Wiederer: “In Cologne, handball community is ready to celebrate”

Not only is EHF President Michael Wiederer truly enjoying the TruckScout24 EHF FINAL4 weekend, he also has fond memories of the EHF FINAL4 Women in Budapest two weeks ago.

“We saw 20,000 people every day at both events, which means that 100 per cent of the tickets were sold. Not only were people here in the stands, but they also played a part in the event, creating an amazing atmosphere for all teams to play in,” Wiederer says.

The record attendance for a women’s handball game in the MVM Dome was only one of the highlights of a season that has seen clubs in all EHF competitions enjoying their respective paths. And all of it culminated in Cologne this weekend with the TruckScout24 EHF FINAL4, once again displaying an amazing set-up.

“I want to thank the teams from the EHF, from EHF Marketing as well as from our partners for creating the perfect environment for the teams to play in, but also for the fans to come and visit. We had four events over six weeks, and everything has been running well,” Wiederer adds.

“I am convinced every person that has been in LANXESS arena this weekend will leave with a smile on their face and I have the feeling that, in Cologne, the handball community is ready to celebrate.”

As is now the tradition, Cologne has not only been about playing handball, but also about talking about the sport.

“The European Handball Talks were really a success for all participants, we had market experts who were sharing their opinions. It was fruitful and we had very good discussions with people from the handball family but also the outside of the handball world,” explains David Szlezak, the Managing Director of EHF Marketing.

EHF Marketing has announced two new partnerships this week, with the MOL Group and waterdrop® associating their names to handball events.

“We are looking at a bright future and we put a lot of trust in the future. That is highlighted by the fact that we are opening the ticket sales for next year’s TruckScout24 EHF FINAL4 on Monday,” Szlezak adds.

The event in Cologne has also pleased EHF’s partners. Sven Schmidt, CEO of Machineseeker, has really enjoyed the TruckScout24 EHF FINAL4, sharing his thoughts on what has been an impressive weekend.

“This season, the first of our partnership, has been amazing. It is important for us to associate the name of our brands with a sport that is well-known in every part of Europe, as our business is active from Scandinavia to Türkiye. And handball is quite similar, in the way that this weekend, for instance, we had a team from Spain, a team from Germany, from France, and one from Poland.”

Handball all over Europe is exactly what the European Handball Federation is trying to develop. This season, the four final events of both the European League and Champions League were set up in three different countries.

“All of them were different but all of them received praises from the whole handball community,” Wiederer says. “We can brand this 2022/23 season as a success, and I’m sure the next one will be an even bigger one.”

photos © Anze Malovrh / kolektiff