Reading Lions Handball Club

To ALL HANDBALL LOVERS around Berkshire & Reading area!

We have now re-opened our Handball doors since September and training sessions are happening every Monday.

WE ARE NOW LOOKING FOR PLAYERS, LADIES AND MEN, TO REFORM TEAMS AND BE READY FOR NEXT SEASON!

The Club started in 2014 and has experienced many successes and won many trophies competing with Ladies, Men and Junior teams at the highest level of England Handball in both Regional and National leagues.

If you are interested, please e-mail [email protected] or just turn up at LODDON VALLEY for a session.

To ALL HANDBALL LOVERS around Berkshire&Reading area!

We would like to re-open the Club in September 2021 and I am gathering your interest.
The Club started in 2014 and has experienced many successes and won many trophies competing with Ladies, Men and Junior teams at the highest level of England Handball in both Regional and National leagues.
But to continue to achieve this, we need:
- Enough members to fund the club’s activities (around 40 to 50 members to break even).
- To re-create teams to play matches.
- Coaches and volunteers to organise club administrative tasks and activities.

If you are interested please e-mail [email protected] before the deadline of 1st September 2021.

Hi all, Reading Handball Club's chairman José Lehmani will be talking on BBC Berkshire about handball. So tune in at 19h10 tomorrow and contact us if you would like to join the club who hopes to re-open in September.

Back to training and playing Handball tomorrow at Loddon Valley Leisure centre! Hope you have all recovered from last week. See you then! 13h45 sharp. :)

IT WAS GOOD TO BE BACK. We had a great time yesterday playing HANDBALL again after more than 18 months of absence. The 3 hours' session went like a flash and everybody was still smiling at the end of it! See you all next week! :)

Handball is re-starting in Reading. If you haven't booked your place yet, please contact LionsChairman Reading or e-mail [email protected] to receive the booking forms and information.

All the best,

After more than a year of no-play, Reading Handball Club is re-opening its doors for a pre-season series of 3 trial/taster sessions.
It is a challenge at best of times to create teams and federate volunteers to run the club operations and coaching, and we feel, we are re-starting the adventure which started in 2014 and led to Senior and Junior teams, Ladies and Men, to play, battle and win championships and tournaments and creating long lasting friendships.
In the same spirit, we hope to attract players and volunteers to keep the Reading Handball Club flame alive.
We are organising 3 sessions at Loddon Valley Leisure Centre (RG6 4GD) and as the bookings need to be made in advance, we are asking for a nominal £15 contribution in advance (for the 3 sessions), payable by bank transfer when you confirm your participation.

If you are interested in participating, please send an e-mail to [email protected], and the rest of the information, including bank details will be e-mailed to you.
Hope you can make it! Let’s play Handball! Please share this posting to your friends.

Subject: Return to playing Handball
Decision: RHC will not register any teams in EHA Leagues for the season 2020/21

Dear all,
Please find below the official communication from Reading Handball Club regarding “Return to playing Handball”.

We have been discussing when and how Reading Handball Club could return to playing handball competitively or simply organising training sessions for more than six months now.
In order to make this decision we have consulted our current and potential membership, attended and participated to all EHA Club meeting to hear about progress, ideas and other clubs’ opinions, we have had meetings and discussions within the RHC committee, but at the end, we could not find a way to be satisfied to return to playing Handball.
We are glad that EHA management have been successful in agreeing the “Return to Play” Protocol submitted to DCMS but the measures imposed to restart playing handball alongside with the uncertainties around the league organisation this season and the results of our own internal survey has led RHC to confirm that Reading Handball Club will not register any teams for the 2020/21 season and not resuming any indoor or outdoor training sessions yet.
The new “Rule of Six” restrictions on social gathering announced by Boris Johnson limiting gatherings to be cut from 30 to 6 as government scrambles to avoid a second wave, (although not directly affecting organised sports) is another sign of more uncertainty ahead.
I have informed EHA management officially, and we will carry on monitoring the situation and decide if/when we feel it is safe and enjoyable to organise training sessions and potentially friendly matches.
RHC will hopefully be re-joining the EHA leagues for the season 2021/22, so please keep in touch if you are interested in joining a Senior or Junior team.
In the meantime, we will carry on participating to the meetings and debates and try to support schools and PE teachers with our Handball4Schools program in Berkshire, when possible, in the Handball education and practice of their pupils.
Thank you for your support and hope to see you soon.
José LEHMANI- Chairman RHC

