Claim Ownership(Un)informed Handball Hour
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Welcome to the (Un)informed Handball Hour. A handball podcast, brought to you by Chris O'Reilly, Brian Campion and Alex Kulesh joined by a range of wonderful guests.
336 Episodes
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Danijela Vekic joins us to discuss the latest action in Europe's top flight competitions. We're halfway through the men's playoffs, where we've already seen Sporting and GOG let big advantages slip from their grasp as all but one of the contests are delicately poised. The women's Champions League has been whittled down to eight contenders with a new face among the mix. In the round's headline clash, we wonder which curse is likelier to end - CSM Bucuresti's or Esbjerg's?
With the recent international week offering little in the way of drama, we filled our gossip cup with stories off the court in the past few days, including Simon Pytlick's revelations about the breakdown in trust with Flensburg, French coaches displeasure with a non-Frenchman taking over France's national team and Veszprem's players being told there will be consequences if they don't reach the club's lofty goals this season.
A social media post by Coach Jackie J launched the US women's team and their open tryout into the spotlight in January. We speak to national team player and former pro basketballer Katie Timmermann about the whirlwind start to 2026 and her path to a home Olympic Games. Aleksa Pavicevic joins us to break down the group phase of the Women's Champions League and the hard-fought play-offs to come, plus a quick check-in on the national team week with surprise results in the EURO qualifiers.
A recent report from Duncan Mackay suggested radical plans are being discussed for the future of the Olympic Games, where the likes of the sliding sports and Nordic combined could be dumped out of the Winter games, while handball and indoor volleyball could be among the sports shifted over from the Summer games. We speak to Associated Press journalist Eric Willemsen, who covers both winter sports and handball, about the reports, new IOC President Kirsty Coventry's "Fit for the Future" initiative, what impact a move like this would have and whether it's likely at all. For access to all our weekly Morning Club episodes, ad-free listening and more bonus content throughout the season, join us on patreon.com/handballhour
It took until the 21st round but German Bundesliga leaders Magdeburg have finally lost. Tim Dettmar joins us to discuss whether the loss to Kiel actually brings a sense of relief and whether the chasing pack has what it takes to catch up. We also look at the broader race for Europe with Lemgo and Gummersbach joining the big dogs and whether Andreas Palicka's move to Wetzlar will be enough to save them from relegation.
Men's EHF EURO 2026 - 2 February: Denmark complete the triple crown on home soil, final review and Alternative Awards with Nedzad Smajlagic Denmark are champions of Europe for the first time in 14 years and they did it in style! We look back on the final day of action with the help of Nedzad Smajlagic, then we reminisce on the whole tournament the best way we know how - with our Alternative Awards, featuring classics such as the Swiss Army Knife and Adrian Sipos Award as well as some new categories
One of the most memorable main rounds in recent memory comes to an end with a classic showdown in one group and a proper slog in the other. We look back at the last couple of days, full of drama, some controversy and big moments, before looking ahead to two beautifully matched semi-finals. To enjoy our bonus episodes and ad-free listening throughout the championship and beyond, join us on patreon.com/handballhour
The big three in Main Round Group I took control in Herning on Saturday, does that group need another surprise or two to live up to the hype? Meanwhile, one point separates five teams in Group II ahead of some crucial showdowns. We speak to legendary playmaker Andy Schmid about his plunge into the cold water as Switzerland's head coach and to his rising star on the left wing, Noam Leopold, about their wild EURO campaign to date.
It's been 16 years since Iceland last made it through to the semi-finals of a major championship and there's plenty of belief that the wait could end this month. Following a perfect start to the championship, we check in with two men who were part of their 2008 Olympic silver and EURO 2010 bronze medal teams - goalkeeper Björgvin Páll Gustavsson and head coach Snorri Guðjónsson about their approach to the main round and dealing with both the honour and expectation that comes with representing this team. For bonus episodes and ad-free listening throughout the EHF EURO, join us on patreon.com/handballhour
The opening days of the championship have thrown up some mad days! We look back at Germany's 48-hour fluctuation from early elimination and disgrace to qualification with two points in hand, Faroe Islands' display of belonging and dominance, plus Switzerland's inexplicable collapse against Slovenia. We also hear from EHF commentator Alex Mair on the groups in Sweden and whether much-hyped Iceland are proving to be the real deal.
