To view the England Handball Annual Review 2015/16 please click

ENGLAND HANDBALLANNUAL REVIEW

2015-16

CONTENTSWelcome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Competitions and events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Competitions and diciplinary commitee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Workforce development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Refereeing and officiating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Marketing and commercial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Legal and governance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Financial summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

League tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

www.englandhandball.com

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Introduction from Chair Mike Briers and CEO David MeliThis year has been another year of growth and expansion of handball in England.

The number of leagues and teams playing competitively at senior level has grown. We’ve also seen expansion in the junior game with the Under-18 competition getting bigger.

We’ve continued to make steps forward on the performance front, with more teams entering the Under-16 County competition, and the number of regional academies increasing from four to five.

2015-16 also saw us launch a number of age-group teams to underpin the senior national teams.

The schools competition has continued to grow, with expansion in ‘non-traditional’ areas. Meanwhile, the satellite programme continues to be a great success.

We launched a new Level-1 Coaching Handball programme and have reviewed our whole coaching offer.

Four of our referees officiated in international tournaments, showing how much progress has been made in this area.

Once more we’ve demonstrated good governance as an organisation, a fact recognised by Sport England.

We have strengthened the brand of England Handball and the sport with brand guidelines and messages, while we have brought new partners on board.

This Annual Review looks at all these areas and other highlights in more detail.

All this great work would not be possible without the dedication of both England Handball staff, and all the volunteers, who give so much to handball in England. We would like to thank every single one of them.

WELCOME

@englandhandball@englandhandball@englandhandball

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League CompetitionsThe number of teams playing, and the number of leagues in, England has increased.• The men’s Championship South had six

teams in 2015-16, bringing it into line with the Championship North.

• The women’s North Regional Development League grew to nine teams during this period.

In Super-8 there were new teams in the men’s and women’s leagues. NEM Hawks replaced Coventry Sharks in the men’s competition, and Coventry Sharks came in in place of University of Leeds in the women’s league. ImpactMore people are playing competitive handball in England.

Cup CompetitionsThe cup competitions continue to flourish. In 2015-16 21 teams entered the men’s England Handball National Cup, and nine teams entered the women’s England Handball National Cup. In the League Cup there were seven teams in the women’s competition and 11 in the men’s competition. ImpactAdditional competition routes available for all teams

Under-18 CompetitionThe Under-18 competition continued to grow, with expansion in the girl’s and the boy’s competition. There were over 30 expressions of interest, and 24 teams who played in the two competitions, which due to the increased numbers, were initially split into North and South sections.The impactContinued growth in the quality and quantity of youth handball in England• 84 girls played in the competition• 180 boys played in the competition

COMPETITIONS AND EVENTS


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Competitions and Events GroupThe Competitions and Events Group provides representation from different teams and leagues. The group, chaired by Colin Wills consisted of Alysha Martin from England Handball, Donna Hankinson from NEM Hawks, Agi Foeglien from Cambridge, Marc Fayemi from Ruislip Eagles, Jon Kelly from Deva, Dave Partington from the Under-18 competition, and Bobby White from Oly Cats.ImpactClubs and leagues represented in discussions regarding competition issues and proposed changes/improvements.


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The Competitions Disciplinary Committee, chaired by Dean Hardman, dealt with 13 incidents in 2015/16.

The committee has worked well again this season and this is testament to the dedication and hard work of Dean and the other committee members.

The small percentage of incidents reflects the effectiveness of the committee and the good spirit in which matches are played.

There are still areas for improvement:

• Incidents towards referees has increased. There is a formal procedure in place to draw attention to refereeing issues during matches.

• Unacceptable/bad/dangerous behaviour by spectators. There were four incidents of this type of behaviour reported in 2015-16. Such incidents generate bad publicity for the sport. All clubs are reminded that they are responsible for the behavior of their own supporters and can be called to account or sanctioned in certain cases.

Impact

• Good disciplinary record across the leagues

- in a physical contact sport

- where more matches were played than ever before

COMPETITIONS AND DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE

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Boy’s teamsThe under-16 County competition saw an increase in entrants from 2014-15 with 19 boys team and 17 girls teams. The competition is expected to expand again in 2016-17.

Regional AcademyThe Regional Academy programme, expanded to include a fifth academy this year, with a sixth academy set to launch in September 2016.

National TeamsNational teams are operating from under-16 girls and under-18 men at GB level, and under-18 women and under-20 men at England level – to underpin the senior national teams.

Talent Pathway

We are currently negotiating with a partner university to launch a TASS programme. The aim of this is to extend the talent pathway and offer this to athletes on completion of the AASE programme, and in age group national teams.

