National handball club championship to play out in Geelong

HANDBALL VIC is hosting the 2018 Australian Open Club Championships (AOCC) in Geelong later this month.

The AOCC is the leading handball tournament in the Oceanian region and the largest Australian Handball event since the Sydney Olympics with more than 250 players participating.

In the men’s competition, Sydney Uni will try to defend their Australian Club Champions title from 2017.

As in previous years, the winner of the men’s competition will directly qualify for the club world cup. The so-called Super Globe will be held in Qatar with star-studded teams such as Paris SG and Barcelona FC.

Handball Australia secretary general Bronwyn Thompson said it was good news that a team from Australasia will be able to play against the best teams in the world.

For this year, the third edition of the AOCC, Handball VIC is proud to announce that significant funding has been secured from Sport and Recreation Victoria.

“We are very happy the state government has recognised our hard work and efforts,” Handball VIC vice-president Sebastian Bures said.

“This will make our tournament an even better experience.

“Importantly, this event aims to bring together the entire handball community and is open to all handball teams in Australia and Oceania.”

An exhibition match of wheelchair handball is also planned.

“To date eight men and six women teams from all around Australia and as far as New Caledonia and New Zealand have confirmed to take part in the tournament”, project manager Niddhi Mehta said.

“We are very excited to welcome everyone and looking forward to kick of the event.”

The event is free for spectators and schools, and interested schools are invited to attend.

The competition at the Corio Leisuretime Centre will run from May 24 until May 27, with games running from about 9am to 6pm.

For more information, head to http://handballvic.org.au/aocc.