Europe’s handball leagues meet in Vienna

The EHF met with representatives of Europe’s men’s leagues on Tuesday, 20 February in a special meeting looking at the next steps in the establishment of a new representative body.

The Memorandum of Understanding between the EHF and the European Professional Handball Leagues Association (EPHLA) is due to expire in June 2018, and with the body only representing approximately a fifth of Europe’s leagues, the EHF Executive Committee took the decision in December 2017 not to continue the cooperation.

The EHF, with the president and secretary general in attendance, met with officials from 29 nations including representatives of league organisations and member federation leagues.

This initiative foresees the creation of a ‘European League Board’, a new stakeholder group representing the interests of all leagues within Europe.

The body would also receive a voice within the EHF structure, with two representatives from the European League Board to sit on the Professional Handball Board.

Final proposals for the new body will be submitted to the EHF Executive Committee at its next meeting on 16 March 2018 in Vienna.

Reactions were positive, with many league representatives seeing the development as a platform for an exchange of views and ideas and also a way of further strengthening the continent’s professional and non-professional leagues.

The first assembly of the new body is planned for Friday, 29 June 2018 on the fringes of the draw for the new season of the VELUX EHF Champions League and Women’s EHF Champions League.