Loved across Europe, the sport has yet to reach the same level of fame in the UK, the Falcons hope to make the sport more popular in Kent and beyond.
Etholle Reynolds reports.
Etholle Reynolds reports.
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00:00During the 2021 and 2022 Handball Champions League, over 1 billion people tuned in to watch.
00:07Considering this, there is not much of a scene in the UK.
00:11However, local team the Medway Falcons hopes to change this.
00:15I came down to the under-15 Medway Falcons girls training to get a taste of what their training is like.
00:21Handball is fast-paced, with players attacking and defending together.
00:26It requires quick decision-making, jumping to shoot and strong defence.
00:31Former Manchester United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel accredits many of his signature moves, like the star jump, to playing handball in his youth.
00:40The Medway Falcons have been growing since 2013, with a women's team and men's team taking part in the league.
00:47Now, on top of these teams, they brought handball to many local schools to train up a future generation of handball players.
00:54This includes 14-year-old Nelly, who recently got accepted to the GB handball squad.
00:59I started playing when I was four, and I only started playing because my sisters and my mother would play.
01:07I would love to become a professional, and since I've already been playing it for eight years, I don't think it will be hard for me.
01:14And since I already have a lot of ideas of the sport, I just find it easier.
01:21I'm looking forward to playing in the GB team because we could play a lot internationally.
01:27And leading from there, I can go and represent my home country.
01:32Despite the growing popularity of the sport, the UK still faces some issues.
01:37The team's coach, Ivona, shed some light on why this may be.
01:41Personally, in my opinion, there is not a lot of money being put towards handball.
01:46If we could get more money, more advertisement of handball, I'm sure there would be more people coming to handball.
01:55And many of the girls are not choosing to stop now.
01:59I would love to play handball for my life.
02:03Because I really do enjoy it, and there's a lot of success, I think I will continue in the future.
02:09I'd like to go further in handball, you know, maybe in the GB.
02:14After feeling inspired hearing the girls, I decided to put my skills to the test and have a go at shooting a penalty.
02:22Etelie Reynolds for KMTV.