Women's U19's programme benefiting from EHF Masterplan project

Reflective Overview of the 2008/09 National Team Development Year

The 2008/09 born cohort has already gained significant international experience at under‑17 level. At the 2025 EHF European Championship (U17), Great Britain competed in the Women’s 17 EHF Championship held in Kosovo. During the IHF Trophy in November, the team were competitive throughout and secured a 5th‑place finish following a strong performance against Azerbaijan. Their progression into the under‑19 age group marks the beginning of a new phase within the EHF Masterplan project—an initiative that supports federations to build sustainable development structures for handball. Through this project, we aim to establish a national team development pathway dedicated to the long‑term growth of our 2008/09 players. This aligns directly with our commitment to promoting female handball in this country, strengthening individual development programmes, improving physical capabilities, and creating more competitive opportunities at an earlier age.

This move to under‑19 level represents an important step for the players both as athletes and as young people. For some, this journey began in December 2025 in Lokeren, Belgium, where the Belgium Handball Federation hosted us for two international friendlies against Belgium and Luxembourg. These matches allowed us to assess our current level as individuals and as a collective, highlighting the standards we must reach over the next two years. It was clear from this camp that the group already possesses a strong sense of togetherness—something I am eager to continue nurturing. I am also mindful of the talented players who were not part of the pre‑Christmas camp but who now have the opportunity to demonstrate their qualities.

Looking Ahead to 2026

2026 will be our first full year with this group, and it will serve as the foundation for our future international ambitions. Our initial focus will be on establishing the core principles and behaviours that underpin high‑performance environments. We aim to develop courage, pride and togetherness which are values that will guide us as we strive to make our families, friends and country proud. Ultimately, we want to develop handball players who possess the technical, tactical, physical and mental capabilities required to compete at international level.

Physical development will be a key priority, ensuring players have the capacity to sustain the demands of international handball. We will also target improvements in attacking efficiency by creating high‑quality scoring opportunities and reducing turnovers. Alongside this, collaboration with clubs and the Elite Performance Academy will be essential in building a shared understanding of what it means to be an excellent British Handball player. Our Strength and Conditioning Coach will support this work by providing assessments and individual guidance, helping each player prepare their bodies for the next two years. In addition, our sport psychologist will introduce herself to the group, offering both individual support and team‑based workshops to help players manage on‑ and off‑court demands.

2026 Camp Structure and Focus

Across 2026, we will hold six camps:

• March – Assessment Camp
  • We will meet the full 40‑player longlist for the first time. This camp will focus on assessing players and setting clear standards for training, competing and behaviour. Key areas of assessment will include attacking intent towards goal and defensive control in 1v1 situations as well as a friendly against a Premier League Team.
• May – Fundamental principles
  • The emphasis will shift to developing trajectories and feints as the foundation of our attacking style, while enhancing proactive defensive behaviours through stance and movement.
• July – International Friendlies in Luxembourg
  • We have been invited to face Belgium and Luxembourg again. This will allow us to compare our progress against the benchmark established in December 2025 and test our evolving principles in a competitive setting.
• September – Situation-Based Development
  • After the summer break, we will explore how to solve the varied tactical situations that arise in handball. We will reinforce “our way” of solving these problems, helping players understand where national‑team expectations may differ from those of their clubs. This will also strengthen cooperation across the group.
• October – Development of "our way"
  • We will continue developing attacking and defensive principles, focusing on timing, decision‑making in key moments and executing actions at speed.
• November – Friendlies vs Faroe Islands
  • We have been invited to the Faroe Islands to play two matches against an opponent also progressing through the EHF Masterplan project. This will present a fresh and valuable challenge as we prepare to be competitive against unfamiliar opposition.

2027 will be our competition year, where we will compete at the 2027 EHF European Championship and IHF Trophy. Here, the aim is to show the development that the players have made in collaboration with the clubs and England and Scotland Handball Association.