American Handball Association (Concept)
By Mike Hurdle
Tuesday, December 03, 2002
The purpose of the American Handball Association is to develop the sport of handball throughout the United States and get the sport recognized by America’s sport culture. There are many different philosophies and views as to what is the best method or developmental model to use to accomplish this goal. The AHA believes that America’s youth is the key to achieving long-term success. Only with a strong membership base of young men and women can one begin to bridge the gap in the America sport culture and to begin to get the exposure for non-conventional sports that is necessary for success.
In order to achieve this end, we believe that a strong base of adult clubs can provide the necessary foundation to grow and develop the sport throughout the United States. Adult membership is critical for the development of youth athletics from the stand-point of coaching, officiating, organization, etc. A strong national club system will provide opportunities for those that wish to compete, as well as opportunities to coach, develop and officiate. Many adult recreational players are involved because of a true love of the sport. We believe that these individuals will most likely participate in other avenues if provided. Very few people have the mettle to be an organization unto themselves (i.e. coach, develop, officiate, create playing opportunities, etc.). Unfortunately, the current U.S. club structure requires just that; few clubs far from each other competing in few, select events. However, if these opportunities were to exist within the framework of a national club structure, we believe individuals will be more willing to volunteer incremental amounts of time.
The AHA is establishing an association of all American clubs that focus on the development of club handball. We believe that establishing a strong club environment and structure is in the best interest of each club throughout the United States. By pooling our resources and ideas, we will be able to achieve more quicker. In order for this organization to truly be successful, it will require the effort and support of all American clubs. How quickly this will happen remains to be seen, but numerous clubs have already pledged their support. The other clubs that are hesitant to join/support the AHA will join/support eventually. Why? Because, not only has the idea of a true association of clubs time has come, but everyone will witness the success of the AHA and those member/supporting clubs. And once egos are placed aside, the obvious conclusion will be to join and make the AHA a truly fantastic and influential organization.
While the AHA will eventually become the largest handball organization in the United States, its goal and focus is not to become the National Governing Body of the sport. Many factors will contribute to the success of the AHA, and it will be difficult to name one as the key indicator. However, the AHA’s focus on youth and club development will prevent it from truly challenging as a NGB; the focus is not Olympic or “National Team” competition. Even though the competitive level in the United States will rise dramatically from the AHA’s focus, that will be a long-term benefit of our focus, rather than the end goal of our focus.
The structure of the AHA is as important as those that are initially involved. In order for this sport to develop, it requires an organization to have a solid structure. People must be able to rely on an organization to provide the support for those doing the grass root level development. Partnerships should be developed with those organizations within each community that’s focus is parallel with the AHA’s focus. Organizations such as the YMCA, Boys & Girls Clubs, and local Park & Recs, provide fantastic partnering opportunities.
Structure:
Even though the AHA is new and the structure is still morphing into a finalized product, it will be structured to take advantage of our volunteer’s strength. Initial leadership will consist of a President, Vice President, and Director of Operations. The V.P. and Dir of Ops will be appointed by the President. The President will be selected by the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors will be selected by the stakeholders, which is not necessarily the same as members. The requirements to become a Board of Director will be high. Board members should be able to add value to the organization through their business contacts and relationships; they should not be affiliated with individual clubs. Not only should conflicts of interest be eliminated, but any appearance of conflict or impropriety should also be eliminated. The AHA is essentially a non-voting creation. Members do not get to vote to elect Board of Directors, only stakeholders vote. Each registered club/team will be considered a stakeholder and be granted one stakeholder vote. Other stakeholder values have yet to be determined, but may be sold at a future time.
Registered Clubs/ Teams:
Becoming a registered club/team is extremely easy. $100 registration fee accompanied by a team/club roster is all that it takes. A minimum of seven members can constitute a team/club. A club can have numerous registered teams. A registered team is the basic unit that competes in all AHA sanctioned events. Each registered team appoints a representative that will be granted the stakeholder vote. During this initial year of the AHA, the $100 registration fee will be reduced to $25. Registration fees are used by the AHA to cover basic administration costs. Benefits, other than having the opportunity to amass points and qualify for the AHA National Championships, to having a registered team/club will increase over time as more partnerships are developed. However, initially, each team will have the option to have a personalized website hosted and maintained by the AHA at no charge. Clubs can post news concerning their clubs practices, events, or whatever, in a central location that will be easily accessible to all.
Qualifying for the AHA National Championships:
As with all premier sports around the world, the National Championship is awarded to a team’s/club’s performance in the current season; it is not based on what was accomplished the previous season at all. However, the presumption is that there is a recognizable season upon which to base qualifications to the national tournament. Even though there is not a current national handball league, there are creative ways we can structure qualifications to take advantage of the current club tournament structure. The following will be implemented and used to determine which clubs qualify to attend the AHA National Championships.
The AHA National Championships will consist of 8 teams.
