PlayHandball’s school project in Cape Town and surrounding areas focuses on developing the sport of handball and providing a platform for young people to grow personally.
Founder Nicola Scholl has been organising educational handball tournaments and school programmes with PlayHandball ZA (PHZA) since 2013. PHZA is a sports and youth development organisation in South Africa, focusing on the team sport of handball. PHZA supports community-based organisations and schools in mainly disadvantaged areas with social development through sport. Handball is our tool to empower youth.
Our vision is to promote a diverse and multi-inclusive sporting environment through the team sport of handball and to instil self-esteem, skills and knowledge in the next generation.
The practice of handball is used as a vehicle to link socio-cultural experiences such as environmental awareness, fair play and cohesion. Through handball we are able to give young people the opportunity to experience team spirit and healthy competition.
The aim of PlayHandball’s school programme in Cape Town is to provide sporting opportunities in schools, especially in disadvantaged areas and public schools.
Children in these schools miss out on structured sporting experiences due to a lack of resources. By training teachers and coaches in the PlayHandball methodology, running workshops, organising school competitions such as the PlayHandball SuperCup and supporting volunteer coaches, PHZA aims to build capacity within these schools.
PlayHandball also aims to build bridges across social, racial and gender divides. By linking public and private schools, playing in mixed teams and working in different social areas of Cape Town.
