The sport of beach handball is on the move with five junior members – four girls and one boy – based at Port Alfred’s Nemato Change a Life Centre, participating in recent trials in Cape Town that will see a SA team being selected to tour Tunisia.
Coach, Nemato’s Siyanda Qutywa – a former SA junior handball player – says the camp held in Strandfontein Beach, Cape Town, was exciting and very challenging at the same time.
The clubs participating at the trials under auspices of the SA Handball Federation, included teams from Limpopo, North West, Eastern Cape and the Western Cape. Ten boys and 10 girls will be chosen to the SA junior team to participate in Tunisia at the African Champs Junior Beach Handball tournament on a yet to be confirmed date.
“Unfortunately due to financial constraints other clubs based in the Sarah Baartman District could not make it to the trials,” says Qutywa.
“So without any support of an executive structure who should have accompanied our team, we arrived in Cape Town quite challenged,” says Qutywa.
“I phoned the secretary of EC Handball who confirmed there would be no other Sarah Baartman clubs joining us due to financial problems. So it was left to me to oversee the group (of Nemato players).
“I was quite stressed out not knowing what next, but the official reassured me that she would speak to the executive of SA Handball and that we would be accommodated.
“The tournament executive met with us, and sorted out our accommodation and tournament schedule which was a huge relief.”
To add to the young coach’s set of challenges, the Western Cape unit “had an overflow of club players” and the executive asked Qutywa to absorb the Cape contingent in to the Eastern Cape team.
“It was a bit worrying because I now had (extra) players in my team who were not used to my strategy as coach. However, I enjoyed it as I like taking on challenges, but I still had some nervous anxiety.”
The coach says the standard was exceptionally high at the trials but he is confident that at least two of the Eastern Cape contingent could get the nod to represent SA. At time of print, the team selection had not yet been confirmed.
“All in all, we had a great time … we drove from Port Alfred on a Wednesday, slept over at Knysna and then the following day we arrived in Cape Town before returning on Monday,” says Qutywa.
He says the team experience in Cape Town was not just limited to playing but had proved to be an important educational experience “though the weather was very bad”.
“We were based in Rondesbosch .. close to Table Mountain, we were taken on a tour of University of Cape Town and other well-known sites; we took lots of pictures and it was a great experience.”
Qutywa says though handball is a relatively new sport in the country, with associations only being formed in SA in the mid- 90s, SA selection criteria remains very stringent.
“In handball they just don’t select because you can play … because you are shining …. It’s all about the team work ethic, and an ability to motivate other players … selectors are watching all those skills.”
“You have to have a positive demeanour on court.”
High standard
“Beach handball is growing … in our Zone 6 (SADC region) beach handball is not that popular but when it comes to the African Champs it’s very popular. So the Tunisia tournament will include all handball playing countries on the continent – and the standard is very high,” says the coach.
Qutywa explains beach handball and indoor handball have different sets of rules; and different skillsets are needed. “The fitness levels on a beach court have to be double that on an indoor court,” says the coach.
Qutywa as a young coach is committed to the growth of handball in the region but concedes that due to financial contraints, it is proving to be an uphill battle.
“There are teams in Port Alfred, Mthatha and Komani; we do have numbers, but how do we get players to tournaments when there are no finances to transport them to venues? We need transport so we can grow the game and we need to feed players too. A lack of courts and equipment are keeping back growth of the sport,” says the coach.
Qutywa says he is conducting handball awareness talks at township schools and even top-tier institutions and is always available.
Handball was introduced to the area by founder of Nemato Change a Life Centre in 2012, Jan Blom.
“We are fortunate that Mr Jan Blom is able to get sponsors etc … we just have to train hard and keep going whenever there is competition, so we can say, ‘Jan, hey there is an opportunity here’ and I’m sure he will respond. We just need to keep the passion going,” adds Qutywa.
- This article was first published in Talk of the Town, October 31, 2024. The newspaper serving the communities of Ndlambe and the Sunshine Coast, with a weekly wrap of Makhanda news, is available at stores from early on Thursdays.