18.05.2015, 02:00
A great step forward

NEWS FEATURE: Thoughts on the 2015 EHF Cup Finals from EHF Vice President Arne Elovsson and organiser Füchse Berlin.

A great step forward

The big party started right after the final whistle – Füchse Berlin were flying high after taking their first international trophy, beating HSV Hamburg 30:27 in the EHF Cup Final on Sunday. 

But Füchse were not only successful on the court – the club also organised the event.

EHF Vice President Arne Elovsson (Sweden) has been the official EHF representative at all three EHF Cup Finals so far – 2013 in Nantes, and now for the second consecutive time in Berlin. 

“There’s a progression in the organisation of these events. Berlin had a great chance to benefit from last year’s experience – and they took the opportunity, on and off the court,” said Elovsson.

Elovsson was mostly impressed by the number and mixture of fans.

“Of course Hamburg were accompanied by a huge number of spectators, but Velenje and Skjern also had great support from the stands. We are very satisfied from this point of view – and also that we found a city and a venue that can accommodate more than 15,000 spectators over two days.”

In general, Elovsson says “the EHF Cup Finals have taken a step forward, and it was the right choice to award Berlin and Füchse as hosts of this event for the second time.”

The overall impression of the EHF Vice President for the competition as a whole is positive: 

“We saw a large number of interesting matches and great fan interest throughout the whole EHF Cup season.”

Of course, Füchse Berlin President Frank Steffel was on cloud nine.

“These were brilliant days for us. The quality of competition was incredibly high with four strong teams. In the end, the home advantage might have helped us to win this greatly-desired title,” said Steffel. 

Steffel was fully satisfied with all organisational matters: 

“It was absolutely the right decision to bid for the EHF Cup Finals again. Handball needs to go to big cities. As Berlin is an international city, we need to be part of international sports and organise international events. If the EHF wanted us to, we would organise this event every year.”

TEXT: Björn Pazen / cg