- the top 2 teams from the American Handball League
- the top 4 teams in the points standings
- the AHA West Regional Qualifier
- the AHA East Regional Qualifier
The American Handball League:
Even though the American Handball League is not currently in existence, plans are being developed to establish the AHL. It will be structured much like many professional team sports. Teams will compete in separate divisions based upon geographic locations. Teams will play home and away games. Teams will compete against other teams within their division more than they compete against teams outside their division. As the league grows, conferences will be created. Initial plans envision an East and West division. League play will begin in October and conclude in April. Divisional playoffs will occur between the top two teams in each division. Divisional champions will play for the American Handball League Championship. Playoffs will consist of a best-of-three series. Until the AHL becomes reality, the two qualifying slots will be granted to and determined by the AHA points standings.
American Handball Association Points Standings:
The AHA Points Standings are based in conjunction with current club structured tournaments. Points will be awarded at all AHA sanctioned tournaments throughout the current year/season (Oct-Apr) based upon a team’s/club’s finish at that specific event, similar to NASCAR. Each AHA sanctioned tournament will be evaluated and judged for competitive strength, and the overall possible points to be awarded will be designated prior to that competition. Each team attending the tournament will be given a rating from 1 to 3 based on their competitive strength: 3 – Elite, 2 – Division 1, 1 – Division 2. The total points awarded to a 1st place finish is determined by totaling the sum of all of the team’s ratings. This sum is then divided by the number of teams competing to determine the subsequent decrease in points awarded for each successive placing (i.e. 2nd, 3rd, etc.). An illustration below:
6 Team tournament featuring Gwinette County Condors, Atlanta Condors, ATH, Jax Knights, Geogia Tech, and Rock Handball.
Team Rating
Gwinette County Condors - 3 (Elite)
Atlanta Condors - 3 (Elite)
ATH - 3 (Elite)
Jax Kinghts - 1 (Div 2)
Georgia Tech - 1 (Div 2)
Rock Handball - 1 (Div 2)
Total points awarded to tournament champion = 12 (3+3+3+1+1+1)
Successive breakdown = 2 (12 total points / 6 teams)
Consequently, the tournament places earn the following points:
Place Points Awarded
1st 12
2nd 10
3rd 8
4th 6
5th 4
6th 2
This has a many beneficial consequences. The most important of these is that it rewards those clubs that compete in tournaments. In order to amass the points necessary to qualify for the AHA National Championships, teams/clubs are going to have to play in numerous competitions throughout the year. All teams that compete will earn some points; the amount is determined by the competitive quality and number of teams. Also, it encourages teams to host tournaments. If a team is sliding in the points standings, they can host a tournament and compete in it to help bolster their team’s/club’s points.
Roster requirement – In order for a team to earn points within the AHA points standings, a few basic requirements must be met.
- Each team must have a minimum of seven players that are consistent for each event used in compiling AHA points.
- Each team can have a maximum of fourteen players on the roster for any AHA sanctioned event.
- Each player must have competed at an AHA sanctioned event for the team that they are competing with at the AHA National Championships.
- A player that is not on your final AHA National Championship roster, but competed at events for your team throughout the season, may not contribute more than 25% of the total AHA points. For example, if a team ended the season with 40 points and had a player, who is not on their final AHA roster, compete with them at a tournament and they earned 10 points for a second place finish, no points would have to be forfeited (10/40 = 25%). However, if the team earned 12 points with this player and amassed 40 total over the course of the season (12/40 = 30%), it would need to forfeit the number of points to bring it into compliance with the 25% rule (i.e. 3 overall points – 9/37 = 24%).
These requirements will become more stringent over the next few years. But given the current club environment, we do not want to limit the initial participation of clubs desiring to participate.
AHA East & West Regional Qualifiers:
The East & West Regional Qualifiers will be current established events that agree to AHA sanctioning. The tournament will be selected based upon the overall top quality of competition. The top finisher at both of these events will automatically qualify for the AHA National Championships. Events may or may not take place during the same weekend. The events will be geographically selected to be representative of the qualifying region. However, teams are not restricted to either regional qualifier. Also, teams may compete in both regional qualifiers if so desired.
Sanctioned Events:
Sanctioning events is also an extremely simple process.
- $100 sanctioning fee
- Notification of teams attending
- Official rosters and score sheets submitted within one week after competition
- Provide 10% discount to AHA registered teams based upon the quantity of AHA individual memberships. For example, if 50% of an AHA registered team are individual members of the AHA, the registered club would receive ½ of the 10% discount (i.e. 5%).
The earlier that the $100 sanctioning fee is submitted, the sooner event organizers can market their competition as an AHA sanctioned event. Official rosters and confirmation of teams in attendance and their competitive strength will determine final point values awarded for the event. Score sheets must be maintained, as AHA season statistics will be maintained by the AHA. All sanctioning fees that are collected throughout the season will be used as prize money at the AHA National Championships in May, 2003. It will be awarded to the national champion as covered expenses to attend the AHA sanctioned American Beach National Championships.
Individual Membership:
Initial individual memberships cost $5. Benefits for AHA members will increase as more partnerships become available. However, initially, AHA members will receive a 10% discount on all advertised merchandise on the AHA website and a 10% discount on all entry fees for AHA sanctioned events. As the AHA website evolves, a “members only” section will be created. Some of the things that will hopefully be available are downloadable handball games, live web chats with international handball players, etc. The cost may increase in subsequent years.