The impact• 36 teams playing in the under-U16

County Championships.

• 130 athletes training at the 5 Regional Academies.

• Four national teams being operated by England Handball performance programme.

AASE The AASE programme continues to expand but has had difficulties in its administration, particularly around learner 12-week reviews.

Another key problem is the resolution of the SFA - AASE decision. Once this decision is known we will be in a better position to move the programme forward and ensure the issues we have experienced are not repeated in 2016-17.

The Impact2015-16 saw the highest number of players apply for the scholarship to the Danish Handball Academy in Aarhus with potentially eight players aiming to move out there in August 2016.

Performance Programme

PERFORMANCE


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WorkforceThe development workforce has expanded. In the north-west a Handball Development Officer (HDO) was appointed. This means there are now three HDOs in the north and midlands, with proposed new activators in Tyne & Wear, Tees Valley, Northumberland, Staffordshire, Shropshire and Birmingham.

In the south handball activators have been appointed in Bristol and Hampshire, and a new HDO in Essex and Suffolk, while there is new development capacity in Sussex, Bedfordshire & Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire. In London a new structure of development was established in conjunction with London Sport.

ImpactHandball development work is taking place across a larger geographical area, including into ‘non-traditional’ regions.

Schools CompetitionNorth and MidlandsIn the North and Midlands there was a slight increase in the number of schools taking part. However, there was a significant increase in the number of schools entering multiple teams. The competition in the North and Midlands grew by an average of 12% from 346 teams to 390, from 183 schools. There were significant regional variations with emerging areas growing on a much greater scale than established areas such as the north-west.

An area of particular strong development was the Black Country, where the number of schools taking part in the competition rose to 50 teams from 19 schools, compared to last year which saw 22 entrants from just 11 schools.

Growth rates• Boys competition grew by 16%

• Girls competition grew by 9%.

• North-East & Yorkshire: 25%

• North West: 3%

• West Midlands: 19%

• East Midlands: 29%

SouthThe schools competition across the South grew from 465 teams in 2014/15 to 638 teams in 2015/16, a growth of 37%. 259 schools took part, representing a 25% growth on 2014/15.

The main areas of growth were in London and the South East. A new partnership with London Youth Games saw the competition grow by 56% in terms of teams and 50% in terms of schools engaged. The south east saw a growth of 60% in the number of teams taking part. Much of this was due to the great development work being carried out across Kent.

ImpactHandball continues to be a fast-growing sport in schools, producing the next generation of players and developing physical literacy among school students.

DEVELOPMENT


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Satellite Clubs The satellite clubs programme has seen tremendous growth with over 190 satellites delivering handball, and covering every English region. In many areas these clubs have emerged from the growth in school competition, and where there is a proactive community club. They bridge the gap between school handball and a route into clubs and the talent pathway.

Since 2013, over 5,000 young people have engaged in the programme. Many are now making the transition from their satellite club into more structured performance handball, such as the under-18 leagues.

England Handball has been directly involved in 74 of these satellites. 43 have been supported through the Premier League 4 Sport programme, and the remaining 79 funded directly by County Sports Partnerships.

ImpactMore routes from school and informal handball, to clubs and the talent pathway.

Association of Colleges/ Higher Education/BUCSThis year’s British Universities Competition saw 38 teams from 31 universities take part in the men’s competition, and 26 teams from 21 universities enter the women’s competition.

There is still no clear direction on BUCS status. England Handball plan to take the university competition in-house to ‘professionalise’ it and conduct some insight work with students and universities to demonstrate the need for BUCS recognition. It is our intention to take a proposal to BUCS for them to take on the university competition during the 2017/18 season.

There was a pilot Association of College Sport competition. Three regions were represented, with three colleges from the south west, four from Nottingham and one from the West Midlands.

Try Handball pilot projects were delivered in colleges in Somerset, Berkshire, Walsall and Nottinghamshire.

ImpactHandball is growing as a sport in higher education and further education with work taking place to formalise competition structures.

DEVELOPMENT


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England Handball’s Workforce Development operation develops coaches, officials, referees and volunteers. In addition it offers courses to the education sector to professionally develop teachers and help grow handball in schools, colleges and universities.

Key Objectives• Provide a diverse programme of training

and education that recognises the changing needs of the workforce and the participant.

• Establish and maintain a qualifications pathway that enables individuals to progress to the highest possible level they choose.

• Establish a suitably qualified tutor, assessor and verifier workforce capable of delivering and assessing England Handball courses across the country.

• Development of partnerships with external organisations and individuals that can assist with the delivery of all England Handball qualifications

Review of OfferTo meet these objectives the Coaching and Workforce Development Manager has carried out an extensive review of the Coaching and Workforce Development offer – internally and with partners.

