The tiny dual-island nation of St. Kitts and Nevis received three IHF courses last month as part of the ‘IHF Four Year Plan’ at the Pam Tyson Netball Facility in Warner Park, Basseterre, St. Kitts.

 

Background

Starting this year, 14 Pan-American Team Handball Federation (PATHF) emerging federations, plus Puerto Rico - who had already commenced – have come together under the tight framework of the ‘IHF Four Year Plan’, in co-operation with the PATHF to develop handball in their country.

 

The plan sees each national federation receive a variety of support including financial support for their national league operations, coaching, delegates, referees, Handball@School courses, ordering of handball material (equipment, training materials) and beach handball courses.

 

The level of support from the IHF for each national federation is assessed according to their existing level with the IHF overseeing the development throughout the plan, based on the five key areas of Education, Competition, Marketing, Cooperation and Management.

 

The overall aim of the IHF Four Year Plan is to educate members of each national federation to become professional coaches, referees and delegates in all fields with a fundamental understanding of the sport.

 

This leads to building strong handball nations as the IHF aims to ensure the continuous development of handball in all parts of the world to keep improving and expanding the sport at the highest level.

 

St. Kitts and Nevis delivery

Across 10 days and overseen in person by Frantisek Taborsky, Member of the IHF Executive Committee, from 18-19 April, St. Kitts and Nevis received a coaching course, followed by a referee and match delegate course from 20-21 April.

 

The following day (22 April), the first-ever official handball tournament took place on the islands, featuring three male and two female teams - not only firmly planting St. Kitts and Nevis on the handball map, but allowing the previous four days-worth of experience gained by participants to be utilised in a practical way.

 

To round off the activities, from 24-26 April, a beach handball course was run.

 

In total, 22 participants took part (8 female and 14 male) in the courses run in the small Caribbean country which was accepted as a new national federation at the 2009 IHF Congress in Cairo, Egypt.

 

Around 50,000 people live on the two islands and handball continues to grow, especially amongst the younger population, thanks to the hard work of the St. Kitts and Nevis Handball Association.

 

“Our national sports policy has three very simple pillars; sports for all, sports for development and excellence in sports,” said Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Sports, Stanley Knight at the opening ceremony to local media.

 

“Handball…is simple to play, the equipment is easy to acquire and we understand the levels to which it goes - everyone has the ability to get involved and participate in it from a recreational level to a competitive level,” he concluded.

 

The past and the future

Back in 2011, supported by the St. Kitts and Nevis National Olympic Committee (SKNOC), the nation saw nearly 100 primary school children receive handball coaching at the Beach Allen Primary School in one of the first-ever mass handball training sessions.

 

Now, in 2017, the nation is supporting the sport, with local TV broadcasting a 30-minute feature on the recent courses and tournament along with support from local radio, newspapers and websites.

 

Later this year, in June, the St. Kitts and Nevis Handball Association (SKNHA) will elect their Executive Committee as they look to build on governmental support which will see handball, alongside volleyball and basketball receive their own, dedicated, sports hall.

 

In 2018, the IHF Caribbean Trophy Tournament will take place on the islands and the SKNHA is working hard to continually develop the sport, targeting the development over the next 12 months towards the successful Handball@School work.

 

“I want to congratulate SKNHA President Leroy Greene who has been pushing for the commencement of handball here for over a year,” said Jenifer Nero, a representative for the St. Kitts and Nevis Olympic Committee to local media.

 

“As a member of the women’s commission I’m happy to see gender equity in terms of handball – we look forward to continuing with this participation and to see them growing from strength-to-strength.”