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One of its great advantages is the fact
that, in staging the VELUX EHF FINAL4, the
EHF does not have to deal with changing
organising committees, as is the case with
the EHF EUROs. “In Cologne, we are the organiser
and work with local partners with
whom we have developed a very trusting
relationship over the years. We also have
full control of entertainment inside and outside
the arena. This enables us to really
shape this event,” says David Szlezak,
FINAL4 Manager and, since 2016, also
Managing Director of EHF Marketing. “It
is like coming back to a familiar place.
Everyone knows where to find things.
We are not continually confronted with
new situations. Processes can be organised
more easily.” For this reason,
the EHF has extended its agreement
with the LANXESS arena until 2020
and has thus created planning security.
The new format and the EHF’s evaluation
catalogue, which regulates clubs’ participation
in the VELUX EHF Champions
League, have likewise proven helpful,
according to Wiederer. “Many more
games were on an equal level, and
as the system is quite flexible we can
adapt the number of participating teams
if needed. But for the upcoming season
the system will remain completely
the same, then we will do an evaluation.”
The clubs’ response has been very
positive.
With the VELUX EHF FINAL4, the EHF
has reached dimensions that appeared
utopian when it first took control of the
club competitions in 1993. Today, hundreds
of media representatives attend club
handball’s flagship event and TV reach has
become huge. In addition, Cologne has
earned for itself a reputation of being at
the vanguard of professional handball, as
technologies such as goal cameras and instant
replay were tested and implemented
here at a high level for the first time. The
future of European club competitors, epitomised
by the Cologne tournament, is in
any case bright. Wiederer says: “We can
expect another top event in 2017.”
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