This has identified the need to set a coaching philosophy which is supported by a fluent and coherent coaching pathway. The Coaching and Workforce Development Manager will work with Lead Coach Educators to review roles, confirm educational outcomes and build the England Handball coaching philosophy and pathway.

Coaching Course AdministrationAs part of the review mentioned above the decision was made to to bring the management, marketing and booking of England Handball qualifications in-house.

Level-1 Coaching OfferA new level 1 coaching award was launched on 1 September 2015.

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT


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Current Qualification OfferEngland Handball currently offers seven qualifications:

• Introduction to Handball

• Handball Leaders course

• Girls 4 Gold

• Handball for Teachers with Qualified Teaching Status

• Level 1 Handball Coaching Certificate

• Level 2 Handball Coaching Certificate

• Level 1 Handball Referee course

In total 50 courses have been held in 2015-16. The trend of greater activity at the early stages of the coaching pathway has continued with 22 Introduction to Handball courses, 16 Level 1 courses, and 16 Handball Leaders courses held.

More than 9,000 coaches are registered as holding a Handball Level 1 qualification. 63 coaches hold a Level 2 award.

England Handball has 29 referees who can officiate at National League level and 25 able to take charge of matches in the Regional Development League. In total there are 84 active referees.

Handball courses:

Course Number

Introduction to Handball 22

Handball Leaders course 16

Girls 4 Gold 1

Handball for Teachers with Qualified Teaching Status 1

Level 1 Handball Coaching Certificate 16

Level 2 Handball Coaching Certificate 1

Level 1 Handball Referee’s course 3

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT


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Referee DevelopmentInternationalNick Le-Mon and Jason Hollis refereed in the IHF Emerging Nation Finals in Kosovo in August 2015.Alysha Martin and Andrea Hesse refereed in the EHF/IHF Emerging Nations European Stage in March. Both referee pairs are in EHF Programmes. Przemislav Trzeciecki and Wayne Scanlan spent the whole year training at the Arhus Academy.Another referee pairing will attend the academy next year.

Refereeing experienceEngland Handball referees supported the Under-18 leagues, British Beach Handball Tournament, the Universities Championships, and Liverpool and Copper Box International tournaments. This benefited both parties with referees provided, and referees gaining valuable experience.

Refereeing seminarA pre-Season Referees Seminar was held during the Copper Box International in August. Delivered by a top Danish Lecturer, it was a great learning experience.

CoursesFree Workshops and heavily discounted Level 1 Courses were delivered across the Country in 2015/16, as a continuation of previous season’s workshops and seminars. The amount of regular referees in our Leagues show the benefit of this approach. Also AASE Students took the Refereeing Course and we have expectations in some of them choosing the Officiating Pathway.

Referees paymentA new Referees Payment system was introduced for the 2015/16 Super-8 season. The system worked well.

Tournament SupportEngland Handball referees supported several Tournaments such as the Schools Tournament and the County Championships.

Impact: All the work from England Handball referees supports the development of handball. It increases the number of referees participating regularly in leagues and improves the quality of officials.

REFEREEING AND OFFICIATING


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MARKETING AND COMMERCIALThe key objectives of England Handball’s marketing and commercial sections are to:

• directly support the goals, activities and delivery of the England Handball strategic plan

• generate additional funding to increase what England Handball is able to deliver

• foster a commercially aware culture within England Handball

Marketing and CommunicationsWebsite England Handball is working with a website agency to develop and launch a new website. The estimated launch date is late summer 2016.

The current website has been accessed by over 70,000 people with 44 per cent of visitors being new to the website.

390 news articles were added to the website during this period.

ImpactHandball and information news flow reaching wide audience,

Social Media• Twitter: more than 850 new followers with

increasing engagement

• Facebook: More than 35,000 people reached. Page like 2636

• Instagram: 500 followers. 1400 engagements

• YouTube: Films posted regularly. Work is planned in 2016/17 to improve the look of the England Handball YouTube site.

BrandingEngland Handball developed new brand messages that highlight the unique selling points of the sport. Brand guidelines were also produced for England Handball.Brand and marketing materials were also developed for Try Handball, England Handball’s new participation offer.Impact

• Improved brand identity for the sport in a crowded market.

• Improved brand identity for England Handball

• Strong ‘sub-brand’ in Try Handball


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Profile Raising• GB Men’s team Handball feature on BBC

Sportsday• GB Men’s team video pieces on BBC

website• GB Men’s team article on BBC website• Warrington Wolves article on BBC website• Warrington Wolves articles in Warrington

Guardian• Feature on BBC Look North re Leeds

Hornets in Europe• GB Women’s team article on Sky Sport

website• Rugby World Cup social media activity• International Women’s Day social media

activity• National Men’s Day social media activity• World Student Day social media activityImpact

Profile for handball in crowded sports media market.

