From October 21 to October 24, 2025, members of ABHC Zagreb – Helena Furčić, Martin Goreta, and Jakov Bogdan – participated in an exchange of experience as part of an international mobility project in the Netherlands, organized by the host club Hiekka Hauskaa. The aim of the mobility was to exchange knowledge and experience related to the development and promotion of beach handball.

For the club website, Martin Goreta briefly described the activities related to this exchange. On the first working day, we were introduced to the objectives of the visit, the activity plan, and the work and projects of the host organization. We took part in discussions on ways to attract new members from the local community with Harald Mulder, as well as on engaging children and young people in sport through examples of good practice and practical approaches.

On the second working day, we discussed cooperation between indoor handball and beach handball with Dennis Heuvelmans, with a particular focus on communication with indoor clubs. We also visited an indoor handball club, where conversations with players gave us insight into how they successfully balance playing indoor handball and beach handball.

During the mobility, we established valuable contacts and gained new knowledge and ideas that we plan to apply in our future work and share with others.

As part of the Erasmus+ European project, from 12 to 16 September 2025, we had the opportunity and honour to participate in the finals of Mini and Ultimate Beach Handball in Bartenbach, Germany, hosted by Handball Baden-Württemberg e.V. and their representative, Alex Gehrer.

Through this mobility, we gained valuable knowledge and practical skills related to the organisation, promotion, and educational value of beach handball. We developed a better understanding of the purpose and rules of Mini and Ultimate Beach Handball, discussed how these rules can be adapted, and learned how to include children of different abilities and interests in sports activities in an engaging and motivating way.

We also improved our skills in planning and delivering children’s beach handball tournaments, covering all aspects from organisation and safety to logistics and cooperation with clubs, local authorities, and the wider community. In addition, we learned how to encourage children and young people to participate in beach handball through schools (by motivating physical education teachers to include it in a hall-adapted version) and sports clubs (through participation in tournaments and summer training sessions, which help children stay active and better prepared for the upcoming indoor season), as well as how to promote this sport more effectively.

In addition to the final tournament of Mini and Ultimate Beach Handball, we had the opportunity to watch a match of the local women’s handball club from Göppingen at the EWS Arena and see how highly handball is valued and how it operates at a professional level within the local community. We also had the chance to visit the main city festival and socialise with members of the local community, which further enriched our experience and demonstrated how sport can bring people together and contribute to community life.

From 5 to 9 June 2025, members of AKRP Zagreb participated in a project and exchange of experience as part of Erasmus+ mobility in Trollhättan, Sweden. The aim of the project was to explore how the Swedish junior beach handball national team operates, with particular focus on the development process, work organisation, and professional approach.

AKRP Zagreb was represented by Roko Cvitaš and Vito Primec. During their stay, they became familiar with the conduct of training sessions, the system for selecting players for the national team, and preparations for European and World Championships. They took part daily in professional discussions with the head coaches and members of the coaching staff, who presented their working methods in detail as well as their long-term vision for the development of young athletes.

They had the opportunity to observe national team training sessions and watch friendly matches against the Norwegian national team, which provided valuable insight into the international level of competition. Special emphasis was placed on game analysis, tactical preparation, and team organisation.

In addition to gaining sports-related knowledge, they further improved their use of English in a sporting and analytical context. This experience proved extremely valuable for their personal development and for the advancement of youth development within the club, representing an important step in the exchange of knowledge and good practices in beach handball.

From November 1st to 5th, 2024, as part of a mobility project focused on observing and learning club management, representatives of the Academic Beach Handball Club Zagreb (AKRP Zagreb) – Valentina Vrbanc, club member, Sandra Šiljeg, executive director, and Matija Šulc, president – visited Cologne, Germany.

The host of this exchange and project organization was NR Sports Volunteering Solutions (NRSVS), led by president Nada Rochevska. Nada was part of the Vardar handball club during its golden era and has been a long-time volunteer manager at many major competitions.

During the five-day mobility project, Nada shared her experience in club management, emphasizing how to properly implement effective club leadership. She placed great importance on volunteers, whose contributions and expertise facilitate tournament execution, competition organization, travel arrangements, and the overall functioning of the club. Our representatives had the opportunity to see how efficient club management significantly simplifies club operations and how a well-structured task distribution speeds up and streamlines decision-making for any challenges encountered. Engaging members in the club’s work and organization is one of the first steps toward successful club management.

Discussions also covered the involvement of major companies and business organizations as partners in projects. Their contributions in logistics (human resource coordination, volunteer promotion) and sponsorships (in the form of equipment, materials, or financial support) enhance the club's visibility and strengthen its connection to the broader (sports) community. This, in turn, improves the club's reputation and opens doors for new projects.

All mobility projects, experiences gained, and knowledge applied will be shared with club members at the upcoming general assembly, scheduled for the end of November.