Cologne ready for ninth edition of VELUX EHF FINAL4

As the VELUX EHF Champions League marks the culmination of its 25th season, the German city of Cologne is set to be the meeting place for Europe’s top four men’s teams and a who’s who of European handball as the biggest event in European club handball returns on 26/27 May 2018.

The draw for the semi-finals was completed on Wednesday, 2 May in Cologne with the following result:

HBC Nantes (FRA) vs  Paris Saint-Germain Handball (FRA)
HC Vardar (MKD) vs Montpellier HB (FRA)

The playing order of the semi-finals will be announced shortly. The matches will be played at 15:15 hrs and 18:00 hrs.

At the same time as Europe’s top four men’s teams learned their semi-final fate, EHF Marketing GmbH has announced a host of new developments for the event taking place on 26/27 May 2018.

New official app

A brand new official event app, offering fans a one-stop-shop of innovative features is now available to download. The app will provide fans with the latest news and videos and exclusive daily prize giveaways ahead of the event.

Unique features of the app include a ‘lightshow’ function, which will enable fans to play their own part in the event’s opening shows via their mobile devices; a voting tool for fans will also allow fans both in the arena and watching at home on TV to choose their ‘player of the match’.

The VELUX EHF FINAL4 app is available to download now for iOS and Android devices and is a must-have for all fans travelling to Cologne.

EHF, SELECT & KINEXON bring iBall and ball tracking to VELUX EHF FINAL4

The VELUX EHF FINAL4 is set to become the first major event in European sport to be played with new tracking technology enabling the distribution of data in real time.

All matches will be played with the iBall, capturing information such as ball speed, shot detection, position of the shot and placement of ball on target. The technology will allow spectators to observe the speed of the ball and the distance from goal for every shot in the game. Interfaces for broadcasters and digital channels also enable shot distribution on court and the shot position as it enters the goal to be displayed.

EHF Marketing, SELECT and KINEXON have been working on the project for two years to ensure the technology meets the demands of top-level handball competition, with the iBall needing to capture data at speeds of over 140 km/h as well as withstand the impact of hitting the post.

The iBall was first launched at last season’s ‘European Handball goes Tech’ showcase and, following a successful testing period, the EHF, EHF Marketing and their partners are now implementing the iBall at the VELUX EHF FINAL4 to offer fans the opportunity to follow the game from a completely new angle and engage more with the action.

Get your merchandise now

The new merchandising range for the VELUX EHF FINAL4 can now be purchased online at merch.ehfCL.com.

The new collection, developed in conjunction with the official sports outfitter of the EHF Champions League, Salming, will be available to buy online – while stocks last – and also at the event.

Consisting of t-shirts, hoodies and socks for both men and women in a unique VELUX EHF FINAL4 design. The VELUX EHF FINAL4 branded socks can be purchased for €8 a pair, t-shirts for €20 and hoodies for €50.

Entertainment from top US band, Welshly Arms

The top music act performing at this year’s VELUX EHF FINAL4 will be the US band, Welshly Arms. Hailing from Cleveland, Ohio, the American alternative band’s breakout single ‘Legendary’ captured the globe’s attention in 2017 accruing more than 45 million Spotify streams to date.

The band will perform their hit ‘Legendary’ as well as their new single ‘Sanctuary’ on the final day of the event, Sunday, 27 May just before the release of their new album ‘No Place Is Home’ on 8 June.

Sports business meets in Cologne

The ‘European Handball Talks’ event will be held on Friday, 25 May 2018 and will bring together experts in sports business, technology and marketing to discuss the latest developments on the handball and sports markets.

Further developing on last season’s ‘Handball goes Tech’ event, topics will include brand management and community building in the digital age as well as digitalisation and technology in sport.

The event will take place in Cologne’s Palais Flora and feature several leading experts as keynote speakers and invited panel guests. The complete line-up will be announced over the coming weeks. Register at: http://www.ehfFINAL4.com/EHTregistration.

First hackathon in handball

Parallel to the business event, the very first hackathon in handball will take place – under the title of the ‘European Handball HackDays’.

Together with the official data and streaming partner of the EHF club competitions, Sportradar, as well as tracking provider, Kinexon, and digital service agency, Athletia, EHF Marketing is inviting experts and young professionals from various fields including programming, technology, business development and design to work on creative solutions for data usage and visualisation.

The winning team will present their ideas on stage at the European Handball Talks event.

For further questions or if you would like to take part in the European Handball HackDays contact: eht@ehfFINAL4.com.

Tickets on sale from Thursday, 3 May 2018 at 10:00 am

Handball fans still have one last chance to secure their place in the LANXESS arena.

The remaining tickets from the allocation reserved for each of the four participating clubs will go on sale on Thursday, 3 May 2018 at 10:00 hrs in the official ticket shop at ehfCL.com.

Tickets are priced at €297 each and include all four matches over the weekend. Fans will be able to select their seats in the fan sections allocated to each team.

Handball fans in France can also purchase tickets and additional travel and accommodation options via the official travel and ticket partner:

Hemispheres Voyages
www.hemispheres-voyages.fr
+ 33 4 38 37 22 22