Season 2023/24

September is here and the Irish season 2023/24 is just around the corner.

How are the clubs and the Irish Olympic Handball Association preparing for the new season? Well... there have been some interesting announcements that bring a lot of enthusiasm for a great new start of the season, creating hope for a successful one, which hasn’t been seen for years in the Irish Handball environment.

We are beginning with the need for new players to join the clubs's training and even more so, to end the season with a good number of players on the bench on the official matches and tournaments. A situation that is not at all new in the Irish league, as you might know, due to the fact that the handball players are changing constantly, with very few members staying for a long period due to either work, family, or their studies. (If you are experienced or curious to learn this sport, check the map and see what is the best club to join based on your localization in Dublin: Dublin City Handball, UC Dublin, Dublin International, and Astra Club Handball).

There is a need for children for the academies too, so if you are interested in bringing your children, do not hesitate to contact the clubs.

If you are from a different region of Ireland, Olympic Handball is present in Cork with 2 clubs: UC Cork with the training taking place in Mardyke Hall, and Cork Handball Club, a new club created with enthusiasm and hopes that trains in the hall from Whites Cross, Upper Glanmire.

Besides the clubs from the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland joined the IOHA with QUB Olympic Handball which trains in PEC Main Hall at Queen's University, Belfast. For more information, find the clubs on social media and get more information directly from the club's board.

Now let's look a little at the senior league.

Are you asking yourself when it is going to be scheduled? Well... I am sure that all of us are looking forward to planning our time and seeing when are going to be scheduled the matches.

What is going to happen in the Irish League? Would any new clubs be joining or leaving? Is it going to be the same system as before or a new change is coming?

Last season the women's senior league had 5 teams competing against each other: Astra Handball Club, Dublin City Handball, Dublin International Club, UC Cork, and UC Dublin. On the other side, the men's senior league was formed by 5 teams too but with a difference, as the Astra Handball Club was not really Astra but, Astra Wings. This season the name changed back to Astra Handball Club.

Overall, the difference of the last season is made by the Astra name, the possibility of making QUB Olympic Handball from Belfast and Cork Handball Club joining too. In regards to these two new clubs joining the league, the situation is unclear as the Cork club faced an issue as no approval came from the Cork city halls, to play the matches of the league. It is a pity seeing how a new club is not enough supported to play in the Irish league because of the lack of halls. We hope that soon we can hear and see a plan to have the first handball hall constructed in Ireland specifically for this sport after so many years of existence on this island.

How can there be development if the handball courts are not available and the few ones that are, are too expensive or unable to be booked by the clubs?

QUA Belfast is not facing the best situation either as they are struggling with a few number of players.

If there isn’t any luck in having players, it’s not because people don't know handball, but there’s a missed opportunity in letting people know about the club’s existence. We have to admit that there is still a huge percentage of the population that doesn't know what is the difference between GAA Handball and Olympic Handball, a consequence of the lack of awareness and promotion, but we all can imagine that there will always be curious people to learn a new sport. Every beginning is hard, but every step is important to know how to react in front of some challenges.

In regards to the awareness of Handball in the capital, Dublin International Handball Club, on the 2nd and the 3rd of September promoted this sport to the locals in two locations in the capital, Swords and Tallaght, an initiative that is an example to be followed. An action valuable for the future of handball on this island as it’s not only focusing on adults but on children and teenagers too. What is the best way to create awareness of a sport if not going to the popular places? Congratulations to the club members and all the volunteers involved!

Photo credit: Dublin International Handball Club

The IOHA initiative is starting with the handball taster sessions in Ulster University, Belfast, in Coleraine Sports Hall, 5th September, open for everyone interested from 7:00 to 8:00 PM and on 9th October specifically for students from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM. Now the question is, would 1 hour be enough to make the new joiners interested to come back and practice this sport?

Another project that brings handball to schools is the Olympic Handball School Competition 2023/24 where the teams can register since 4th September, a project done by IOHA in partnership with Corduff Sport Center. An exciting competition that can bring future talents in the Irish handball and develop a nice path to success that has not been seen for many years.

For many years, there wasn’t that much support or services in primary schools, an action that led to abandonment in most of the schools in Galway, Sligo, and Kildare back in 2010 which continued their activities separated from the IOHA for a while until some of them stopped their activities completely. Losing so many schools from those Irish counties had a huge impact on the way this sport is nowadays. Now we can see steps towards rebuilding the relationships, the connections, and most importantly, building trust. Since the pandemic, we have seen important progress, a good start that can flourish even more. Time is going to tell us in what direction this process of development is going. We hope that this competition can bring together more schools from outside Dublin too.

Another project planned by the IOHA is the walking Handball program for older adults for an hour on 11th September from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM, taking place in the Corduff Sports Hall.

Interesting projects starting in Corduff Sport Center, we hope that these handball actions can be seen more often and with more support from other sides too.

Now let’s see what the new season will bring to Ireland!