Jana Mittún: “It's a huge milestone and a dream come true”

“I'm really looking forward to playing at the EHF EURO. It is a huge milestone both for me personally and for the whole team, and we know that we represent the whole of the Faroe Islands when we go on the field. There is a lot of tension both among us players, but also among the Faroese in general, and I am looking forward to experiencing the atmosphere at such a big tournament," says the 20-year-old national team player about the historic participation.

"For me, personally, it is a dream come true. To stand with my teammates and represent the Faroe Islands on such a stage is huge. For the whole team and everyone around the team, it also means a lot. There are really many players, coaches and managers who have put many hours into training and everything about training, so the qualification was a kind of redemption for many, I think. And for the Faroe Islands it means a lot — we are only 50,000 people, but handball means a lot to many, and hopefully the qualification can inspire children and young people to dream big."

The Faroese women’s team qualified for the EHF EURO 2024 over six matches, where they were in a mostly Nordic group with Iceland, Sweden and Luxembourg. Mittún and her teammates had two 18-goal victories over Luxembourg (39:21 and 34:16), while they had to see themselves beaten by both Sweden and Iceland. With this qualification, it will be an experience out of the ordinary for many of the players from the Faroe Islands.

"I expect it to be a great experience both at a sports level and personally. We get the opportunity to play against some of the best teams in Europe, and it will be challenging and educational. At the same time, I think it will be fantastic to feel the support from our spectators, those who come to Basel and those at home in the Faroe Islands," says Mittún, who plays for the Danish side Viborg HK on a daily basis.

"We will go into the tournament with the goal of giving everything we have in every match. We know that we are huge underdogs in all the games, but we want to prove that we can play along. We have nothing to lose and everything to gain, so we can lower our shoulders and play completely freely. We have a strong unity and a great will to show what Faroese handball stands for, and we hope to be able to make a positive surprise."

The Faroese handball women's team enjoys great support when they enter the field — and this is largely due to the great interest in handball, which typically starts in the early teenage years for the Faroese.

"There are quite a few girls in the Faroe Islands who play handball. I think it is difficult to say whether women's handball in the Faroe Islands is growing, I actually don't know. There are at least a number of local clubs where girls and women can play handball, and work is constantly being done to develop the talent pool. However, there are limits to how high the level is and how much money there is in women's handball, so if you want something more with handball, you have to play in other countries," says Mittún.

In recent years, Faroese handball has been making progress internationally, which could be seen, among other things, at the Men's EHF EURO in Germany, where the men's national team participated and secured a point along the way.

Time will tell whether the Faroe Islands women’s team can imitate the men's side and take points in the group stage. But one of those who played in the 26:26 draw against Norway at the Men's EHF EURO 2024 in January was Jana Mittún's younger brother, Óli, who is a brilliant handball talent at just 19 years old.

"Óli is my little brother and we have a very good relationship. I also have two other siblings, an older sister and an older brother," adds the centre back.

At the Women’s EHF EURO, the Faroe Islands will meet the players from Denmark, Croatia and from the home team, Switzerland. The first match for the debutants will be played against the hosts on Friday 29 November at 18:00 CET.

Photos © Alvur Haraldsen (main and in-text), BILDBYRÅN & Luxembourgish Handball Federation (in-text)