On 24.11.2010 the first meeting of the Professional Handball Board (PHB) took place in Vienna.
Inside European Handball Federation (EHF) the PHB shall become the representation of all stakeholders in European Professional Handball, such as Players, Clubs, Leagues, Nations and EHF. The Chairman of the PHB will become ordinary member of the EHF Executive Committee (ExeC). The PHB is eligible to discuss all issues of professional handball and forward proposals to the EHF Executive Committee, respectively to the EHF Congress.
For the moment three out of five groupings are represented:
Clubs/FORUM CLUB HANDBALL (FCH): Joan Marin (Vice-President FCH) and Gerd Butzeck (General Manager FCH)
Nations/Nations Board: Morten Stig Christensen (DEN) and Philippe Bana (FRA)
EHF: Jean Brihault (Vice-President EHF) and Jan Tuik (Chairman Competitions Commission EHF).
The President of the EHF and the Secretary General are permanent members of the PHB without voting right.
Main topics discussed
Structural issues as well as positions of the PHB were conferred; several items for discussion were identified and examined.
A procedure focusing on the area of players’ salaries’ insurance during official events and other national team activities was established. This includes a pilot project with the National Federations in order to harmonize differences in the regional conditions.
Furthermore the topics of European Cup system, TV-rights, marketing rights, the awarding of events and technical matters, such as the organization of refereeing, were subject at the meeting.
Leagues and Players as stakeholder groups
After the meeting a working session with the currently missing stakeholders took place, including Jaume Fort (European Handball Players Union (EHPU)), Reiner Witte/TOYOTA HBL and Jordi Pallares/ASOBAL (European Professional Handball League Association (EPHLA)). Fort and Witte expressed the willingness of their organizations to become members of the PHB by signing the required ‘Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)’.
Witte expects the signing of the MoU during the upcoming World Championship (WCH) in Sweden.
Fort explained in detail the progress of the various player organizations, representing more than 1.000 professionals out of 30 countries. He expects his organization to enter the PHB ‘as soon as possible’.
Due to this development the election of the PHB chairman was postponed to the next PHB meeting, taking place on 23/24th February 2011.
Details will be reported to the next FCH General Assembly. GB