New handball academy opens doors to players in Dublin 15

A new handball academy has launched in Dublin, with the aim of making Ireland a handball powerhouse.

The Phoenix Handball Club, located in Dublin 15, has just opened their doors, with the club confident it will be a crucial part of Ireland’s journey to making the country competitive in the sport.

Bringing together people with sporting and handball backgrounds connected to Romania, Portugal, Hungary, Croatia and Brazil, the club said they do not want to copy the techniques seen in these countries, but they want to learn from them.

“Each of these countries has its own history, culture and approach to the development of the sport,” the club said.

The founding of the club, which took place on September 25, saw Fintan Lyons in attendance, player and later a coach at the first handball club in Ireland.

At a time when Olympic handball in Ireland was still in its early stages, he became one of the early members of the Irish Olympic Handball Association.

During the 1980s, Lyons represented Ireland, competing primarily in the Four Nations Tournament against Scotland, England and Wales.

After his playing career ended, Lyons worked to develop handball in Ireland, and later worked for the European Handball Federation.

The club said that “Fintan’s generation helped build the foundations, and Phoenix wants to build the pathway.”

The club said that Phoenix has been created with a “very clear belief: Ireland has young people with talent, energy and ambition, and they deserve the opportunity to develop that potential within a structured and supportive sporting environment.”

“Talent alone, however, is not enough. A dream needs a pathway, and a young athlete needs people, coaches, teams and opportunities around them in order to transform potential into performance.”

The club said they are not merely a club, but also an academy and a pathway.

The academy is open for players between six and 17 years old, with the club also looking to develop senior men’s and women’s teams.

“We do not want to grow simply in numbers; we want to grow in impact,” the club said.

With people from Hungary, Romania, Portugal, Croatia, and Brazil already involved with the club, the club say they want to learn from what has made handball a successful sport in those countries and bring those methods to Ireland.

“We want to bring international knowledge and experience into Ireland, combine it with Irish talent and Irish ambition, and create something that is genuinely ours,” the club stated.

“Ultimately, we want to help create the conditions in which the Olympic dream can become a journey rather than simply a dream,” the opening event heard.

Players who want to get involved with the club can email contact@phoenixhandball.ie