Handball Players Have To Pay To Represent Canada At The Pan American Games

They are teachers, nurses, educators, lawyers, DPJ employees, kinesiologists, osteopaths, students, mothers and, above all, members of the national handball team. Against all odds, they qualified for the Pan American Games almost a year ago, largely at their own expense.

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These passionate people are proudly representing Canada in Chile this week, but their wallets will be lighter when they return. Because yes, they have to pay for the maple leaf to shine abroad.

“It’s tiring because of this energy we put into it [pour trouver de l’argent]“We don’t put any emphasis on our game,” coach of the Canadian and Quebec women’s teams, Nathalie Brochu, told the Journal a few months ago in full preparation.

Coach Nathalie Brochu speaks to her players during training in La Prairie in January. Photo Pierre Paul Poulin

Disadvantage

In Santiago, the Maple Leaf team will compete against Brazil and Argentina, “who have annual budgets in the millions and whose players play professionally in Europe,” said Ms. Brochu.

The latter adds that Uruguay, Paraguay or Puerto Rico, “which are not considered rich countries,” cover the costs of their athletes.

“When I say that girls here have to pay, people don’t believe me!” says the former national team athlete.

“It’s 100% certain that we feel at a disadvantage,” admits 29-year-old Sherbrooke resident Émily Routhier, a youth protection worker who scored two goals in a 23-14 loss to Chile on Tuesday. There are players from other countries who just have to train, touch balls and play. There are some who get paid to play handball.

This sport, practiced primarily in our schools, can count on 30 million followers around the world. In Europe, professional leagues, both women’s and men’s, allow certain players to rake in millions of dollars (see table below).

Maksi Pallas is now the only professional player in Canada. However, the 20-year-old Albertan, who plays in Germany, recently underwent knee surgery and was unable to travel to Chile.

The Tupperware Squad

Over the years, the national association has lost financial support from Ottawa, staff and its training center. Nevertheless, enthusiasts rolled up their sleeves to create small miracles. Women have notably qualified at the last two Pan American Games.

“In 1999 we were four goals short of the Sydney Olympics,” recalls Ms Brochu. At this point, the Canadian government had already started making cuts. We had made headlines; They called us the Tupperware Squad because we sold Tupperware to raise money.”

“We meet the same standards as top athletes in other sports. But we do it without subsidies, without installation, without much. We manage to do the impossible with nothing,” continues the woman, whose charges cannot believe it when she tells them that she received $565 a month for full-time education or that it pays for her university studies and physical therapy treatments became.

Therefore, to reduce costs, the current team crowdfunded, collected donations and organized a tournament in August.

“With $1,000 here and there, we managed to appease the girls,” assures Ms. Brochu, even though the round trip with the United States last fall to get a ticket to Santiago cost the group around $30,000 has.

Alexandra Pivin of Drummondville performs in practice. Photo Pierre Paul Poulin

An expensive passion

Without any loss of salary, every national player has to take between 5,000 and 10,000 US dollars out of his pocket in a handball season.

“Sometimes we travel less far on family vacations,” emphasizes Nassima Benhacine, a player from Chambly and mother of a two-year-old boy. You need a partner who is willing to embrace the adventure because all the time we spend training is not at home.

“Money doesn’t change the world, except that it helps!” jokes the defense attorney.

Quebecois Nassima Benhacine. Photo Pierre Paul Poulin

Of the 16 Canadian athletes in Chile, including 11 from Quebec, two are reserve athletes and do not have access to reimbursements (airplane, accommodation and meals). This also applies to three of the five guides (trainer, assistant, mental trainer, physiotherapist and video analyst).

“One big difference is that Lululemon is giving free clothing to everyone this year. In 2019, we had to pay US$1,100 per person for official clothing,” points out Ms. Brochu.

Members of the Canadian handball delegation will share the cost and it will cost about $1,400 per person to represent the country at the Pan American Games and hope to qualify for the Olympics by winning gold. If the national team comes second, it must complete a second-chance tournament.

Finally a glimmer of hope

The Canadian women’s handball team finally feels like it’s about to get afloat again.

“We found ourselves in a vicious circle where you have no money and therefore no resources,” analyzed last week Nadia Lefebvre, new executive director of Handball Canada, a position that has been vacant for at least two years.

