Dubai International Handball Club (DIHC) is offering children the opportunity to learn handball in their free trial on Saturday.

Taking place at Al Manara Sports Hall in Dubai, it follows on from the DIHC’s first trial last Saturday which attracted 60 children aged 6 to 17 years of age from French, Egyptian, Brazilian, Norwegian, Finish and Belgian nationalities.

Since being developed in Denmark, Sweden and Germany, handball is now the second most popular indoor sport after ice hockey and widely played in many European and North African countries.

And DIHC is hoping more chil­dren can get involved in its final trial in their attempts to grow the sport in the UAE.

“Handball is an extremely popu­lar sport played by many countries around the world,” said Dario Menichetti, chairman of DIHC, who founded the club in 2012.

“And it’s starting to pick up in the Middle East with the UAE having their own national squad. The aim is to spread the message of how successful and fun the sport is to the younger generation in the hope they will continue playing in the future.”

The children who do attend the free trial, will be divided into three group categories according to their age and level (mini, juniors and cadets).

Menichetti, said: “Depending on their age level, the children will learn the co-ordination and basic skills of handball. It’s a very interesting sport and during our first trial, the children participated in a well-orientation session and it was great to see the smiles on the children’s faces, many of whom were playing the sport for the first time.

“Handball is a team sport so it’s a good way of interacting with other people and learning new skills.”

The trial will be run by DIHC coaches and following on the suc­cess of last week’s session, Meni­chetti is hoping even more children can attend on Saturday.

He said: “Handball is one of the fastest and competitive sports in the world. By getting an under­standing of the sport in the UAE, it will be an opportunity to learn the game with other children, have fun and meet new friends.”

WHAT: Free handball trial by Dubai International Handball Club (DIHC)
WHEN: Saturday, 16:00 for Mini and Juniors. And 17:00 for Cadets
WHERE: Al Manara Sports Hall, Dubai
Sport360° VERDICT: A great chance for children to learn handball especially as it’s free to take part
CONTACT: Email info@dihc.ae or phone 050 376 8647.