Deutscher Handball-Bund : Prepared for the Boom

Henriette Reker has made this week for a Moment, very unpopular. Cologne's mayor visited a game of the Handball world championship in their home town, in the mid-term Interview that she wanted to say a few warm words and thanked him incorrectly at the German football Association. A small slip of the tongue, nothing Bad, the Announcer tried to save the Situation somehow. He had no Chance. The audience booed mercilessly.

Meanwhile, should have spoken everywhere around the Team which in these cold days of January, many people in front of the TV and in the arenas: the German national Handball team. An average of ten million TV spectators watched the performances of the world Cup host, the exciting 22:21 win against Croatia, it was in the top 13 million. The next game will take place in Prime time: On Friday it is in Hamburg against Norway (20: 30/live on ARD) in order to enter the final.

Hanning: "We are now where we want to be"

The number of visitors in the halls, voices also: prior to the semi-finals and the final on Sunday in Herning, Denmark, the previous world Cup was cracked-record (750 000 Tickets sold). He came from the year 2007, of the last world Cup in Germany. "We are now where we want to be," said Bob Hanning, Vice-President of the German Handball Federation (DHB).

This is also true from a purely sporting: For the DHB to Reach the semi-finals is a great success, most recently the national team was in 2007 at a world Cup among the top four Teams, the outcome is well known. Germany took home the title at the awards ceremony all of the Heiner-Brand-beards glued under the nose – a tribute to the national coach at its peak. The big Boom was then, however, it is pretty dark years followed: in 2012, the national team missed the first Time participating in the Olympics. They no longer belonged to the world top, the faces were lost, there was a lack of young talent.

this Time, you think yourself to be in the top management is better prepared for what is to come possibly. The DHB had a lot of prepared professional than it was then, says Hanning, therefore you can't compare 2007 and 2019, to each other: "Many of the items that were formerly voluntary are now, of course, a full-time basis. We have 40 per cent more staff.“ In December, the Association sent a communication in which the number of members for the first time since 2009, increased slightly, it currently stands at just under 760 000. "We have now a good Chance that we have to," says Hanning. A third of the world Cup revenue should be invested in the sporting field, with two-thirds of the Association wants to go in schools and kindergartens. "This is a matter of national associations, we will pursue very consistently," emphasizes Hanning.

In contrast to 2007, and is also backed up the media presence of the sport and the national team until further notice: all tournaments up to 2025 will be held in public television, appropriate contracts have been signed a few months ago. Until Recently, there was, especially in the awarding of TV rights for the world Championships. At the last world Cup in 2017 in France, for example, a Sponsor of the DHB at the last second was an Internet Stream available, otherwise there would be no moving pictures from the tournament. After the great success at the European Championships in 2016, was seen in Public, it meant a huge step backwards.

Good age structure in the Team

"Sport is about identification," says Hanning. "Therefore, we now need to create faces that represent the football in the next ten years." A glance at the age structure and the Talent in the German squad, you need to make in that respect actually is no Ensure that the DHB: most of The players from the current squad have the peak of their sporting strength create is not yet reached, only four are older than 30 years – a key difference to the Team in 2007.

Handball world championship 2019 DHB Team undefeated to the semi-finals

the young players enjoy these days, the hype. In the case of the three main round games in Cologne, most of them left after the obligatory duties – game press conference, Mixed Zone to see a late hour once in the hall, and wrote long after the final whistle of autographs. It is probably the best advertising that you can use for your Sport.