Season is over, what’s next?
Season is over, what’s next?
With Julen Aguinagalde’s deciding seven-metre throw in the shootout of the VELUX EHF FINAL4 last Sunday the European club season 2015/16 has ended.
Although handball fans have to wait almost 100 days for the next European Cup match action, preparations for the new season have already started deep into the last edition. Regulations have been released, playing systems confirmed and important dates set.
Creation of the starting roster
Member federations of the EHF have to register their clubs eligible to take part in the European top flight by Tuesday 7 June.
The VELUX EHF Champions League 2016/17 will be played in the same mode as this season with 28 teams. Also the Women’s EHF Champions League playing system will remain unchanged with 16 teams.
As always the distribution of places is a result of the EHF Ranking List (Men or Women) which is a summary of the results in all three EHF club competitions of the seasons 2012/13, 2013/14 and 2014/15.
The current 2015/16 season is not considered for the EHF Ranking List, but it will be considered for the seeding of the new participants in the various competitions of 2016/17.
The procedure for the awarding of additional places will also remain unchanged and each federation will have the right to ask for an upgrade of its EHF Cup club to the EHF Champions League.
Already before the 2015/16 season the EHF has approved a list of criteria that will be used as a tool to define on the one hand the awarding of upgrades for those federations who will ask for it and on the other hand for the decision regarding the distribution of teams into groups A or B (8 teams each) respectively C or D (6 teams each).
The criteria list consists of eight different fields (venue, TV, ranking in the domestic league, spectators, performance in past EHF club competitions, sponsoring potential, implementation of duties and regulations and new media).
Based on these criteria the EHF Executive Committee meeting in Vienna on Friday, 24 June will decide all upgrades requests and confirm 16 teams for groups A and B and remaining teams for groups C and D and for qualification tournament(s), whose winner(s) will join the group phase in C and/or D in the VELUX EHF Champions League.
A similar procedure will be carried out with the participants of the Women's EHF Champions League as teams both for the qualification and the group matches will be confirmed.
Draw in Denmark
Just seven days later the focus of all Champions League fans will shift to SELECT headquarters in Glostrup, Denmark, which will host the qualification and group phase draw (1 July 2016, 13:00 hrs).
Important dates
VELUX EHF Champions League 2016/17 season
7 June 2016 - deadline for all national federations to submit their requests for upgrades in the EHF Champions League 2016/17
24 Jun 2016 - the final list of participants for Groups A&B, Groups C&D and qualification tournament(s) to be confirmed at the EHF EXEC meeting (Vienna)
1 Jul 2016 - qualification and group phase draw (Glostrup, Denmark)
3-4 Sep 2016 - qualification tournament(s)
21-25 Sep 2016 - group phase Round 1
30 Nov - 4 Dec 2016 - group phase Round 9 (last round in 2016)
8-12 Feb 2017 - group phase Round 10 (first in 2017, last in Groups C&D)
1-12 Mar 2017 - Groups C&D knockout phase
8-12 Mar 2017 - group phase Round 14 (last round in Groups A&B)
22 Mar – 2 Apr 2017 - Last 16
19-30 Apr 2017 - quarter-finals
3-4 Jun 2017 - VELUX EHF FINAL4 2017 LANXESS arena, Cologne
Women’s EHF Champions League 2016/17 season
7 June 2016 - deadline for all national federations to submit their requests for upgrades in the EHF Champions League 2016/17
24 Jun 2016 - the final list of participants for group matches and qualification tournament(s) to be confirmed at the EHF EXEC meeting (Vienna)
1 Jul 2016 - qualification and group phase draw (Glostrup, Denmark)
10-11 Sep 2016 - qualification tournament(s)
14-16 Oct 2016 - group matches Round 1
18-20 Nov 2016 - group matches Round 6 (last round)
27-29 Jan 2017 - main round Round 1
10-12 Mar 2017 - main round Round 6 (last round)
7-16 Apr 2017 - quarter-finals
13-14 May 2017 - Women’s EHF FINAL4 2017
