EUROPEAN HANDBALL CHAMPIONSHIP GAA 2015

THE VALUE OF HANDBALL
The modern HANDBALL derives from the ball games extremely popular in Ancient Egypt and in Ancient Rome.
The first recorded game of striking a ball with a hand against a wall was in Scotland in 1427, when it was recorded that King
James I ordered a cellar window in his palace courtyard blocked up, as it was interfering with his game. In Ireland, the earliest
written record of a similar ball game is contained in the town statutes of Galway in 1527, which forbade the playing of ball
games against the walls of the town. The first depiction of an Irish form of handball does not appear till 1785. On the west coast
of Ireland, Galway had many trading links with Spain, especially the Basque regions, where the similar game of pelota is played.
Irish immigrants brought the game to many countries in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. Today is practiced in over 35
countries worldwide. It is played in Europe and in Canada and the United States, in Central America and in the South,
in Australia and in Japan.
The Gaelic Athletic Association wrote the first rules for the modern game of HANDBALL, and this was included in the GAA
Charter of 1884 as one of the sports to be promoted by the new Association. Today HANDBALL it’s one of the four Gaelic
games organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association.

EUROPE GAA
The European Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Europe GAA is one of the boards of the GAA outside Ireland, and is
responsible for organising Gaelic games in continental Europe. The board is responsible for the European Gaelic Football, Hurling,
Camogie, Handball and Ladies' Gaelic Football teams.
At its foundation it had four clubs … today it has nearly 75 clubs in 19 countries: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark,
Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, Spain,
Swedenb and Switzerland

EUROPEAN CLUBS
IBERIA Barcelona Gaels – Barcelona, Gibraltar – Gibraltar, Madrid Harps – Madrid, Costa Gaels – Marbella, Naomh Fermin - Pamplona
San Augustin - San Augustin, Éire Óg Sevilla – Sevilla, València - Sant Vincent GAA – València, A Coruña Fillos de Breogán - A Coruña,
Artabros – Artabros Bráithreachas – Bráithreachas, Compostela Fútbol Gaélico- Santiago De Compostela, Estrela Vermelha - Santiago de
Compostela, Irmandinhos Estrada - A Estrada, Mecos - O Grove, Pontevedra – Pontevedra, UVigo - Vigo FRANCE Gaelic Football Bro-
Leon – Brest, Gwenrann football gaélique – Guérande, INSA Rennes - INSA Rennes, Kerne Football Gaélique – Kerne, Gaelic Football
Bro Dreger – Lannion, EGHB Liffré – Liffré, Lorient Gaelic Athletic Club – Lorient, Nantes Football Gaélique – Nantes, Ar Gwazi Gouez –
Rennes, Gaelic football Bro Sant-Brieg - St. Brieuc, Gwened Vannes Football Gaelique – Vannes, Burdigaela Gaelic Football – Bordeaux,
Clermont GFC – Clermont, GFC Pays de Coutances – Coutances, Lille Football Gaélique – Lille, Lugdunum CLG – Lyon, Nava Gaelic
Football - Naives-Rosières, Niort Gaels – Niort, Paris Gaels – Paris, Tolosa Gaels – Toulouse, Jersey Irish - Channel Island, Guernsey
Gaels - Channel Island BENELUX Belgium GAA – Belgium, European Communities Gaelic Club – Brussels, GSC Luxembourg –
Luxembourg, Amsterdam Gaelic Athletic Club – Amsterdam, Den Haag - The Hague, Eindhoven Shamrocks GFC – Eindhoven, Holland
Ladies - Holland Ladies, Maastricht Gaels – Maastricht SOUTH / EAST Augsburg GAA – Augsburg, Berlin GAA – Berlin, Cologne Celtics
– Köln, Dresden GAA Club – Dresden, Düsseldorf GAC – Düsseldorf, Frankfurt Sarsfields – Frankfurt, München Colmcilles – München,
St. Gallen Bears - St. Gallen, Inneoin Zurich – Zurich, Geneva Gaels – Genève, Padova Gaelic Football – Padova, S.S. Lazio Calcio
Gaelico – Rome, Ascaro Rovigo Gaelic Football & Handball – Rovigo, Sporting Club Nizza 1954 – Nizza Monferrato, Vienna Gaels –
Vienna, Prague Hibernians – Prague, Slovak Shamrocks – Bratislava, St. Stephens Budapest – Budapest, Cumann Warszawa – Warsaw,
Moscow GAA – Moscow NORDIK Copenhagen GAA – Copenhagen, Oslo GAA – Oslo, Gothenburg GAA – Göteborg, Malmö GAA –
Malmö, Stockholm Gaels – Stockholm, Helsinki GAA – Helsinki, Oulu Irish Elks GAA – Oulu, Tallinn GAA – TallinN.
19 EUROPEAN NATIONS … 75 EUROPEAN CLUBS

