Review: Cardiff Handball Club

Remember that sport you watched for the first time at the Olympics? You know, water polo without the water, basketball with the goals…the sport you really wanted to try out? Well you can. It’s called Handball and interest has suddenly exploded due to a certain summer event.

What? Handball

Where? Welsh Institute of Sports, Sophia Close, Cardiff, South Glamorgan, CF11 9SW

When? Sundays, 6-8pm

How? Website, Twitter, Facebook

How Much? Pay as you play: £4 per session

If you want to play in Cardiff, there’s just one place to go, and we did: the Cardiff Handball Club, run by Marie-Laure Chevalier at the Welsh Institute of Sports.

To give you a reminder, this is what the Club has to say about the sport:

# Handball is a dynamic, popular and exciting sport that requires athleticism, strength and stamina, great fitness and most of all, Team work.

# Handball is the fastest indoor sport next after ice-hockey…

# It’s a sport where players are encouraged to be athletic, be flamboyant and inventive, and above all, work together as team.

# It is one of the most popular sports in the world.

# It helps you keep you fit and healthy. Handball is a very fast, dynamic and exciting game that utilises movements of all the world’s sports.

Your eyes didn’t deceive you. Point number four really is true. Handball is one of the most popular sports in the world, the only problem is that one of few exceptions to the rule is the UK. With school sport dominated by football, rugby, netball and hockey, people just haven’t been exposed to handball as they might be in any other European country.

So when Marie explained the pre-Olympic state of the club, it was no surprise. Set up in 2009, tape was once used to mark out the goals before full sized ones were imported from Hungary. Members were mainly made up of Erasmus University students and about six would turn up, if you were lucky. To put it bluntly, “the club was dying,” says Marie.

Now, it’s very, very different. The Olympic Games has clearly had a massive effect as more people have signed up to the club. Now you have over 20 people turning up, week in, week out. As Brice, one of the club members put it, “the Olympics did an amazing thing for the sport.”

 

The make-up of the club is diverse. You have some seasoned experienced players from Europe, some who have been at the club for a few months, and then a big bulk of people who have joined within the last month. Marie begins with a warm-up for all the members, before the hall is split in two for training drills, led by different members of the club – experienced players and beginners.

 

There are people like Suki who played handball at school in India since the age of 15. He joined the club four weeks ago and is already sharing some of his expertise in training sessions. “I’m so happy to be back, learning from other international players,” he says as he describes being inspired to re-join the sport he loved during the Olympics.

Or there’s Arnaud, another experienced member who also recently joined the club. Being French, he was surprised that handball wasn’t as popular over here, but enjoys his time at the club and the warm atmosphere it offers.

 

The sport itself is intense, fast-paced and physical. Played by both men and women, it is a good alternative to other sports you may have experienced. One of the members explained that handball is a good “medium” sport to compliment the limited choice of hockey and netball for girls.

The future clearly looks bright – for handball and for the Cardiff Club. Marie is excited, “this is the first year we will be able to develop the club properly.” For now it is important to keep the opportunities open to as many people as possible and to keep up the enthusiasm generated by the post-Olympic buzz. Balance is key, between keeping people happy and maintaining a good, competitive level of handball.

 

The club trains once a week and tries to partake in at least one match every month, having already managed to get some friendlies organised against other teams. They also try to get to Taunton as much as they can to expose the players to a proper full size court – something they don’t have in Cardiff yet.

Long term? Hopefully as handball maintains its course of progression, more members will sign up and they might be able to get a proper coach at the club. Externally, Marie hopes a University Handball Club will be established in Cardiff to take part in the Student Championships as well as a Youth Section with the help of a few local schools. A full size court at Cardiff’s upcoming House of Sport is a possibility and more matches as well as a new group starting in Newport this week means the club, and sport, will hopefully keep growing.

And that’s down to you. Go Get Involved @ Cardiff Handball Club.