Handball 11 is a sport that is practiced in some areas of Europe, in a minority, and a true unknown to most of the world.
However, this modality that is played on a soccer field with teams of 11 members (hence the name), is the father of Handball as we know it today.
For this reason, and because of its peculiarity, we thought it was a good idea to tell you something more than what we did at the time. So in this article you will learn about the characteristics and rules of this type of outdoor handball.
Let’s go there…
Handball 11 or Campo Grande Handball
As we already discussed, Handball at 11 was the original form of current Handball. He was an Olympian in Berlin 1936when it gained popularity, and began to change to adapt to the needs of the countries where it was practiced.
In certain areas, mainly Germany and Austria, This modality is called “Campo Grande Handball”. This meaning serves to differentiate it from “Small Field Handball”, a discipline identical to Handball 7, but which is played outdoors.
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Handball 11 is played on soccer fields slightly modified to adapt to the rules of the game, so that their measurements range from 90 to 110 meters in length by 55 to 65 meters in width.
It consists of 2 parallel lines located 35 meters from each goal line, dividing the field into 3 sections.
The goal maintains the measurements of the soccer one, 7.32 meters wide by 2.44 meters high. It is also surrounded by an area that field players are not allowed to step on. Its diameter is 13 meters. The penalty spot is 14 meters away and the free throw line is 19 meters away.
The ball is the same one used in indoor handball.
Finally, the teams are made up of 11 players and 2 reserves, and game time is 60 minutes, divided into two periods of 30 each.
Handball Rules 11
From the 50s, Handball at 11 began to suffer a significant decline in favor of Handball 7. To try to stop it, the rules underwent a series of modifications in order to make the sport more attractive to the public.
The main differences of Handball 11 with respect to the court modality are:
As we have already said, it is played on a field with the same measurements as soccer and outdoors. The teams are made up of 1 goalkeeper, 10 outfield players, 1 substitute and 1 additional goalkeeper. Both goalies can be exchanged at any time during the game.
In each of the three sections of the field there can be a maximum of 6 players from each team. Goalkeepers are not counted as long as they are inside their area. Infringing this rule means “Out of Play”, penalized with a free kick. As in its modern version, the area can only be stepped on by the goalkeeper.
A player who has committed an infraction can be sanctioned with 5 or 10 minutes without playing, although there are no colored cards to notify it, only signs. These players cannot be substituted and, during the penalty time, the team has one less member.
A permanent expulsion can also occur, in which case the player cannot return to the field, but can be replaced by another. If the goalkeeper throws the ball out, over his own goal line, the opposing team is entitled to a corner kick. As in soccer, the refereeing team is made up of a main referee and two others whose main function is to control the Offside.