RINCK Convention is 'history in the making'

On 5 and 6 April 2013 representatives of the current 28 'RINCK' Convention signatories as well as of the three already adopted applicants (Estonia, Netherlands, and Romania) were invited to the European Handball Federation's office in Vienna for the 2013 EHF 'RINCK' Convention Seminar for Signatory Nations.

The objective of the RINCK Convention is the mutual recognition of standards and certificates in the field of coaches' education in handball in Europe by preserving and safeguarding the regional and national characteristics of coaches' education, in order to facilitate the direct admission to work as a handball coach in each signatory member federation.

Looking back, it has been 13 years since the first members signed the ‘RINCK‘ Convention in April 2000.

Ever since the European Handball Federation and the EHF Methods Commission (MC) have gone through extraordinary efforts to improve and develop the project.

"At the beginning everything expanded very slowly but in last few years we made a big step forward," explained Jerzy Eliasz, the chairman of the EHF MC.

"The result being is that from 2 June 2013 the ‘RINCK‘ Convention will officially consist of 31 nations."

Eliasz emphasised the importance of the ‘RINCK‘ Convention’s theories and activities and highlighted the EHF Coaching Licensing System.

"The education of coaches is one of the most important factors that decisively influence the development of handball.

"Handball as a sport goes forward and we need to work out some new educational methods.

"The EHF Coaching Licensing System facilitates the efficient operation of the educational process.

"Thanks to the new regulations we are provided with the information about the number of coaches, and we can also influence the labour market in this area.“

Over the past few years, the EHF in close cooperation with the national federations has organised the courses for coaches on an annual base .

The initiative has a wide appeal but the organisers do not want to rest on these accolades.

"We wolud like to convince the non- signatories to join the ‘RINCK’ Convention," says Eliasz.

"The complete success is possible only with the greatest amount of signatory nations.

"The membership to the ‘RINCK‘ Convention ensures the exchange of ideas and information between all signatory Member Federations.“

During the seminar in Vienna, the EHF MC and the EHF Competence and Academy Network used the occasion to sum up and evaluate the activities that have taken place until now, regarding the initiated development of the educational process as well as regarding the first ‘EHF Open Master Coach and Licensing Course‘ which was finalised in Belgrade, Serbia, in December 2012.