Dubai: Handball is set for a huge leap in the UAE with the introduction of an high profile event involving $500,000 (Dh1.82 million) and world class teams for the next five years in Dubai.
The inaugural edition on December 21 will pitch nine-time European Champions League winners FC Barcelona Handbol taking on 2016 continental champions Poland’s PGE Vive Kielce in the one-off match that has been dubbed ‘500 Super Final Handball’.
Organised under the aegis of the Dubai Sports Council (DSC), the 500 Super Final will be held in Dubai every December for five years, the winners will take home $300,000 and a glittering trophy, while the losing team will receive $200,000.
The 500 Super Final champions will also earn the right to play Telekom Veszprem HC on December 20, 2019 and any team winning the title on three successive occasions will receive a bonus of $300.000. Details of the 500 Super Final Handball were announced at the DSC premises on Tuesday in the presence of Saeed Hareb, Secretary General of DSC, Slawek Gebka, the owner of the event, and representatives of the two clubs, including star players Lasse Andersson and Wael Jallouz of Barcelona, and Krzysztof Lijewski and Michal Jurecki of Vive Kielce.
Gebka said that the 500 Super Final is part of a bigger project through which he hopes to see UAE youngsters possibly play on the biggest stage possibly by 2021. “It would be a dream to have a club from the UAE play in this annual challenge possibly by 2021,” Gebka told Gulf News.
“The kids need a strong foundation in the game, and one certain way of achieving success is to have an ambitious grassroots development programme that will rope in top clubs who can inspire the next generation,” he added.
Hareb was pleased with the addition of a new event in the annual DSC portfolio. “We host more than 400 events in a calendar year, but we believe the 500 Super Final will be among the elite competitions because of the long-term strategy put down to promote the sport,” Hareb said.
The first five years will see the entry of French legend Bertrand Gille as Director of Youth Development in the UAE. Considered one of the best pivots to ever play the game, Gille will visit clubs, schools, universities and other institutions to ensure the profile of the sport goes up. “We want to see kids enjoy this great sport of handball by producing fantastic entertainment around the game. But most importantly, we want youth here to get interested by bringing the world’s best handball players and the world’s best clubs,” Gille noted.
This year’s Super Final winners will earn an automatic spot in next year’s match, to be played against Telekom Veszprem HC of Hungary on December 20.
