CORTLAND, N.Y. (January 10, 2004) -- USA Team Handball, the Olympic National Governing Body, is working to establish team handball as a collegiate varsity sport by 2008 with an emphasis on women’s programs.

College development has been a longtime focus for USA Team Handball. The ultimate goals have been to foster intercollegiate programs, develop an athlete pool and provide one more exciting sport opportunity for college student athletes.

In April 2004 USA Team Handball formed a partnership with SUNY Cortland to designate the school as the Official USATH National Training Center and the new home of the Women’s National Team in 2004. The program’s goals are to recruit and train future Olympic hopefuls as well as establish team handball as a varsity sport and to assist NCAA member institutions reach gender equity goals.

USA Team Handball’s Women’s National Team Head Coach, Christian Latulippe is excited about the partnership and looks forward to recruiting quality athletes from the college system, “After 4 months only, we can clearly see one of the many benefits of moving our Women’s National Team residency program to SUNY Cortland. Our relocation has opened the doors to several institutions and organizations. After a presentation to a SUNYAC meeting, several colleges expressed interest in implementing Team Handball as a women’s Varsity sport especially to favor gender equity. A plan is in preparation and will be presented at the next SUNYAC meeting with the objective of having Team Handball as a Varsity sport by 2008.”

There are currently two team handball college conferences in the U.S. that provide a stable and organized collegiate club league as well as provide a talent pool for USA Team Handball National teams. The Southeast Team Handball Conference (SETHC) was established in 1997 through a grant from the United States Olympic Committee and the National Collegiate Athletic Association to assist emerging Olympic sports at the college level, and in 2004 with the assistance of the Women’s National Team program and SUNY Cortland the Northeast Team Handball Conference (NETHC) was created.

A new conference is being developed in the Houston, Texas region headed by USA Team Handball Board Member and Treasurer Annette Bergman and founder of Rock Team Handball. Bergman is working in the Houston area to develop team handball programs at local colleges with the goal of establishing a league in the Southland Conference.

USA Team Handball encourages schools to develop teams and will provide startup resource materials to assist in club development. The Women’s National Team program has an ongoing recruitment period and any athlete that has an interest in trying out for the national team should contact Christian Latulippe, Head Coach, USA Team Handball Women's National Team for clinic and camp tryout information.

Not to be confused with handball, which is played against a wall, team handball is a fast-paced sport pitting seven players against seven players on a surface area slightly larger than a basketball court. The object of the game is to throw a cantaloupe-sized ball into the opponent’s goal, which resembles a soccer goal, while also defending one’s own goal from attack. Passing is the primary way to move the ball. Players are not allowed within six meters of an opponent’s goal, may take no more than three steps in advancing the ball and when stationary, may not hold the ball longer than three seconds. Goals scored per game typically range from the upper teens to mid-twenties. Internationally, handball is one of the most popular sports on the Olympic program and has over 20 million participants in over 150 countries.

For more information about the sport, college program or interested in trying out for the national team contact: Christian Latulippe, Head Coach, USA Team Handball Women's National Team

SUNY Cortland, Studio West, Room A-9, P.O. Box 2000, Cortland, NY, 13045-0900

Phone: 607-753-2348, Fax: 607-753-5596, E-mail: latulippec@cortland.edu

For USA Team Handball: 719-866-4036 or email at info@usateamhandball.org. USA Team Handball is the National Governing Body for the Olympic sport of team handball in the United States.