The 30 participants of this season’s EHF Master Coach Course defended their master theses as curtain came down on the third and final module of the course last week.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic the module took place online, with the participants from 14 countries presenting their chosen topics in from of a jury. With the coaches’ theses defended, it is now for the EHF Methods Commission to approve the participants before they can be unveiled as Master Coaches later this month.

The Master Coach Course participants smile for the webcam during the final module

As well as defending their theses, the coaches benefited from nine final lectures, covering a wide array of subjects within handball, with case studies and workshops including the future of the sport, media and defensive and offensive strategies.

One highlight of the six-day module was the involvement of Mattias Andersson, THW Kiel and Germany’s goalkeeper coach. The Swede, who won the Men’s EHF EURO in 2000, presented an engaging series aimed specifically at goalkeeping, with focus on training, technique, warm-ups and the evolution of goalkeeping in the sport.

Once the final workshop was complete, Jerzy Eliasz, EHF Methods Commission Chairman, congratulated the participants on the positive outcome and wished them all the best for further coaching career.

Eliasz said: “Compared to the previous modules of the course, this time coaches had much more opportunities for discussion and analysis. The participants were exchanging their knowledge and experience working in groups and sharing the conclusions with others.”