A milestone in academic certification of education in sport

The EHF takes its cooperation with the University of Las Palmas on Gran Canaria one step further with "EHF Master Coach" now being an approved postgraduate degree.

"The EHF Master Coach is a postgraduate degree composed by 60 ECTS credits. This university degree will be developed in close collaboration between the European Handball Federation and the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria," says the university's vice director Rafael Robaina Romero.

"The degree includes more than 20 university professors and experts with international recognition, with a theoretical and practical training divided into four categories and levels of training.

"It is a novel and unique degree at the international level and represents a milestone in the cooperation between university and sport organisations."

In a nutshell it means that handball coaches who are in possession of the Master Coach Licence (after having attended either national courses certified by the EHF or EHF courses) can enter the final stages of the new postgraduate degree and only need to complete and pass a final project, i.e. Master's thesis, to gain a Master's degree.

The previously attended Master Coach course will be acknowledged by the university in line with the European Bologna system.

"It is a great honour for the University of Las Palmas to carry out various activities together with the EHF since 2013," says Miguel Angel Betancor, the academic director of the new course. 

Different multimedia tools for the promotion and distribution of knowledge in handball and beach handball have been developed. Teaching tools for referees, mini handball and basic handball help to understand and analyse from an educational point of view the sport of handball.

"The University of Las Palmas has now recognised as his own Master's degree the teachings the of EHF Master Coach Courses, underlining the importance and benefit for coaches of this course."

Helmut Höritsch, the coordinator for the EHF Competence Academy & Network (CAN) and senior manager for education and development, is pleased with the progress.

"We signed the agreement between the EHF and the ULPGC in 2014. Now we are ready to start a unique project in Europe which will secure education, certification and employability in handball."

For further information Helmut Höritsch can be contacted at hoeritsch@eurohandball.com.