Irish side ‘The Boys in Green’ have participated in the Jarun Cup three times so far, each time led by their Croatian coach, Ivan Vrnoga, who moved to Ireland 10 years ago.
While Ireland still does not officially have a national beach handball team, this squad is doing a great job of representing the country on the international stage.
The beginnings of the team and beach handball in Ireland
“I wanted to start something new,” says former professional player and now coach, Vrnoga, about the origins of the sport in Ireland.
“At first, there wasn’t enough interest or opportunity, but in the last three years, we’ve managed to find players and really get things going. We’re regulars at the Croatian tournaments and also participate in events across other countries.”
Financial support and struggles
With a deep knowledge of the sport and insight into two different national cultures, Vrnoga found himself comparing the approaches to beach handball in Ireland with the more developed culture of the sport in Croatia.
He found that in Ireland everything is still very much in its early stages, so most of the work to promote the sport in the country falls on the shoulders of club members, although they do get some support from the national federation, the Irish Olympic Handball Association (IOHA).
At club level, like many clubs across the sporting spectrum and around the world, one of the biggest challenges is funding.
And while The Boys in Green operate a lot on their own, with very limited support, the governmental sports authority – Sport Ireland – does help with new sports initiatives, especially those involving youth.
“We’re improving every year, but we’re still far from the Croatian level,” says Vrnoga. “The IOHA helps us with organisation, but when it comes to finances, we receive very little. We need to raise awareness; more people need to get to know this sport.”
While there is undoubted potential for growth of beach handball in Ireland, there is still a lot of work ahead. Future development will require clear plans, starting with a national team, explains Vrnoga.
“Through a national team, we can work with young athletes and build a strong future,” he said. “We would start with a junior national team, specifically by entering tournaments that don’t require qualification, and for the future, we’re planning to launch an academy for children and youth.”
Player Chris O’Reilly says the formation of any Ireland national team would be a major milestone, and a great opportunity for young people to discover and connect with the sport.
And with the new ‘Beach Sport Centre’ opening last month at the Sport Ireland Campus in Ireland’s capital city Dublin, providing training abilities for children and beach handball enthusiasts alike, those opportunities could increase dramatically.
“People are starting to realise that this is a sport worth attention and with the launch of the Beach Sports Centre it presents a fantastic opportunity to bring in new people, especially since we didn’t have many before,” says O’Reilly, who many will know from his EHF and IHF commentary work, plus his podcast, ‘(Un)informed Handball Hour’.
“In beach handball, it’s easier to reach an international level than in indoor handball. There are fewer players needed, and it’s easier to make a good team. I also believe that having a national team would help popularise the sport across Ireland.”
An international team with an Irish heart
One of the things that makes the Boys in Green team special is their cultural diversity. Among their ranks are players not only from Ireland, but Hungary, Serbia, Latvia, France and Poland too.
“The best part is that people from different countries enjoy living in Ireland. It’s a culturally rich country, and it’s easy to adapt to the local humour and way of communicating,” adds O’Reilly.
“Of course, we all have our differences, but when it comes to sport, it becomes a new, shared language. The team always comes first, and that’s what matters most. I think we make a great team.”
Balazs Bihari, who, like, most of the players, used to play for other beach handball clubs before joining the Boys in Green, agrees.
“This is a group of unique people who love this sport, but we are playing with a lot of passion to put Ireland on the map,” he explains. “First, there was only one team in Ireland, and now there are more.”
And Bihari is quick to point out the benefits of playing at the Jarun Cup for their continued development, something which he explains is on an upwards trajectory.
“The Jarun Cup is a tournament at a high level,” he says. “Here, we gain a lot of experience and we can learn a lot. It is like a training camp and we are growing every year.”
The Boys in Green are more than just a team – they’re a movement. Their third consecutive appearance at the Jarun Cup is a testament to their dedication and vision.
With new generations on the rise and increasingly better training conditions, the future of Irish beach handball looks bright.
Words: Tea Šeparović
Pictures: Paweł Jakubowski/PAWI.PL