Commercial DataEngland Handball placed a greater focus on capturing and using data from membership, website, online shop and events

Impact

England Handball is better able to understand our audiences and enable tailored communications in a more personal way

RevenueEngland Handball has looked to maximise commercial opportunities such as the online shop, a corporate Try Handball programme, and targeted sponsorship opportunities.

Impact

Additional revenues to develop handball in England.

PartnershipsEngland Handball has continued its partnerships with Bishops and Premier Sports.

England Handball has also brought new partners on board:

• Quickplay: Official Portable Handball Goal Supplier for England Handball

• No Limits Performance Nutrition: Official Nutrition Partner of England Handball

Impact

Benefits include:

• Supply chains for the England Handball online shop (Bishops, Premier Sports, Quickplay Goals)

• Savings on kit and resources for staff (Premier Sports)

• Complimentary goals and marketing assistance (Quickplay)

• Revenue from introducing partner products to other organisations (Quickplay)

• Offers for England Handball members (No Limits Performance Nutrition)

Revenue GeneratedThe shop and commercial activities have generated the following:

Shop (1 April 2015 to 31 March 2016)

Income - £40,186

Expenditure - £27,630

Profit - £12,556

Total profit including royalties from Bishops: £16,103.53

MARKETING AND COMMERCIAL


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Policies and ProcessesGood governance is about managing an organisation in a way which delivers on objectives whilst managing risk and enhancing support and trust from stakeholders.

An effective governance framework defines roles, responsibilities, and an agreed distribution of power amongst the board, management and external stakeholders.

The Board has put in place a robust system of policies and processes that:

• define roles and responsibilities

• distribute power appropriately between the board, management and external stakeholders

• ensure accountability and transparency in our actions.

Regular meetingsThe board met six times in 2015-16 and receives reports from the Chief Executive and Portfolio directors. In addition the board established a number of committees comprising relevant directors, administration staff - and independent third parties with delegated power to deal with day to day matters in Finance & Legal, Marketing, and competitions & disciplinary matters.

Effectiveness EvaluationAn evaluation of the Board’s effectiveness was taken in 2015. The results of this will formulate an informal programme of training on governance matters for individual directors.

Governance Code for Sport in the UK The Board is taking a pro-active approach to ensure compliance with the Governance Code for Sport in the UK, which will be published later in the year.

In particular we are already considering proposals aimed at improving diversity and independence in our leadership and decision-making.

UK Sport and Sport England have made it clear that the Code will be ambitious in setting high expectations for anyone in receipt of public funding. NGB boards will be expected to actively promote and deliver the principles and standards in the Code.

Impact• The strength of our governance processes

was recognised by Sport England in its 2015 audit.

• Continued improvement of internal governance processes and reinforce the importance of good governance for the Association.

LEGAL AND GOVERNANCE


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FINANCIAL SUMMARYSummaryParticipation and improving our commercial position have continued to be the two key initiatives that have driven the financial results of the Association this year.

England Handball produces a budget every year, which is approved by the Board. Although final results are generally in line with the budget, there was much less course income than hoped for and there is a small deficit.

Our external auditors have reviewed the accounts and have given us a clean audit report.

Income & Expenditure AccountOur income this year increased slightly due to our extra funding from Sport England. Total income was £768,203 in 2016 from £728,325 in 2015. However, the disappointing fall in coaching course income and less sponsorship brought our total income in lower than we had hoped at the start of the year.

We know that our mix of income needs continued focus. With the pressure on public funds and the new Sport England funding strategy, we must keep looking at sponsorship and generating our own income, so that we can continue to grow our sport and provide services to our members.

Player registrations (membership) and our very successful AASE programme have all seen increases in numbers and as a result income from these areas is on the rise. However, we know that the AASE programme will come under review within the next few years. We will need to work with our partners to find an alternative.

Expenditure increased in 2015-16, but only by 10%, with most of the costs increases being related to staff costs and office running costs as a result of increased activity.

Expenditure on competitions almost doubled again in the year. This is great news for our sport as the number of teams and events increases. This is an area where we are committed to supporting in 2016-17, particularly in the ongoing education and development of educational teams, referees and officials.

The net result was a deficit after tax of £6,206 (2015: Surplus £25,134) for the year.