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Hello all, (past, current and future members)
I hope you are well and you are still keeping active.
PLEASE COMPLETE AND RETURN THE SURVEY

As you know, sport and team sports particularly have paused since the start of lock down in early March20. Our priority then, was to stop activities, while making sure everybody was safe. This was achieved. Since then, we have been busy making sure that the Club operations and finances could survive such unprecedented times. THIS IS NOW DONE. Thank you for the generosity of club members, which really helped, and Sports England grant.
The second phase is obviously to determine how we can return to play the sport we love.
We had numerous meetings with RHC committee members, other clubs and during EHA formal occasions, and now would like to gather your views. With that aim, we have sent you via e-mail a survey, which will help us to evaluate:

1. Your commitment to return to Handball activities.
2. Your approach to risk regarding the COVID situation.
3. Your commitment to register for RHC membership for the season 2020/21.

If you haven't received the survey, please check your junk folder or simply e-mail [email protected] so it can be added to the survey recipient list. If you know anyone who would like to join the club or participate to training, please also supply his/her e-mail address.
This is only for players who live in the Reading-Berkshire area and want to play Handball with the Reading teams. Thank you and I will be in touch soon.
José: Reading Handball Club (RHC) Chairman

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Hello all, sports clubs are having a tough time not only because we cannot play Handball, the sport we love, but without any financial back up, the future looks unstable. So if you can log on to easyfundraising, and you click to activate donation whenever you purchase on the internet, then it will provide a small percentage to Reading Handball Club. This costs you nothing, just 1 extra click when you shop but can make a real difference to the club and its future. Thank you to log on now and share this post to all your friends.

You shop. Reading Handball Club - Berkshire gets money. For free. Help us when you shop with 4,000 shops & sites. Join now.

Hello all, (previous, current and future members)

I hope you are well and you are still keeping active.
As you know, sport and team sports particularly have paused since the start of lock down in early March20. Our priority then, was to stop activities, while making sure everybody was safe. This was achieved. Since then we have been busy making sure that the Club operation and finances could survive such unprecedented times. THIS IS NOW DONE. Thank you for the generosity of club members which really helped.

The second phase is obviously to determine how we can be returning to play the sport we love.
We had numerous meetings with RHC committee members, other clubs and during EHA formal occasions, and would like to gather your views.

In that aim, we are preparing a mail chimp survey, that we would like to e-mail you in order to evaluate:
1. Your commitment to return to Handball activities.
2. Your approach to risk regarding the COVID situation.
3. Your commitment to register to RHC membership for the season 2020/21.

Could you please confirm your e-mail address by sending and e-mail to [email protected] so it can be added to the survey recipient list. If you know anyone who would like to join the club or participate to training, please also supply his/her e-mail address.

Thank you and I will be in touch soon.

Regards,
José: Reading Handball Club (RHC) Chairman

As a community Sports Club, Reading Handball has a policy not to comment on political or social news. In this occasion, we would like to express our condolences and sympathy to the families and friends of the people brutally murdered or injured, by what it is now clear to be a lone attack in Forbury Gardens on Saturday evening. It is despicable that, even during these unprecedented times where we are all facing a pandemic which affect our lives in so many ways but also demonstrate how we can all be so generous towards each others, acts of violence are still happening. .

Yesterday, our lovely town suffered from a horrific attack at Forbury Gardens.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims and all the Reading community.

In case you haven't seen the annoucement, England Handball Association (EHA) has followed Reading Handball Club lead on stopping handball activities/league until the situation returns to normal.

https://www.englandhandball.com/news/england-handball-announces-leagues-postponement

READING HANDBALL CLUB STOPS ALL ACTIVITIES DUE TO COVID19 PANDEMIC

Reading Handball Club have decided to cancel all trainings and matches at Bohunt School sports hall and Loddon Valley Leisure centre.
As you know Handball is a contact sport playing by sharing/passing a ball which is then constantly in players hands, and carry on playing and training will go against any logic of the current government and NHS recommendation to avoid close contact and social interaction.
Following the cancellation of many sporting events due to the COVID19 pandemic, the strong concerns of players and Reading committee members and our safeguarding obligations as a club. I hope that this Pandemic will go away as quick as it arrived, so we can all resume our normal lives. All the Best.

