AHA Elite League
By Mike Hurdle
Thursday, January 08, 2004
As many of you are probably aware, I do not like secret discussions behind closed doors. I think that only positive things can come from open and honest communication. Just as many good ideas and topics were generated from this initial communication, I believe many more good ideas and suggestions can be generated from our most valuable resource ? our general membership. For far too long I believe our sport has operated in obscurity.
Creating an elite handball league in this country is a daunting task. As Dede expressed, an elite league is the roof, which can only be sustained with the proper foundation and strong structure. So, what is the proper foundation and what structural support is necessary to sustain the success of an elite league?
In my opinion, the necessary key ingredient for any successful elite league is a paying public interested in viewing the matches. Without fan support, any league, regardless of money, will be severely challenged to be successful. All one needs to do is witness the collapse of professional women's soccer in this country; that league had $35 million to work with. Regardless of how much initial sponsorship dollars are raised, it is critical that the league be able to generate annual revenue in excess of its operating expenses.
The most daunting task that I believe facing our sport is that there is no demand for handball in this country. So, not only do we have to create a product, but we also have to create the demand for our own product. This was a similar issue that faced Intel in their beginning (I am not an expert on Intel so please forgive me if this is not entirely accurate). Intel solved it by investing in software companies that would create software packages that required faster chips. I believe our predicament is similar.
So, before I delve into my vision relating to an elite league and the necessary requirements to sustain it, I would like to define some terms. I think there is a major difference between an elite player, an elite team, and an elite club. An elite player is one that can compete internationally at the professional level. Even though many of us would like to consider ourselves elite players, I think we all know in our hearts that, not only are we not elite players, but there are not any currently in our country. I think all of our once elite players have retired, save one who is currently making babies. An elite team is merely a classification bestowed on the top teams in a country. Hence, in my opinion, it is possible to have elite teams, such as ATH, the Condors, Garden City, CalHeat, etc. that do not have an elite player on the team. And lastly, I think an elite club is an organization that embodies all of the foundational requirements for continued success, such as strong youth development, parental involvement, officiating programs, certified coaches, and a strong volunteer base. I believe that there are only two clubs that fall into this category: Rock Handball and ATH. I believe the Condors waiver on the border of being in this class and currently have programs that are being rolled out that will put them in this category as well. I believe all of the clubs represented on this distribution have the potential to become elite clubs, but the amount of work involved to create an elite club is staggering. It takes many people and a strong organizational structure to accomplish this. I firmly believe that any elite league must be focused on elite clubs, not necessarily elite teams or players. So, with all that being said, here is what I think is necessary.
Any club that wishes to join the American Handball League should be allowed to join based on meeting basic requirements.
- Substantial monetary investment into the AHL is a must. Each club must have a financial stake in the continued success of the league. In order for this to have any legitimate longevity, we can not have clubs that are "one and done" with their involvement; meaning clubs can not arbitrarily join and drop. This does not mean that we can not have a qualifying procedure similar to Europe where teams move between divisions, but that would require multiple leagues. Now, that does not mean that teams will not have the option to withdraw, but I think the initial investment should be substantial enough that clubs will think twice before joining and assess if they are truly willing to make the necessary commitments.
- Each club must secure an indoor home court that is capable of hosting a full size court. Clubs can share a home venue (similar to the Jets and Giants).
- Each club will be responsible for the operating expenses of its own club. They will need to devise their own financial independence and generate the revenue necessary to fulfill their obligations.
As for club obligations, I think that is the basic minimum requirements that will need to be met in order to be included in the league. Granted, clubs that develop a strong foundation will have a greater chance of continued success, but I think that each club needs to be free and independent to choose its own path.
What should the league organizing committee be responsible for and who should comprise that committee? I think this should be decided by those clubs involved in the league, but basic responsibilities would be securing officials, setting league schedules, monitoring playing rosters and disciplinary actions, maintaining the league website with periodic results, etc. Tentatively, I think this committee should be comprised of one representative from each participating club. The league schedule will need to be set at least 3 months prior to the season, possibly earlier. That would mean some games would be set a year in advance. One person mentioned that the league needs to not conflict with USATH tournaments and national team training. Whereas this is always in our best interest, that would require the national team program to set their schedule a year in advance as well, which is not likely to happen. So, in my opinion, this league will truly be the training grounds for the national team players and USATH should respect our schedule. But that is all politics and can be ironed out at a later date.
The sample league schedule was devised to mitigate what I perceived to be the largest constraint on a national league: travel costs. If divisions were more localized, travel costs would be reduced. If this league begins solely in the Southeast, travel costs could be minimal and the schedule could be shortened.
The schedule of games was always envisioned to be double-header style (even though I did not specifically mention that on the excel spreadsheet). For example, when CalHeat travels to Georgia to play the Condors, I imagined one game Saturday night and another game the following Sunday around 1ish. But in conjunction with elite matches, the host club should organize a local junior tournament. Hence, during the day on Saturday, the juniors play all day leading up to "their" clubs elite teams games. That would provide an opportunity to put lots of energetic fans in the seats, possibly sell tickets, concessions, etc. The elite matches should be the culmination of junior tournaments and leagues that exist within the host clubs developmental cycle. That would provide a flow of talent to the elite league over time and provide juniors an opportunity to watch elite men's (or women's) handball.
In essence, the elite league is truly only the roof of the entire organization being represented. It will require extensive development of each club to create junior leagues, coaching certification, officiating certification, etc. Some clubs are farther along in this development than others, but I think this is what each club should strive for. However, I do believe each club should have the freedom to choose its own path as long as the minimum requirements are met.
Now, the first step was to see who is interested in an elite league. We have determined that. Next is to determine who is willing to financially invest in their club's participation in this league?
As a side note, USATH is supporting the SETHC with $5k of funding to operate a one-month league. I am a little surprised at the lack of input from USATH representatives (i.e. President Djokovich, VP-Men Moody, Executive Director Cavanaugh, and others), but that could be attributable to the holidays. Hopefully, their input and support is forthcoming.
After financial interest is determined, we can cross the final bridge, which is: who is willing to help with the incredible amount of work to begin the organization of the league?
There still are many challenges ahead involving business plan development, legal concerns, and accounting issues. However, I think we need to know who is realistically interested in pursuing this at the next level.
As a side note, I have two individuals that have joined me at the AHA and by the time I return from Brazil we will be well on our way to making this dream a reality. I am truly excited that the AHA is moving out of phase I (which was primarily ideological) to phase II (which is formation). In essence, I am committed to the creation and success of this league and all of the foundational support that is required for its longevity.
Mike Hurdle
AHA
