The power of national teams highlighted in Hausleitner’s keynote

Hausleitner opened his keynote by recalling some of the fan celebrations following the successes of national handball teams, and addressed how the emotional experience fosters national identity and unity.

“It's a celebration to attend a national team competition,” said the EHF Secretary General.

The EHF EUROs also have a “significant economic impact”, said Hausleitner, underlining the positive situation in which the financial success of national team competitions touches every level of European handball, by sharing the income “with clubs, federations, organisers” and securing money for development projects.

“It's a new tendency that we are using the positive atmosphere of national team competitions and the players to inspire people for social change and creating awareness for campaigns, especially in the field of sustainability,” he said.

Tracing the evolution of the Men’s EHF EURO, Hausleitner reflected on its beginnings in 1994 with only 12 participating teams. Over the years, the tournament grew to include 16 teams from 2002 and later 24 teams starting from 2020. The expansion reflected a commitment to inclusivity and visibility for emerging handball nations.

Today, national team competitions not only generate record-breaking attendances, such as the Men’s EHF EURO 2024 in Germany with 53,596 fans present at the opening match, but also provide substantial financial benefits that extend throughout the handball ecosystem.

The agreement with the EHF’s exclusive media and marketing partner Infront is helping to drive the sport forward. “In 2020, there was a milestone signing the agreement with Infront, producing, creating visibility, conquering the digital field, creating more access for our partners to digital content, and we had the opportunity to pay a significant financial contribution to the federations for the qualification as well as for the participation,” said Hausleitner.

Furthermore, Hausleitner underlined that digital figures have increased tremendously, while TV figures are stable, and at an excellent level. EHF EURO matches reach “more people than ever before,” he said.

Hausleitner noted an important shift in international spectators, with up to 20 per cent of fans now travelling from abroad to cheer on their national team. The presence of around 5,000 Faroese fans in Berlin, for example, was a testament to the growing cross-border appeal of these events.

Reflecting on the progress made, Hausleitner attributed the success of the national team competitions to the close cooperation between national federations, clubs, leagues and players.

Hausleitner concluded by stressing the importance of player development, but also the harmonised calendar, which plays a crucial role in balancing the needs of clubs, leagues and national teams while protecting the welfare of players.

Photos © Uros Hocevar/kolektiff