Beach Handball EURO debutants Malta improve step by step

Malta’s men’s national beach handball team is set to debut at the EHF Beach Handball EURO this summer, under the Turkish sun in Alanya. It will be the team’s second international tournament after last year’s EHF Beach Handball Championship, when they finished last without winning a set. 

Head coach Pedro Teixeira, who is still active on the European Beach Tour with Portuguese side GRD Leça - Spar, gave us some insights into the development of the newly established men’s beach handball national team in Malta. He admits that the group with Denmark, Croatia and Poland is “going to be tough,” but he is eager to take the next step in their long-term plan to develop the sport in the country.

Little goals to keep spirits high

Of course, last year’s results do not seem too hopeful for this year’s debut on the biggest stage of international beach handball. However, Teixeira and his team took some positives out of the EHF Beach Handball Championship 2024.

“Even though we didn’t win a game last year in Bulgaria, we were close to winning sets and were competitive at times. That was good to keep the players motivated. The players love to play for their country and they don’t have many opportunities to do so. They know it is a process that will take some time,” he explained.

The first attempt to establish beach handball in Malta began a few years before the Covid-19 pandemic hit. “In 2018/19, they participated in some competitions, but only three or four players who played for us last year in Bulgaria were part of this. The rest of the team had their debut. We train. We learn. We are trying to teach the game.”

Teixeira could not attend the tournament in Bulgaria because of his day job, but implemented little goals within the sets and matches for his replacement, Gábor Báthori, the MVP of the EHF Beach Handball EURO 2006, to keep the team’s spirit high.

“We have a plan, a model that we want to follow. And we have these little goals. To be loyal to our playing style. To know what to do in specific situations in the match. We know three, four teams where we can be closer and maybe compete to win a set or a match.”

The state of beach handball in Malta

Competing at an EHF Beach Handball EURO that early was not necessarily the plan. However, the federation has gladly taken the chance and tries to make the most of it.

“We are really excited. These are just the first steps of the sport in Malta. We had the opportunity to go to the qualifying round last year. It was kind of short-notice, but after all, I think it was a good thing that it happened. The EHF Beach Handball EURO 2025 will for sure be a good experience for the players and hopefully a boost for the sport in Malta.”

Still, there is much potential in the country with a perfect climate for the sport to help boost the national team’s development. 

“We, indeed, have good weather all year long, but there is no infrastructure for beach sports. No arenas, no spaces on the beaches. We even struggle to find a space to train. We have to fight with volleyball players. I think this is the biggest challenge, but it’s normal in a small country that you are not prepared for these kinds of things.”

Teixeira says that there are ongoing talks, especially about the training situation. Finding a solution for that would be his biggest wish for the future and could help the team’s preparation immensely for the next tournaments. 

A tough task ahead

“We have the finalists of the world championship from last year, so it’s going to be tough. And Poland, of course, have a big tradition and a lot of players playing beach handball,” Teixeira says about his team’s group phase opponents. 

Poland also took part in last year’s EHF Beach Handball Championship, going home with the gold medal. The objective for Malta is ambitious, nevertheless. 

“Even if it is not in the group phase, I would like to win games and play according to the plan we have established. And for the players to keep believing in our process and to keep this process going for future tournaments.” 

Regarding the playing style, Pedro Teixeira has a clear idea in mind.

“We want to get to a more modern style of playing with a lot of tactical variations in attack, a lot of pressure in defence. We don’t have a big team, so we have to do different things to win balls in defence. That’s our goal. I would like for people to compare us to last year and say that Malta have improved. Even though this year the big teams are there in comparison to last year. Still, if people watch a match from 2024 and compare it to 2025, they can see that we have improved.”

“We plan to make the chances of winning bigger and the gap to the other teams closer with time. If we have the chance in 2025 to win a set or a match, of course, we have to go for it,” summarises Teixeira. 

To implement his ideas, the team has increased its training sessions to three per week since April. At the ebt Calise Cup in Gaeta, they want to set up two friendly matches, and before the tournament in Türkiye, the plan is to do “two weeks of more intensive work to give the team the minutes we can, so they can develop and keep learning the game.”

Photos © MSV Photographers (main and in-text), kolektiff (trophy image), Malta Handball Association (in gallery)