Handball – a hybrid sport which is said to be made up from a combination of football, basketball, netball and water polo – is one of the most popular sports in Europe. Played between two teams of seven players each, a standard game lasts roughly 70 minutes during which time players of both sides pass the ball around the court with their hands in an attempt to score in their opponent’s goal.
While it may be popular sport in Europe and particularly in France, Germany and Spain, it is not very well known around the world. These are some of the most interesting things you might not know about the sport of handball.
Bet on the action as it happens with Live Betting
European domination
Image source: tellerreport.com
Much like the USA dominates basketball, European countries dominate handball, and they do particularly well at the World Handball Championships. Of the 26 World Championship tournaments that have taken place, France holds the most Gold medals with six and are tie with Sweden in the total number of medals won (11).
Not counting Russia or the Soviet Union, Qatar is the only other non-European country that has managed to win a medal at the Championships, when they placed second in their home tournament in 2015.
The pros are paid well
Image source: timeoutmag.com
As a growing sport, handball has received a lot of investment and interest from some high profile sponsors. As a result, some of the best players in the world earn handsomely. The highest paid players earn upwards of €1 million a year, with Mikkel Hansen – the best men’s player in the world – earning a cool €1.5 million a year.
The uptake on the women’s side has been a lot slower. Despite winning the IHF World Player of the Year three times, Cristina Neagu only earns €265 000 a year – even though she is considered the best player in the world.
You might also like: A brief history of basketball
Slow the game down at your peril
I
mage source: sportycious.com
Handball is an incredibly fast-paced game, and the rules are designed to keep it this way. Despite a match being just 60 minutes long, an average of 54 goals are scored in every fixture.
Players who are in possession of the ball have just three seconds to pass or dribble the ball to another teammate, added to that, they are only allowed to take three steps. They also have to attack constantly and always have to be making an effort to score. Any players who are deemed by the referees to be slowing the game down can be penalised.
Handball has a huge following
Image source: twitter.com
At the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, handball was the second most popular medal sport after football. Thousands of spectators turned up to watch all the games live with millions more tuning in from all over the world. At the European Championship final held in the same year, more than 13 million people watched Germany beat Spain to claim the world title.
The current attendance record for a handball match was set on 6 September 2014 during a German League match between HSV Hamburg and Rhein-Neckar Lions. 44,189 spectators crammed into the Commerzbank Arena in Frankfurt to watch the two teams battle it out.
With the latest betting odds and the most up-to-date markets,
handball betting has never been so easy.
Sign up now and start winning with Betway.
Click
HERE to register a new account, and take advantage of our 50% first deposit offer up to NGN 20,000 in Free Bets which you can use to
bet on handball.
For all the latest sports news, betting tips and promotions follow
Betway on
Facebook, Twitter,
Instagram and
YouTube.
Download the Betway App.