Member Article

Young North East Handball Players Get Smart New Look Thanks To Hay & Kilner Sponsorship

Young members of a fast-growing regional sports club have received a welcome hand from North East law firm Hay & Kilner.

Players in the mini and junior sections at the Newcastle Vikings Handball Club are now wearing smart new playing kit that’s been provided through a sponsorship deal with the Newcastle-based practice.

Described as football with hands and water polo without the water, handball is a fast-paced, court-based team sport played by people of all ages, and is especially popular across much of continental Europe.

Newcastle Vikings was founded by chairperson Marlen Slinning Goulty after the sport had been widely showcased during the 2012 London Olympics.

Originally from Norway, Marlen had played handball since the age of five and was keen to develop the sport in her adopted North East homeland.

A PE teacher by profession, Marlen also regularly visits primary schools across Tyne & Wear to introduce the sport to the children and to help them develop the skills and understanding they will need if they want to give it a go.

The Vikings now run weekly training sessions for junior players at the Beacon of Light in Sunderland on Tuesdays and at the Benfield Centre on Wednesdays, with anyone aged between three and 16 years-old welcome to come along to try it out.

Its senior section, which has around 30 members, trains at the NuCastle Foundation Sports Centre every Monday and at the Benfield Centre on Wednesdays, with both men’s and women’s teams playing matches against other English and Scottish clubs, as well as solely for leisure and enjoyment.

 
Marlen says: “We had a really positive response when we set the club up and quickly established a junior section to capitalise on all the interest that the Olympics has generated from children and families who’d probably not seen handball before.

“Our youngest players focus on the fun of spending active time with their friends while building the skills that will help them play the game as they get older, and it’s great to see how much everyone enjoys taking part in these sessions.

“We have around 50 members in our mini and junior sections, but we’re always open to new players coming along to our training sessions and love giving them the chance to try a fun new team sport that they might decide is for them.

“All our young members look great in their new sponsored kit and it’s really giving them an extra feeling of belonging, so we’re hugely grateful to Hay & Kilner for their support in making it available to everyone.”

Ruth Fell, HR manager at Hay & Kilner, whose six-year-old son Charlie has been part of the Vikings junior section for the last two years, adds: “Charlie and his friends are so proud of their new kit and they all look great as they’re hurtling around the court.

“This is a great way for Hay & Kilner to support a community sports club and we hope the new kit helps to encourage more North East kids to give handball a try.”

For further information on Newcastle Vikings Handball Club, please visit www.newcastlehandball.co.uk 

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Julian Christopher .