Top official Bob Hanning is planning a “Team Germany” in the handball Bundesliga. With this, the managing director of Füchse Berlin, who also trains second division leaders VfL Potsdam, wants to reorganize German youth development.
The former DHB vice president presented his “offer to handball” at a press conference on Thursday.
“With our ‘Team Germany’ we cannot guarantee the medium to long-term success of the national team, but we can make it a lot more likely,” said Hanning. His plan is to unite Germany’s greatest talents in Potsdam from next season.
According to Hanning’s idea, the German Handball Association should provide the trainer for the project. Hanning named U21 national coach Martin Heuberger, A-team assistant coach Erik Wudtke, U18/19 national coach Emir Kurtagic and Jochen Beppler, head national youth coach at DHB, as options.
Hanning announced last November that he would resign from his coaching position in Potsdam. He wants to remain involved in the “unique project” in a coordinating role.
“We clubs certainly don’t owe the DHB anything. But I see us as having a duty to German handball. Only if we invest now – financially, but also with ideas – then we can create something really big together,” said Hanning and added : “We are ready to open the doors for the association and the Bundesliga.” It is a “huge opportunity for our sport”.
DHB President Andreas Michelmann described Hanning’s initiative as an “exciting topic”, but it cannot be dealt with so close to the home European Championships starting on January 10th. “After the tournament we will definitely look at the plans,” Michelmann told “SID”.