The European Handball Federation (EHF) has launched a strategic plan to shape the future of women’s handball across Europe. Announced ahead of International Women’s Day 2026, the Women’s Handball Roadmap 2029 sets measurable goals to boost participation, professionalism and visibility at all levels of the sport.
The Women’s Handball Roadmap 2029 is a forward-thinking strategy designed to bring real, sustainable change to the women’s game. Building on past initiatives such as Her Playground and earlier visions like Reaching Higher – Together, the roadmap defines clear targets across five key development pillars.
The first pillar focuses on female officiating, aiming to increase the number and professionalism of women referees and delegates across European competitions. The second pillar promotes female coaches, with goals to grow their representation, improve training pathways and elevate visibility of women in coaching roles.
A third pillar targets professional playing and working conditions, including better access to secure contracts, fair working environments, support for player health and collaboration with national federations to address gender imbalances. The fourth area strengthens community engagement, visibility and promotion, leveraging media and fan-focused tools to build a broader, more enthusiastic audience.
Finally, social sustainability and good governance aims to improve gender representation in leadership, create safer environments and support inclusive decision-making across the sport. The EHF will work closely with federations, clubs and stakeholders to drive these goals through to 2029.
The roadmap underlines the EHF’s commitment to elevating women’s handball, ensuring long-term growth from grassroots to elite levels across Europe.