Cologne awaits season showdown

Over 20,000 handball fans will begin arriving in the German city of Cologne on Friday as Europe’s best four men’s handball clubs meet for the finals of the VELUX EHF Champions League.

Seven-times EHF Champions League winners, FC Barcelona from Spain, three-times winners THW Kiel from Germany and newcomers to the event, SG Flensburg-Handewitt from Germany and MKB-MVM Veszprém from Hungary will compete over two days in the LANXESS arena.

Jean Brihault, EHF President, said: “Following the success of the MVM EHF FINAL4 in Budapest and the EHF Cup Finals in Berlin, we’re looking forward to an unforgettable conclusion to the club season in Cologne. We have a fantastic mix of teams competing this year and I am sure that Europe’s handball fans will enjoy a spectacular weekend of top-class handball.”

Peter Vargo, Managing Director of EHF Marketing GmbH, said: “With its mix of top-class handball and entertainment, the VELUX EHF FINAL4 has established itself as the highlight of the club season. The event simply gets better and better and we can promise fans a fantastic experience whether they are lucky enough to have a ticket for the event or will follow the event on TV.”

Tickets still available for the Opening Party on Friday, 30 May 2014

The event will begin on Friday evening with the Opening Party in front of the LANXESS arena, where up to 7,000 fans will enjoy top-class music from Marquess, Kasalla and watch Rob Fowler performing the new official song of the VELUX EHF Champions League. The “Do it like us” song and also its ringtone will be available to download on iTunes from Friday. Pop trio Marquess, will perform their hits "El Temperamento" and "Vayamos compañeros" and Cologne band, Kasalla, will perform a 60-minute live set.

Tickets are still available for the Opening Party, which takes place at 18.00 hrs on Friday evening (entry from 17.30 hrs). During the whole weekend fans can join in any of the various offers in the fan village at the arena and win many prizes.

Where to follow the event

Handball fans worldwide can watch the event on television and online. 22 television stations will beam the event into 250 million homes in Europe and across the globe. In Germany the matches will be shown live on Eurosport, in Spain on TV3 Catalunya and TVE and in Hungary on Digi Sport. The EHF’s video streaming platform, ehfTV.com will also offer full coverage of the event including live streaming with English commentary from Tom O’Brannagain and regular behind-the-scenes reports during the event.

Online and mobile coverage

Handball fans will be able to keep completely up-to-date with the latest news, results and video from the VELUX EHF FINAL4 on a range of channels. Follow on the event’s official website ehfFINAL4.com, at ehfCL.com and also at ehfTV.com. For up-to-the-second updates from Cologne follow the event’s Live Blog at ehfFINAL4.com or on Twitter @EHFMedia or Facebook.

The newly re-launched official VELUX EHF FINAL4 App is also available to download for iOS and Android. Here fans can read the latest news, watch video content and live streaming. Fans should ensure they update their App to receive all of the latest features for the 2014 event.

Charity Golf Tournament
powered by adidas on behalf of German Cancer Aid

The third edition of the VELUX EHF FINAL4 Charity Golf Tournament will take place on Friday, 30 May from 12:00 hrs in the Velderhof Golf and Country Club. Handball stars past and present will rub shoulders with well-known faces from the world of handball and beyond as they play ahead of the start of the event.

Tickets sale to start for the 2015 VELUX EHF FINAL4

Tickets for next season’s VELUX EHF FINAL4 go on sale during the final weekend, with fans in Cologne given the first chance to purchase tickets at 2014 prices from the ticket shop in the LANXESS arena. Online ticket sales will then begin on Monday, 2 June 2014 at 9.00 hrs. Next year’s event will be played on 30/31 May 2015 again in the LANXESS arena, Cologne.