Humans of Beach Handball: Bierbaum family

The sun is shining over the beautiful landscape of Porto Santo. Leaning against an advertising board sits a family with deep roots in beach handball: Kai Bierbaum and his daughters, Zoe and Liv. Kai is the coach of the women’s side Sand Devils Youngsters; Zoe and Liv are players on the team and are making their EHF Beach Handball Champions Cup debut, nine years after their father first participated at the tournament. But how did the family get to this full-circle moment in Portugal?

A lifetime Sand Devil 

In 1994, Kai Bierbaum discovered beach handball through an article in the German handball magazine Handballwoche.

“I found it interesting that the goalkeeper is rewarded twice if he goes forward and scores a goal,” he explains.

Bierbaum was a true all-rounder at the time. In his youth, he “played in goal in the first team and on the field in the second team because there weren't usually that many players available”. It was a perfect combination for a beach handball player, and he adds: “That's why I thought this sport was just made for me straight away.”

The next year, the Sand Devils were founded, and even the most optimistic members of the team could not predict what would follow: seven German championships and five participations at the Champions Cup, with a fourth-place finish in 2018 their best result. 

The Sand Devils name is well-known in the sport. It goes back to a supporters group from TuS Nettelstedt, who were called "Red Devils".

“I thought to myself, 'Devils' is cool. Red should be our colour. Not Red Devils, of course, that doesn't fit. But we want to play in the sand. That’s when I came up with Sand Devils," Bierbaum says.

Even though he had some convincing to do with his teammates, the name stuck. “I wanted it to be a bit cool but not too cheesy. At the time, of course, we couldn't have imagined that it would fit and be worn for so many years and that the name would become a brand in beach handball,” remembers Bierbaum. 

In 2015, Bierbaum became the head coach of the German men’s beach handball national team. At that point, he decided to end his playing career, explaining: “It was clear to me that you can't be a national team coach and at the same time play against these players on the club level. That didn't work for me.”

But he always left a door open for his club. “If we were missing a player for a game, I'd do it again and again for this club and this team before we otherwise get a tournament ruined!” 

It's no wonder that his daughter Zoe points out: “Beach handball is his sport. He just loves it.” 

A beach handball family

Zoe, Kai’s eldest daughter, was born in 2001 and followed her dad to many beach handball tournaments in her youth.

“There was a tournament near our hometown in Minden. We were even allowed to go camping with the team. That was really cool,” Zoe recalls.

Four years later, Liv was born into the beach handball family.

“I was always there from an early age. I have some outdated memories from when I was younger when we used to sit on the campsite with them at the age of four,” Liv says. 

Simultaneously with his national team duties, Bierbaum also coached Zoe at her hometown club TSV Hahlen. The team regularly played at beach handball youth tournaments. In 2018, when most of the girls were just 17 years old, they jumped to senior level and have participated as Sand Devils Youngsters since then.

The team’s development has been remarkable; in their first two seasons, they qualified for the German championship tournament consecutively, finishing eighth in 2019. 

Due to the pandemic, the Sand Devils Youngsters had to wait for their next chance at the highest level in Germany. “I said to the girls that I wanted to get to the top with them. Then I drew up a master plan until 2025,” remembers Bierbaum.

His master plan seems to be in full swing. After reaching the semi-finals and fourth place at the German championships in 2023, the team took the step onto the podium this year, winning the bronze medal and qualifying for the Champions Cup. 

Dad as a coach and role model

Having their father on the sideline is special, of course. However, the Bierbaum trio can separate between their father-daughter relationship and their coach-player relationship.

“In the game, he's my coach, and if I don't do something good enough, I want him to give me the same kind of banter or suggestions for improvement that he gives the others,” Zoe explains. 

“I had to get used to it a bit at first, but it was never really a problem,” says Liv, who fully joined the team in 2022. “He has his impulsive nature, but that's how we are as girls at times when things aren't going well or emotions are running high. But we don't take it personally. After all, he only wants the best for all of us.”

“I would say that we have found exactly the right balance and are working together quite well. It's nice to spend time together and to have a shared hobby since we no longer live together,” adds Bierbaum. 

Bierbaum is his daughters’ role model.

“What he says, his experiences, where he's already played, what he's already achieved, that's very cool. You look up to that,” Zoe emphasises. Yet, sometimes, they have to remind themselves about that.

“It was always normal for us because we grew up with it. But if you really think about it again, it's not that bad at all,” Liv admits.

Bierbaum-mania in Porto Santo

Always leaving the door open for a potential return, little did Kai Bierbaum know how special his next comeback would be. When difficulties regarding the arrival of their goalkeeper occurred, Kai had to step in between the posts. He played nearly every match, impressing his daughters with his performances.

“Watching him play live on site was even more special. Especially Porto Santo, with all the flair surrounding it. And the fact that my father was there in goal, even making some really good saves in some games, was really cool,” Zoe says. 

Liv and the rest of the team took full advantage of the schedule. “We never had a game at the same time as the men. After our games, we quickly went into the water and then said, well, let's watch the men now.” 

“To finally go to the Champions Cup with both of them and to have them watch me play again, just adds that incredible crown to the whole journey,” says Bierbaum with a smile. It truly was a full-circle moment. 

Photos © Kolektiff Images