READING HANDBALL CLUB STOPS ALL ACTIVITIES DUE TO COVID19 PANDEMIC

Reading Handball Club have decided to cancel all trainings and matches at Bohunt School sports hall and Loddon Valley Leisure centre.
As you know Handball is a contact sport playing by sharing/passing a ball which is then constantly in players hands, and carry on playing and training will go against any logic of the current government and NHS recommendation to avoid close contact and social interaction.
Following the cancellation of many sporting events due to the COVID19 pandemic, the strong concerns of players and Reading committee members and our safeguarding obligations as a club. I hope that this Pandemic will go away as quick as it arrived, so we can all resume our normal lives. All the Best.

Reading Handball on COVID19 PANDEMIC

I just wanted to let all clubs and players that we have decided to cancel our home match this afternoon.
Following the cancellation of many sporting events due to the COVID19 pandemic, the strong concerns of players and Reading committee members and our safeguarding obtligations as a club, we have decided to cancel today's match as well as any forthcoming matches which follows government advice of social distancing.
I am not sure what NHS and Government advice will decide in the next coming days and weeks and hope that the EHA will soon advice the clubs and the sports centres on their position. Hope this pandemic is minimised by responsible behaviours aiming at stopping or delaying the spread of this virus.
Stay safe and act responsibly.

Jose LEHMANI, Chairman of Reading Handball Club.

It is becoming harder to get a team together but Reading Lions were present today fighting against a more numerous and better team. Well done to Bucks Bullets and to the 7 mercenaries from Reading. 😊👍🦁

GB U18 team come out victorious against hosts Cale 35-19! The boys are 3rd place in their group and couldn’t be prouder of the team, especially 💪🏻they will be fighting for 5th/6th place overall later today! Good luck GB! 📷credit:

Keeping our 🤞🏻for GB U18 teams who are in Portugal for yet another tournament! Rooting for our very own ! Photo 📷 by

Training for JUNIOR HANDBALL is resuming:
This Friday 10th of January at 18h30.

The dates for this terms are:
10/01/2020; 24/01/2020; 07/02/2020; 21/02/2020; 06/03/2020; 20/03/2020

BOHUNT SCHOOL: (Twice a month)
Training Centre: Sheerlands Road, Arborfield, RG2 9GB
Fridays, Times: 18:30 - 20:30

Alina Popescu, who used to play semi-professionally and one of the star player of the Ladies team, will be the new lead coach for the sessions.
Hope to see you there and please receive my best wishes for the new year.

We are so proud of our very own for being joint top scorer half way through the Women Premier Handball League season! Thank you to for the stats

Reading Lions Handball Club updated their website address.

Reading Lions Handball Club updated their website address.

Reading Lions Handball Club updated their address.

Reading Lions Handball Club updated their address.

It's celebration time! At Reading Handball Club some of the foolhardiest members have gathered for the last training session of 2019. They thought it was just fun and games but quickly realised it was a hard battle. Roll the ball, hit the targets, run in pairs, draw a lucky ball and the best one counter attack with a flipper :) were among the non-stop activities organised. Come an join us in the new year if You want to play HANDBALL. At Reading we are always pleased to welcome new players! Enjoy!

What a day for Reading Handball Club
Lions beat Bucks Bullets 37-34
Lionesses draw 28-28 V London Angels

What a start for the Lionesses… they were over powered from the start by the Angels who easily got to a whopping 1-7. But they underestimated the Lionesses character and determination to fight till the end, and what an end it was… the last 5mn of the match saw a series of event leading to Angels finishing the match with 3 players and no coach, when after the equaliser, a last second 7m was awarded to Angels… The drums were rolling and the hearts beating until the referee signalled to take the shot… but a great save by Andreea kept the score even… Great finish for the Lionesses who sheered like they had won! 

Then the Lions took the stage against a well-oiled Bucks Bullet team. From the start, the Lions took the advantage displaying aggressive attacks and strong defence, leaving the reduced Bullets (only 7 players in the squad) to try ambitious combinations, one to ones and long 10m shots to try to come back. But at the end of the first half the score was a grilling 17-9.
After the break, although their attacks kept relentless the Lions started to drop their defence, maybe counting too much on the Lions Goalie who had displayed great talent so far, but the Bullets vitality regained as the Lions’ score advantage reduced to just 4 goals forcing the Lions to hang on to the advantage against a newly determined team. At the end, despite the Lions coach warnings, the Lions defence did not really improve and only with fierce goal scoring prowess the lions managed to finish the match ahead 37-34. A 2nd win out of 3 matches in this season.

Thank you to London Angels and Bucks Bullet for providing Reading and the spectators good moments of handball.