Balance Sheet England Handball has long had a cautious policy of matching income to expenditure, which in practice means that income is not counted until the relevant expenditure happens. That prevents grant income inflating any surplus ahead of the committed expenditure. We have continued the practice by either deferring income or accruing for future expenditure and this is a major item in the balance sheet, particularly in Creditors: Amounts falling due within one year.

The deficit we have generated this year has reduced our reserves to £95,212 (2015:£101,418). This is still short of the Board’s objectives of having reserves equal to 15% of total income. In 2016 this would be £115,230.

The finance team have continued to work hard during the year to improve our debt collection and control of cash. The Association is now in a positive cash position with income and expenditure payments in line with good practice for an organisation of our size.

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This Year Last YearAssets

Fixed Assets 30,183 64,569

Debtors 87,788 110,079

Cash 138,726 142,105

Liabilities

Creditors 158,692 207,872

Other Liabilities 2,793 7,463

NET ASSETS 95,212 101,418

This Year Last Year £ £From what we do

Player Registrations 43,381 43,535Player International Transfers 866 213Other Sales 26,408 9,264Coach Education Courses 37,513 59,527Performance Income 13,964 8,966Online shop 40,186 39,035AASE Funding 118,887 109,345

Our Trading Income 281,205 269,885

From elsewhere

Grants Received 485,294 456,961Donations from European Handball Federation 1,704 1,479Our Supported Income 486,998 458,440

OUR TOTAL INCOME 768,203 728,325

FINANCIAL SUMMARYBalance sheet (KEY ITEMS ONLY)

Where did the money come from?

This Year Last Year £ £For what we do

Purchases 571 3,776

Online Shop 34,272 33,159

Facility Hire 11,701 13,019

ASSE Costs 21,259 21,719

Coach Education 27,205 35,637

Competition Expenses 72,642 36,937

Our Trading Costs 167,650 144,247

Supporting what we do Staff Costs 428,201 399,099

Travel Costs 47,190 49,115

Office Running Costs 72,721 47,443

Professional Fees 18,333 18,312

Other running costs 3,280 - 43

Depreciation 35,973 35,735

Our Supporting Costs 605,698 549,661

Taxation 1,061 9,283

OUR TOTAL COSTS 774,409 703,181

Where did the money go?

THAT LEFT A DEFICIT OF £6,206

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LEAGUE TABLESWomen’s Super-8 Final League table 2015/16

Men’s Super-8 Final League table 2015/16

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Pos Team Pts P W D L F A +/-

1 London GD HC 39 14 12 1 1 331 265 66

2 Olympia HC 33 14 9 0 5 369 311 58

3 London Angels HC 33 14 9 1 4 324 278 58

4 Coventry Handball Club 32 14 9 0 5 279 254 25

5 NEM Hawks HC 27 14 6 1 7 318 329 -11

6 Ruislip Eagles HC 26 14 5 0 8 258 307 -49

7 Thames HC 20 14 3 0 11 308 337 -29

8 Deva HC 16 14 1 0 12 233 334 -101

Pos Team Pts P W D L F A +/-

1 London GD HC 35 14 10 1 3 378 285 93

2 Olympia HC 35 14 10 1 3 390 352 38

3 Cambridge HC 33 14 9 1 4 416 382 34

4 Warrington Wolves 32 14 8 2 4 422 352 70

5 Ruislip Eagles HC 29 14 7 1 6 421 364 57

6 NEM Hawks HC 22 14 4 0 10 398 427 -29

7 Leeds Hornets HC 20 14 4 0 10 326 433 -107

8 Manchester HC 16 14 1 0 13 290 446 -156

Men’s Championship North Final League table 2015/16

Regional Development League Winners 2015/16Women’s Regional Development Leagues

• North - Liverpool

• Midlands - Nottingham

• South East Women - Cambridge

• South West Women - Reading.

Men’s Regional Development Leagues

• North - Manchester

• Midlands - Birmingham

• London A - London Angels

• London B - Olympia HC

• South West - Bath

Men’s Championship South Final League table 2015/16

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Pos Team Pts P W D L

1 Coventry HC 24 10 7 0 3

2 Nottingham HC 22 10 6 0 3

3 Bolton Hussars 19 10 5 1 4

4 Loughborough 18 10 3 2 5

5 Liverpool 17 10 2 1 5

6 Deva HC 17 10 2 1 7

Pos Team Pts P W D L

1 Cranfield HC 30 10 10 0 0

2 Brighton Seahawks 25 10 7 1 2

3 Southampton University 17 10 4 1 3

4 OlyCats 14 10 2 1 6

5 Poole Phoenix 12 10 2 0 6

6 Reading Lions 11 10 1 1 6

Documents

To view the England Handball Annual Review 2015/16 please click