Hausleitner: “We always aim to make women’s handball more visible”

SG BBM Bietigheim are the current titleholders of the EHF European League Women, and this year two teams from Germany are in the semi-finals. Will the title remain in German hands?

Martin Hausleitner: “I am definitely the wrong person to talk to about that. But what we can say: The sporting quality of the competition has stabilised. It has become challenging for teams to reach the final tournament. There are now clubs that have also played in the Champions League. We have achieved what we wanted – to create an attractive platform with the reform of the competition, which includes more games and more nations, and which has also survived Covid-19. We have achieved an immediate increase in value.”

How do you determine this?

Martin Hausleitner: “In terms of visibility, we got more TV deals. And on a competitive level: Nations like France, Romania or Hungary certainly have the ambition to have a participant at the EHF Finals, but it is not the case this year. Accordingly, they will make efforts to be there the next time.”

How do the EHF Finals compare to the other rounds of the competition? The chance of attracting attention seems dramatically higher.

Martin Hausleitner: “You already say it. So far, competition mainly played a role at regional level and for the clubs. With the EHF Finals we can increase international attention. In that sense, it was a logical step to stage the finals on neutral ground and encourage clubs to come there. This is how internationalisation can succeed.”

In the EHF European League Men, Flensburg as the EHF Finals hosts were also strong contenders for participation in the final tournament. Why did you choose a different approach here?

Martin Hausleitner: “We only postponed this idea for men for a year. In the coming year, we will follow this path here as well.”

Austria did not have a participant in the group stage of the EHF European League Women, let alone in the EHF Champions League, the national team was not present at the last EHF EURO and will not play at the upcoming World Championship. So, why Graz?

Martin Hausleitner: “There are other criteria for the largest possible number of fans, in addition to the sporting experience. Graz, for example, is very attractive for tourists, and Austria is very easy to reach from all over Europe. Austria is a good choice, even if this huge interest in handball might be lacking.”

Is there the idea of establishing a permanent venue – like Budapest and Cologne are for the EHF FINAL4 events of the EHF Champions League?

Martin Hausleitner: “We have agreed to hold the event with Graz for a year, but a long-term cooperation is in prospect.”

Apart from the European League, what is the EHF's vision of how women's handball should be perceived in the future?

Martin Hausleitner: “The EHF has always considered women’s and men's handball equal. For example, we had a Champions League for women long before football did. We position ourselves very broadly, always with the aim of making women’s handball visible and professionalising it. Basically, the bigger the competition, the more professional contracts are signed. So, one pillar are the club competitions, another one is the European Championship, which will be held for the first time with 24 teams in 2024, and the competitions for the younger age categories. But I am also thinking of institutions like the Women's Handball Board, the Women's League Convention, or the Women’s Handball Conference during the last European Championship. Here we have again raised awareness of the opportunity that is currently available, to make women’s handball more visible.”

You speak of an opportunity. Where does this window of time that has opened come from?

Martin Hausleitner: “Experts unanimously regard the #metoo debate as the starting point. In Europe, we saw which crowds women’s football can move. I also see us on the right track, we have functioning competitions. Gender issues have opened a big window for women’s sport – and deservedly so.”

© Anze Malovrh, Uros Hocevar / kolektiff