England U18 Men Preparing for Europe

ENGLAND Under-18 men continued their preparations for the forthcoming European qualifiers with a successful training camp in Germany last month.

The team won all three matches during the camp, and with the Euro Qualifiers now only three months away the squad are constantly raising the bar things are looking good for 2012.

Head Coach Scott Harrington said: “Preparation is well underway and the lads have been showing good progress so far. This was the first time we came here with expectations for on court as well as off, so it was a big test for them.

“We did what we came to do, and now we can tick that box and raise the bar again as we look to climb the ladder to the next level. We cannot afford to let up now, and the squad need to utilise the time they have left to be where they need to be, come March.”

And playmaker Ryan Goodwin added: “We can all see just how far we have come since September. We’ve gone from putting in positive performances and coming out with nothing, to putting in a decent performances and getting the result we are after.”

Next up for the U18 squad will be another European camp in February, this time to Denmark where they have matches scheduled against three of the best youth teams in the country.

The squad also hope to secure matches against two other European nations in the lead up to the qualifiers, which will provide more vital experience.

England U19s Get Taste of International Handball

THE growth of handball in England took a major step forward last week when the newly-formed England Under-19 men’s team held a training camp at the Aarhus Sports Academy in Denmark.

Under the guidance of Head Coach and GB international Scott Harrington, the young team played three matches against a variety of teams from the Academy, which is where the majority of the GB players were based from 2007-2009.

And despite being at least three years younger than their opponents, the England team played well and drew compliments from players and coaches at the tournament who were surprised by the good standard of handball.

“We came into this camp with a clear objective: to turn enthusiastic teenagers into handball players - and for me it’s objective achieved,” said Harrington. “The lads have shown to both me and everyone involved that they have massive potential.

“As well as the two-day tournament, the team trained in different aspects of handball, including strength and conditioning, agility, core stability and injury prehab so our players could experience what it takes to become a world class handball player.”

The team also received one-to-one guidance from several of the GB players who are based out in Denmark, and Harrington added: “All the sessions proved invaluable for our boys - it’s now up to them to go away and build on what they have learnt over the past week, so we can continue to improve as individuals and as a team.”

And GB international John Pearce, who worked with the England Under-19 players during their stay, added: “This has been my first chance to see the work being put in to secure the legacy for handball in the UK that we all want.

“I have to admit I was surprised by the level of a number of the guys who came out here. They really looked like youth handball players and considering the number of obstacles in the way for handball in the UK that is quite an achievement.

“I wanted to get involved because I really believe there is potential for handball to grow in the UK. With 65 million people there is room for other sports, not just football, rugby and cricket.

“There is still a long way to go, we need to catch players earlier. We need to get kids playing the sport at the age of five or six, with appropriate coaching and facilities for the legacy to really develop after 2012. The first steps have been taken and I look forward to seeing how the journey develops.”