Handball never ceases to amaze with its fast-paced, high-intensity level, which is drawing fans from all over the world to its premium competitions. But what about a stripped-down version of the sport, with no physical contact and played at a slower rate, available for everyone?

Walking handball is all about the fun and enjoying oneself, yet still playing the sport loved by millions around the world. A modified form of the original handball game, it was made suitable for the elderly, who can keep in shape and still exercise, without the risk of injury.

The development of walking handball started in the Netherlands, a country renowned for its affinity to sport and keeping in shape. While football and cycling have been mostly the go-to sports in the country, handball has been getting more and more popular in the last few years. While the women’s senior team won the IHF Women’s World Championship in 2019, the men’s team finished 10th at the EHF EURO 2022, their best-ever finish in the competition.

The idea was born in a cooperation between the Dutch Handball Association (NHV) and the Dutch National Elderly Fund, as the two joined forces to create the sport. A former line player who plied his trade at club level for Dutch and Belgian teams, Leon van Schie, was also contacted to help implement the plan.

“The team sports who are played with the ball, like football, volleyball and handball were made suitable for elderly people, by changing the rules. I was asked if I want to join the team to develop the rules for walking handball and I said yes.
 

“For me, handball is the best sport in the world and I liked to play handball in my prime and I thought about playing handball also when I am 60 or 70 years old. I also thought about my parents, who were always in the stands to cheer for me, but they never had the chance to play handball. Therefore, it was a match made in heaven,” says van Schie to ihf.info.

Being children once again

The project threw off in 2019 with OldStars, a team that had people aged between 55 and 85 play walking handball, with the interest growing more and more – up to the point where several teams have created walking handball teams in the Netherlands, with tournaments regularly played after the rules were created by van Schie.

Another key ingredient for the rising popularity of walking handball in the Netherlands was the social interaction, which was missing even before the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world.

“The rhythm of our life is so fast now, everybody is running to try and do something fast, therefore the interactions have been slimmed down. There were also lockdowns and people longed to be part of something, part of a team. Therefore, this type of handball is important because it brings people together, but it also enables them to stay healthy and exercise,” adds van Schie.

According to the former line player, when permitted, training sessions are scheduled once per week, while at the end of some weeks, there are friendly games between the Dutch teams who have set up walking handball teams.

There are no official standings, no results between the teams, no die-hard rivalries, only the beauty of exercising and creating new friendships on the handball court, with a sport that can only bring benefits to elderly people.

The reception of the game has been amazing, with elderly Dutch people flocking to walking handball. According to the data presented, the oldest player is now 85 years old, while people aged 52, 53 or 54 are also trying to get fonder and fonder of walking handball.

“After the games, we all sit together and share a coffee, talk about the news, about what happened in the last week, about families and other topics. It creates a bond between people and this is all through handball. 

“The reception has been amazing for walking handball, we did not expect the sport to be embraced so quickly. When they are on the court, they are looking like kids again, they are having so much fun and they do all kinds of games, with the basics of handball,” says van Schie.

What are the results of walking handball in the Netherlands? Pretty good, according to van Schie. When the project started, only five people came in. The popularity soared, as there are now over 30 clubs offering walking handball, with groups between 10 and 20 people in each team. 70% of them had no connection to handball whatsoever prior to starting the sport.

“It is really growing and this means we are doing a good job. The happiest thing for us is that we see the people playing walking handball feeling better and smiling on the court. This means everything is good,” concludes van Schie.

Photos courtesy of Leon van Schie