The second of the 2023 IHF Education Weeks courses, the IHF Coaches & Referees Education Week, will take place online between 10 and 16 June 2023, with a total of 12 lectures by handball experts from all around the world who will be presenting different topics related to coaching and refereeing matters of indoor handball.

The lectures are presented by top handball experts from around the world, from renowned coaches who have secured medals at the highest levels, like Glenn Solberg or Jordi Ribera Romans, to IHF Lecturers and the Chairperson of IHF Playing Rules and Referees Commission. 

The topics which will be discussed range from identifying and developing young talent to the trends in indoor handball and the new rules in handball, which will be analysed by renowned experts in their areas.
The programme for the IHF Coaches & Referees Education Week is as follows:

10 June – 13:00 CEST 
Managing the Men’s National Team of Belgium: The Road to POL/SWE 2023, presented by Yérime Sylla, Belgium men’s senior national team coach – register here 

11 June – 13:00 CEST 
Player Profiles – New tendencies in player development, presented by Paul Landuré, IHF Commision of Coaching and Methods (CCM) Member - register here 

11 June – 15:00 CEST 
Development of Refereeing – Tendencies related to simulations and punishments, presented by Per Morten Sødal, Chairperson of IHF Playing Rules and Referees Commission (PRC) – register here 

12 June – 13:00 CEST 
Project Spain: Spanish defence philosophy, defensive variability in the game, 5:1 defensive system, presented by Jordi Ribera Romans, Spain men’s senior national team coach – register here 

12 June – 15:00 CEST
The Execution of Counterattacks Adapted to the Opponent’s Tactics in Retreat, presented by Marko Šibila, Master Coach– register here 

13 June – 13:00 CEST 
Trends in Goalkeeper Play – Different styles, role in fast play, technical-tactical behaviour in different match situations, presented by Mats Olsson, Norway women’s senior national team goalkeeping coach  – register here 

13 June – 15:00 CEST 
Pivot Play, presented by Per Morten Sødal, Chairperson of IHF Playing Rules and Referees Commission (PRC) and Glenn Solberg, Sweden men’s national team coach  – register here 

14 June – 13:00 CEST
Talent Detection in the Light of Changing Playing Styles, presented by Claus Dalgaard-Hansen, talent manager at the Norwegian Handball Federation – register here 

15 June – 13:00 CEST
Wing Situations from the Referees’ Perspective, presented by Bojan Lah and David Sok, IHF referees – register here 

15 June – 15:00 CEST 
Defending Against Line Players – Correct and incorrect defence, presented by Jorge Dueñas Galarza, IHF Lecturer and Slovakia women’s national team coach – register here

16 June – 13:00 CEST 
Offensive Foul Versus 7-Metre, presented by Angel Sabroso, IHF Referee, and Martin Gjeding, IHF delegate – register here 

16 June – 15:00 CEST 
Isolation Spaces for Successful 1:1 Duels and Possible Follow-Up Actions, presented by Jochen Beppler, IHF Lecturer and assistant coach at Germany women’s senior national team – register here

All courses are presented by the IHF Virtual Academy, which was launched in 2020 with the goal of improving handball education globally. Courses are provided for free and are designed for all levels. More educational materials are available on the IHF Education Centre, and all previous Virtual Academy lectures can be accessed on the IHF Facebook page under the relevant playlists. 

The 2023 IHF Education Weeks will continue with another four courses still to come after the IHF Beach Handball Education Week and the IHF Coaches & Referees Education Week have taken place.

Children’s Handball Education Week: 4–10 September 2023
Youth Coaches Education Week: 18–24 September 2023
Management Education Course: 2–5 October 2023
Wheelchair Handball Education Courses: 6–8 October 2023