EHF extends partnership with SELECT Sport until 2024

The European Handball Federation has extended its partnership with Danish ball supplier SELECT SPORT for another four years until 2024.

The deal, which follows the first four-year agreement signed in 2016, confirms SELECT’s status as the federation’s official ball supplier and will see Europe’s top stars taking the court with SELECT balls at the upcoming EHF EURO events in 2020, 2022 and 2024.

A new and exclusive ball design will be presented for each final tournament for the duration of the contract. All other EHF national team events, such as the Younger Age Category EHF EUROs and Championships, the Masters and European wheelchair handball tournaments, will be played with SELECT balls as well.

SELECT iBall to feature at EHF EUROs

The partnership also sees SELECT providing the Ultimate iBall, the world’s first intelligent handball, at EHF European Championships. With a built-in KINEXON chip, the ball tracks and distributes data in real time, provides valuable data on players’ performances and significantly increases the possibility for fan engagement.

SELECT will offer the official match ball and replica versions for sale via leading sports retailers worldwide.

Martin Hausleitner, Secretary General of the European Handball Federation, said: "With SELECT as partner, we are providing Europe’s best players with the best handball on offer. On top, with the iBall at all EHF EURO matches, we are entering a new era, when it comes to offering teams and fans unprecedented insights into the game."

Peter Knap, CEO SELECT Sport, said: "We are thrilled to extent our partnership with the EHF, as the past four years have been very rewarding. We believe that the EHF is in important strategic partner and that our collaboration is a huge contribution to further developing European handball."

SELECT – The Players’ Choice

The new SELECT Ultimate match ball is made of extremely hardwearing synthetic leather material. A Zero-Wing bladder inside the ball ensures optimal roundness and specially developed foam gives the EHF match ball an extremely soft feel and great fit in the hand. The ball is light and lively, but above all its constant balance ensures that there are no random bounces. In the best tradition of SELECT, all match balls are hand stitched.

About SELECT Sport

Since the beginning of SELECT in 1947, the Danish company has been a trailblazer by producing many of the ball industry’s new creations, such as the first football without laces, the first ball with 32 panels and the introduction of synthetic leather.

Most of the world’s football and handball tournaments are still played with balls made by the groundbreaking principle of 32 panels, invented by SELECT. Most balls produced all over the world are based on this innovative thinking.

SELECT sells more than 3.5 million balls a year as well as a very large portfolio of sporting articles in 50 countries all over the world. SELECT has been the official ball sponsor of the Danish national handball team for more than 60 years and supplies many of Europe’s leading European clubs and leagues.

About the European Handball Federation

The European Handball Federation (EHF) is the governing body for handball in Europe. With 50 member federations and two associated federations, the EHF is responsible for a wide range of tasks and activities from promotion, development and education through to the organisation of high profile competitions and events including the EHF EURO and EHF Champions League. The headquarters of the federation and its marketing subsidiary, EHF Marketing GmbH, are in Vienna, Austria.

Photo: ÖHB/Eva Manhart/Agentur Diener