Record crowd at European women handball show

Article posted by Coliseum, June 8^th, 2023

The European Handball Federation (EHF) FINAL4 Women in Budapest (Hungary) has broken the world record for spectator attendance at women’s handball matches.

‘EHF’ stated that 20,022 fans came to the MVM Dome in Hungary’s capital on June 3^rd to witness the semi-finals – Györi Audi ETO KC vs. Vipers Kristiansand and FTC Rail-Cargo Hungaria vs. Team Esbjerg – at the season-ending event of the EHF Champions League Women.

The European Handball Federation (EHF) is the umbrella organization for European handball. Founded on November 17^th, 1991, it is made of 50 member federations and two associated federations, and is headquartered in Vienna, Austria.

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The 20,028-capacity MVM Dome, sometimes known as the Budapest Handball Sports Hall and formally known as the Budapest Multifunctional Arena, named after the MVM Group, is Europe’s largest handball arena located in Budapest, the capital City of Hungary.

The Győri ETO KC is a Hungarian professional women’s handball club from Győr (City in Hungary). Since they are sponsored by Audi, the official name for the team is Győri Audi ETO KC. At the domestic level, the ETO has won 17 Hungarian Championship titles, including seven in a row between 2008 and 2014. The 5,500-capacity Audi Aréna in Győr, Hungary, serves as their digs.

The Vipers Kristiansand is a professional handball club from Kristiansand, Norway. They currently compete in REMA 1000-ligaen, the top division in the country, since its promotion in 2001. They claimed their first Norwegian championship in 2018, ending an 18 times streak for the champions from Larvik HK (women’s handball club from Larvik, Norway). The 1,700-capacity Aquarama Kristiansand in Kristiansand, Norway, serves as their home ground.

The FTC Rail-Cargo Hungaria is a Hungarian women’s handball team from Budapest, which is part of the multisports club Ferencvárosi TC. Nicknamed ‘Fradi’, the team plays in the Nemzeti Bajnokság I, the top level championship in Hungary. The 1,300-capacity Elek Gyula Aréna in Budapest, Hungary, serves as their residence.

Team Esbjerg is a women’s handball team based in Esbjerg, Denmark, that competes in the Bambusa Kvindeligaen and the 2022-2023 Women’s EHF Champions League. They play their home matches at the Blue Water Dokken, which has a capacity to hold 2,996 spectators.

The Women’s EHF Champions League is the competition for the top women’s handball clubs in Europe, organized annually by the European Handball Federation (EHF). It is the most prestigious tournament for clubs, with the champions of Europe’s top national leagues participating.

‘EHF’ further stated that the previous record for women’s handball matches stood at 19,467 spectators set at the final of the IHF Women’s World Championship 2013 between Serbia and Brazil held in Belgrade (Serbia) on December 22^nd, 2013.

The EHF FINAL4 Women had already set a record for attendance at club matches last year when 15,400 fans were inside the MVM Dome for the 2022 final between Györi Audi ETO KC and Vipers Kristiansand.

Said Michael Wiederer EHF President, “This is a fantastic milestone for women’s handball and an enormous proof for the constantly growing quality of the game: Not only concerning the teams’ performance on court but also in terms of event organisation and professionalism around it. Since 2014, EHF Marketing together with the Hungarian Handball Federation as local organizers has been working tirelessly to set new standards for women’s handball year after year, and today they have clearly reached new heights.”

Stated David Szlezak, EHF Marketing Managing Director, “After an outstanding premiere in the MVM Dome last season, we have been building on this success and are tremendously proud to celebrate a world record at the EHF FINAL4 Women 2023. This underlines the importance and attractiveness of our premium club competition which is a great asset for partners and brands willing to incorporate women’s sport in their communication portfolio. It is important for us to create an outstanding event with the best conditions for players, teams, partners and fans, and deliver a great experience and coverage to handball fans across the world. The great cooperation with the Hungarian Handball Federation as local organizers makes this possible year after year and we are eager to keep evolving and continue to make history.”

Added Ferenc Ilyés, President of the Hungarian Handball Federation, “We are very proud that the EHF FINAL4 Women holds the world attendance-record in women’s handball from today (June 3^rd) and that this record belongs to Budapest, Hungary. The Hungarian Handball Federation, together with the European Handball Federation and EHF Marketing has worked very hard since 2014 to organize a high-quality event. I would like to thank all of my colleagues and partners for their efforts. All teams, the entire European handball family as well as Hungarian handball can be proud of this record. ‘Be part of history’’- as the claim of this season’s EHF Champions League says. We are very happy that this record crowd can be part of this historical event.”

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