Everyone's favourite handball nerd Rasmus Boysen joins us for our second EHF EURO 2026 preview pod, featuring Groups B, C and E. We delve into the championship's host nations, fan favourites Portugal and Netherlands and compare the two perennial top contenders in Denmark and France. The full extended episode, plus bonus episodes throughout the tournament, can be enjoyed on patreon.com/handballhour
The Men's EHF EURO 2026 begins next week and we're here with the first of our two big preview podcasts. Björn Pazen and Zika Bogdanovic join us to discuss the big storylines from Groups A, D and F. We discuss major medal candidates Germany and Iceland, where Spain and Hungary sit on the current pecking order and whether this is a golden opportunity for Switzerland and Faroe Islands to make a big breakthrough.
Ahead of the Men's EHF EURO 2026, we've teamed up with Handball Hub to run our fantasy league. You can finally participate in a league on your phone without the need for Google Translate. We've delved into the players and their values as we build our fantasy teams and consider which men will have a championship to remember this month. All are welcome to join our league, with prizes to be won for our Patreon subscribers. Download the Handball Hub app here: https://handball-hub.app.link/u7kagmnXHZb Join the Handball Hour group with the code: 666444 This episode was released already on Wednesday for our subscribers on patreon.com/handballhour, where our EUROs build up already began on Monday. Join us there for bonus content throughout the championship and ad-free listening.
After a December focused fully on the Women's World Championship, we wrap up the year with a catch up on the men's game with big Bundesliga games and transfer rumours galore. We take a look at the upcoming changes to the French league and Champions League, while German and Dutch national team players are in London this week for very different reasons.
Katrine Lunde bowed out at the very top of the handball world this month, winning her fifth world championship gold as the all-star goalkeeper and hanging up the Norway jersey at the age of 45. Back in 2022, we spoke to Katrine about her life in handball, the people and moments that made her who she is and what has kept her going strong through all these years. Whether you've heard this one before or not, it's an ideal way to honour the end of her career over the festive period. If you want access to all our bonus Morning Club shows, including extra coverage of the upcoming EHF EURO, and ad-free listening of all shows, join us on patreon.com/handballhour.
Hassan Moustafa has some opposition in his hopes to extend his IHF Presidency beyond 25 years. For the first time since 2009, the upcoming IHF Congress will see him challenged by Gerd Butzeck, Franjo Bobinac, and Tjark de Lange. We spoke to the most outspoken and leading challenger Gerd Butzeck about his campaign and key points on Olympic status, women's handball and global development. And hear from Ola Selby, who has done a deep-dive on the candidates and intricacies of the election. You can read more about Gerd Butzeck's campaign here: https://handball-deserves-more.com/ GoHandball articles on the election: https://gohandball.com/news/the-world
Norway were pushed all the way by a brave and spirited Germany performance but when everyone else looked shaky, Katrine Lunde stood firm in goal with a match-winning performance to sign off on a truly legendary career. We pay tribute to her and the other heroes of the championship with our Alternative Awards and look back at the final with help from Marcio Menino and Danijela Vekic.
While the quarter-finals were fairly straightforward affairs, they bring up some interesting trends that we dive into ahead of the final weekend of the World Championship. Defence leading the way, the demise of the right back and focusing on player growth among the topics as we bask in the business end of the tournament. To enjoy the rest of our coverage of the championship before anyone else, as well as bonus episodes, join us on patreon.com/handballhour
We can finally start looking forward to the quarter-finals, beginning on Tuesday in Dortmund. Co-hosts Germany are on the hunt for their first world medal since 2007 and Maike Elger, who has been covering the championship for Sportschau in Germany, speaks to us about the tournament so far, the promotion of the team in German media and what they're capable of in the knockout rounds. And Laura Agena from Playmaker WH speaks to us from Rotterdam about the group final wins for Netherlands and Denmark, the fortunes of some teams close to her heart and the too close to call quarter-finals on Wednesday.
We begin a new week and a new month with a real World Championship treat. Faroe Islands captain Pernille Brandenborg joins us to speak about a historic first victory at this level against 2019 finalists Spain, the long journey with this team since her debut in 2016 and the reward of taking on hosts Germany on Tuesday night in the main round. Aleksa Pavicevic, creator of the brilliant @womenshandball Instagram account, joins us to discuss the big stories of the preliminary round, what trends are emerging from this championship and what to look out for in the coming days as we dive into the main round. Check out the womenshandball broadcast channel for daily updates from the championship here: https://www.instagram.com/channel/AbYQOgvUyNR9lygy/?igsh=YWc1bGkwazgxYWFk To enjoy the rest of our coverage of the championship before anyone else, as well as bonus episodes, join us on patreon.com/handballhour
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