from the Portuguese Handball Federation.
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What is the idea behind the festival?
Paulo Sa: It is our understanding that the participation of children in large and important events can be decisive to plant a passion for handball. In addition, it allows the child's integral development, enhancing positive experiences of socialisation and interaction with others, as we were also able to involve the family and stimulating the community for our sport. We believe that these festivals can involve different people around handball, creating bonds that allow the sport to grow in the future.
How do you want to get kids excited for handball?
Paulo Sa: We think that the Kids Handball Festival is an excellent, attractive moment to keep players involved in handball. For us, having more kids playing handball and doing sports is fundamental. Socialisation with other children will allow more receptiveness from them for future interactions, as well as more capacity to adapt to different environments.
Children need to have the possibility of having positive experiences. In this sense, we can encourage children by promoting moments that bring them unforgettable memories through handball.
Why did you choose this specific age group for the Kids Handball Festival?
Paulo Sa: These are the ages when many children begin playing handball. In the early stages, we must fundamentally provide them with pleasure and fun, in order to enhance their passion for the sport. That is clearly the objective that these children fall in love with handball and become athletes for many, many years. But it is in the initial stages of practice that we have to invest in, because if we lose athletes at these ages, we will never recover them for our sport.
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Including and besides playing handball, what is special at this festival?
Paulo Sa: The games are played on smaller fields, with the participation of all players in all games, without formal referees. As the games have neither a scorer nor results, it will always be about pleasure regarding the game. It is also important to note that the competition is pedagogically regulated by the coaches, that is, both coaches at the beginning of each game decide, together, the game format in which the teams will play.
In addition, children hold a parade in the city, and also have the chance to try different sports and different activities every day. Children are also provided with festive moments, which allows for great interaction and socialization with everyone involved.
How did you involve the local clubs?
Paulo Sa: Throughout the year, clubs are encouraged to organise this competition model for younger athletes by holding what we call Festands, where the organisation model is identical. It involves nearby clubs, with Festands with around 200 children, but in the same Festival model. Our club competitions for younger players never involve formal competition, but rather the enjoyment of the game and the experience of different activities.
Why is this festival a perfect example for the bringing the grassroots movement to life?
Paulo Sa: We believe the Festival aligns with the EHF grassroots philosophy and principles, as the, as the core idea is the construction of a grassroots model involving family and community, in the pursuit of increasing the number of athletes, coaches, referees and fans. We have many concerns regarding the players’ physical and mental health, promoting a wide range of experiences, the increase in social and community connection. It is also important for us to promote social integration through handball, the development of interpersonal relationships and forming better people, as outlined in the introductory presentation of the Grassroots Charter in April 2024.
We want to significantly increase the number of people involved in handball, from the athletes, their families to the entire community. The more people we have involved in handball, the more fans and people who love the sport we will have, which consequently translates to better chances for the growth of our sport.
Registration requests to be sent to Noemi Szecsenyi, EHF Sport & Games Services Department, szecsenyi@eurohandball.com.
Photos © Eva Manhart & Nebojsa Tejic / kolektiff
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