EUROPEAN HANDBALL CHAMPIONSHIP GAA 2015
THE FINAL
21 /22 NOVEMBER 2015 – “Pino Morino” Sport Hall – NIZZA MONFERRATO – ITALY
Each match consists of 2 singles and 1 double (Davis Cup style) with two sets to 11 points and eventual tie-break to 7 points.
Each team has 2 players + 2 reserve (optional).
Saturday 21 November 2015
3:00 pm Presentation European Championship 2015
4:00 pm / 8:00 pm Group Stage European Championship/Europen Challenger
Sunday 22 November 2015
9:30 am / 7:30 pm Final phase European Championship (cat. A) and European Challenger(cat. B) – Award ceremony
9:00 pm Official Dinner

HOSTING CLUB
The Final of European Handball Championship is organized by Sporting Club Nizza 1954, the Italian team more successful in
ONE-WALL HANDBALL.
The Sporting Club Nizza 1954 was the first Italian club to join, in 2010, the GAA Handball. Athletes of the Sporting Club Nizza
1954 were the first and only Italian to participate in the Irish Nationals in Castlebar (2011) and the World Handball Championship
in Dublin (2012).

LOCATION
NIZZA MONFERRATO, recently declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, is a town in the Italian region of Piedmont, located in
Monferrato, about 60 kilometres (37 mi) southeast of Turin and about 20 kilometres (12 mi) southeast of Asti.
It is believed that NIZZA MONFERRATO was founded in 1225 by inhabitants of the area after the destruction of some castles in the
area of Alessandria.
Today NIZZA MONFERRATO is famous for its wine Barbera d'Asti Superiore "Nizza", the Cardo Gobbo (the hunchback cardoon),
and the beef of “Piemontese” breed … and is known worldwide as the capital of the italian One-Wall Handball.

SPECIAL EVENTS
Meetings and dinners in good taste:
LOCANDA DEL CAMPANON
AGRITURISMO BIGATTI
P.za Martiri di Alessandria n. 18 – NIZZA MONFERRATO
OSTERIA MODERNA TERZO TEMPO
Vicolo da Bigatti, 3 – INCISA SCAPACCINO
RISTORANTINO TANTI’
Piazza G. Garibaldi n. 53 – NIZZA MONFERRATO
Via Pio Corsi n. 18 – NIZZA MONFERRATO

EUROPEAN HANDBALL CHAMPIONSHIP GAA 2015
c/o SPORTING CLUB NIZZA 1954
NIZZA MONFERRATO (AT) ITALY
Honorary Committee
Brian Sheehy (Chairperson Europe GAA)
Flavio Pesce (Mayor of Nizza Monferrato)
Piercarlo Molinaris (Vice President CONI Piedmont)
Organizing Committee
Massimo Corsi (Handball Officer GAA Europe)
Walter Carlo Mirra (Chairperson Sporting Club Nizza 1954)
Antonio Avigliano - Patrizia Gallo - Danijela Stevanovic