The former international, who is currently serving as mental coach for the Pan American Games, has only been in her new role for just under two months thanks to a scholarship, but has already established a valuable connection that is helping to transform the organization.

“We hope to be subsidized by Sports Canada in 2025,” she explains. […] We are so grateful that COC members exist [Comité olympique canadien] and Sports Canada, who want us to come back.”

“They said that the women’s team had managed to make handball shine again internationally,” notes coach Nathalie Brochu.

From left to right, top row: Guillaume Gaudet (video analyst), Nathalie Brochu (head coach), Catherine Léger, Myriam Laplante, Émily Routhier, Audrey Marcoux, Myriam Zimmer, Katya Chan, Ireland Wong, Rafaëlle Allard (physiotherapist), Nadia Lefebvre ( Mental trainer), Audrey Vanslette (assistant trainer). Left to right, bottom row: Rosali Langlois, Laurie Lacasse, Alexandra Pivin, Teodora Bosonea, Vassilia Gagnon, Sabrina Vigneau, Haven Wong, Samantha Koosau, Nassima Benhacine. Photo provided by Catherine Léger

“The resources available”

In fact, according to Ms. Lefebvre, with “the resources at hand,” the Canadians were one win away from qualifying for the World Cup, losing 17-15 to Greenland in the final of a Confederation of America competition. North and Caribbean.

And all of this without a cent, or almost, from the federal government, which still finances sports that are not part of the Olympic Games, such as bowling, cricket, broomball, water skiing, ringette or bowling.

“It’s difficult and absurd,” said Émily Routhier earlier this year, the country’s top scorer with 16 goals in five games at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto. In addition to the mental and physical aspect, we have to think about the financial aspect. It’s stressful because we don’t always have the time to manage it.”

Émily Routhier Photo Pierre-Paul Poulin

recognition

In recent months, Ms. Brochu managed to award the Quebec players excellence status, resulting in a $6,000 scholarship for each. Two other athletes from Alberta also received provincial support.

Still, women who train between 15 and 20 hours per week in addition to working full-time, studying or raising a family must pay to represent Canada.

“We want the government to support the elite at this level,” Nassima Benhacine, a member of the national team since 2008, said in January. “I have a mortgage to pay, a child to take care of, etc.”

The Canadian women’s handball team arrives in Chile for the Pan American Games in Santiago. Photo provided by Nathalie Brochu

“People with hearts”

Fortunately, Ms. Brochu was able to surround herself with “kind-hearted and competent people.” In Chile she will be supported by Audrey Vanslette, a former international whose mother played for Canada, physiotherapist Raphaëlle Allard and video analyst Guillaume Gaudet.

“When people ask me how much it costs me, I say I don’t know and I don’t want to know!” exclaims the special education teacher at Louis Cyr Secondary School in Napierville with a laugh.

The challenge now is to convince the authorities that coaches need a financial boost even if they have another full-time job.

Players from the national handball team train with girls from the Quebec team in La Prairie in January. Photo Pierre Paul Poulin

Did you know that…?

Handball originated in the Scandinavian countries and Germany at the end of the 20th century 19e century.

Men’s discipline found its way into the Olympic Games in Berlin in 1936 and discussed in the open air, on the lawnwith 11 players.

Handball returns to the Olympic Games in Helsinki in 1952 as a demonstration sport.

It returned to and was presented at the 1972 Munich Games High schoolwith seven players per team.

The first women’s Olympic competition takes place Montreal games in 1976.

At the Olympic Games, 12 countries are represented by both men and women.

A game consists of two halves 30 minutes.

In the world, 30 million people Enjoy handball (indoor, beach, mini and wheelchair).

For many it is a team ball sport. the fastest, which combines contacts, agility and explosiveness. The referees can even sanction if the rhythm is passive.

The record is held by Russia (Soviet Union and United Team). seven Olympic gold medals, all genres combined. She won the women’s world championship seven times.

The female education of Denmark won Olympic gold in 1996, 2000 and 2004. The Danes are world champions, imitated by the Norwegians.

France is the reigning Olympic queen, both for men and women. His men’s team dominated the World Cup six times.

THE best professional leagues Males and females are found in Spain, Germany, France, Hungary, Denmark, Norway and Russia.

See photos of the highest paid handball athletes in the world: