The European Handball Players Union was created to help organize and speak on behalf of the players. It is a democratic union created by the players, and it is controlled by the players.

The EHPU currently has the national player unions of Spain, France, Greece, Iceland, Norway, Germany and Denmark as members – those unions representing around 2.500 players. Individual players can join the EHPU as members as well regardless of nationality.

Nationally the ambition is to help start more unions as well as growing the already existing unions. A national union can aspire to help the players in their respective leagues with all matters concerning contracts, agents, insurance, injuries, legal disputes. It is also possible to seek political representation and influence in the National federations as well as assisting the National Teams with negotiating their agreements and handling their commercial opportunities.

Over time the work of a national union can even expand to help players with their life next to and outside of handball. This could be in areas like education, dual-career, second-career, investment planning and mental health. Creating a balanced life strengthening the quality both on and off the court.

Internationally the EHPU seeks political influence in both the IHF and the EHF. It is a tough fight in a very rigid system. The only seats granted to the EHPU have been in the Professional Handball Board (PHB) under the EHF – a group that exchanges information concerning the men’s competitions, but without any direct influence on decisions. We have never been represented on the Women’s Handball Board even though half of our members are women. There is no representation of the EHPU within the IHF at all. Recently the EHF chose not to extend the EHPU positions in the PHB. Furthermore, we did not get an extension of the agreement that the EHF recognizes the EHPU as representatives for the players. The EHF is of the opinion that since the EHPU does not have working player unions in enough countries, we cannot claim to speak on behalf of the players.

Naturally we do not agree with this at all, and we have told them so. The players have the right to decide, how they wish to organize themselves. The have the right to choose their own representatives to negotiate on their behalf. And they have the right to be recognized as an equal partner and essential part of handball.

The recent development in the EHF and the announcement of new tournaments show clearly, that this is not the world, we live in right now. We cannot be content with just being informed of major new decisions affecting the health and careers of the players any longer. We must be in the room, where these decisions are made, especially concerning the workload and all decisions affecting the calendar and the implications for the mental and physical health of the players.

There are many other aspects concerning e.g. pregnancy, maternity leave, youth tournaments, contracts, agents, insurance, and a lot of other topics, where the input and influence of the players is not only relevant but should be self-evident.

Support and join your national union, join EHPU as a member, follow EHPU on Instagram, share your knowledge of EHPU with your teammates and support the organization – in that way you support not only yourself but all your other colleagues in handball, and give the players a stronger voice in the future.