The debut edition of the North American and the Caribbean (NAC) Senior Club Championship gets underway in Lake Placid, USA tomorrow (Friday 10 May), before ending on Sunday (12 May).

 

Hosted in cooperation with the USA Team Handball Federation (USATH) and organised by New York City Handball Club, three club teams will battle it out over three match days for the regional title which also brings qualification through to the 2019 IHF Men’s Super Globe, which will be held in Saudi Arabia from 28-31 August – the first time ever a club from the North American and Caribbean region will participate in the global showcase event.

 

Lake Placid, which hosted the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympic Games, will see Los Angeles Team Handball Club (USA), Team Quebec (CAN) and New York City Handball Club (USA), play a round-robin tournament over the three days with the top team in the league winning the NAC Champions title and booking that ticket to Saudi Arabia.

 

“Within the last 10 years the IHF Super Globe has developed tremendously and is now a well-recognised competition where all the representatives from the different areas of the world are fighting to win,” said IHF President Dr Hassan Moustafa ahead of the event.

 

“It is a great opportunity for all participating teams to compete with teams from other continents and to show what they are capable of. We have seen so many surprises in the last years, for example when Sydney University reached the semi-final and showed a great performance in the bronze medal match against FC Barcelona.

 

“This shows that with proper and serious preparations there’s a lot of potential for handball if the IHF and other international entities can provide a platform for the teams around the world. It brings along high motivation and we hope that this will encourage the teams to work harder at home to build a strong foundation to further develop our sport.

 

“The winners from Lake Placid will face the world’s best teams in Saudi Arabia and with that, the different styles of each continent to which they have to adapt – this is something that might be difficult.

 

“However, it will be the first time that a team from North America and the Caribbean will take part in the IHF Super Globe and, therefore, they should enjoy this historic experience the best they can – they might be considered as the underdogs, the debutants – but no one should underestimate them as everything is possible.”

 

The Mexican pair of Juan Jesus Coba Castro/Omar Eduardo Osalde Garcia and the German couple – Robert Schulze and Tobias Tonnies – will referee at the event.

 

For more information visit the official event website. All matches will be streamed live.

 

MATCH SCHEDULE

All times local (UTC -4)

 

Friday 10 May

15:00    Los Angeles Team Handball Club vs New York City Team Handball Club

 

Saturday 11 May

15:00    Team Quebec vs Los Angeles Team Handball Club

 

Sunday 12 May

12:30    New York City Team Handball Club vs Team Quebec