What is Handball?

Handball is an indoor team sport, which mixes high-speed action, gymnastic agility, sleight of hand and tremendous power with spectacular shots on goal. It has been described as a sport combining all the best elements of basketball, water polo and football with a little bit of rugby thrown in. It involves two teams of seven players who pass, throw, catch and dribble a small ball with their hands while trying to score goals. The team with the most goals wins the game. A game consists of two 30-minute halves with a 10-minute half-time break. An official field is 20 by 40 meters large, with two goals at either side. Handball players need to be all-round athletes to compete, with strength, power, agility and good aerobic fitness all essential.

Modern handball was first played towards the end of the 19th century. The International Handbal Federation was officially founded in 1946 and as of 2007 there are 159 member federations. 
Today, Handball is played in 183 countries, there are 31 million players, trainers, officials and referees worldwide acting with 1,130,000 teams.