The 2021 NZHF Beach Handball National Championships will throw off on Friday, at The Elmwood Club in Christchurch, with 13 registered teams and over 60 players ready to battle for the big prize.

Regional and open tournaments have been organised throughout New Zealand since 2005, as beach handball has started to get more and more attention and become more popular in the country in the last years.

A series of national open training camps were also held by the New Zealand Handball Federation (NZHF) from December 2020 to March 2021, opened to all skill levels, to improve the level of beach handball and raise awareness for the sport.

For the national championships, three categories have been opened, with four men’s teams, three women’s teams and six mixed sides competing in Christchurch over the next weekend. The team must have at least six players, but no more than ten players, with two women on the court at all times for the mixed sides.

Aside from the competitive games already scheduled between the participating teams, the NZHF is also including a domestic showdown, pitting together a team with players from the North Island against a side from the South Island. The “competition inside the competition”, a part of the 2020-2021 Beach Series which features emerging junior players, was created to improve the level of the national championship and to showcase beach handball.

With the current health situation imposing a new normal, there have been challenges, including one team from Auckland having to drop out of the competition because of COVID-19 travel restrictions imposed on the region last Saturday.

Moreover, New Zealand players currently residing in Australia cannot join the tournament, due to the travel restrictions and mandatory 14-day quarantine upon coming to New Zealand.

More info about the 2021 NZHF Beach Handball National Championships can be found on the event’s Facebook page.

PHOTO: New Zealand Handball Federation