Group club handball
| Association of handball clubs Group Club Handball (GCH) |
|
| founding | November 25, 2006 |
| Place of foundation | Dusseldorf |
| resolution | October 3, 2011 |
| President | Joan Marín |
| Members (approx.) | 18th |
| Seat | Graf-Adolf-Platz 15 40213 Düsseldorf |
| Website | www.groupclubhandball.com |
The Group Club Handball ( GCH for short ) (English; German about: "Association of handball clubs") was an amalgamation of various top European handball clubs. It was founded on November 25, 2006 in Düsseldorf with the aim of representing the interests of the members vis-à-vis the EHF and the IHF and initially comprised 14 members. The association was founded on the model of the G-14 in football and should facilitate the flow of information between clubs and associations.
Goals and development
The (initially) 14 clubs from eight nations wanted to influence important decisions with the European Handball Federation (EHF) and the World Association International Handball Federation (IHF). They offered their help to the umbrella organizations and wanted to improve the flow of information to the associations and among themselves. With the GCH, the EHF now had a specific contact person when it came to the concerns of the clubs. The main topics in the founding year were the company's own structure, the Champions League (especially the items calendar, TV contracts and advertising guidelines) and the national team. The GCH wanted to have a greater say in the marketing and organization of the Champions League organized by the EHF. In addition, the members dealt with the issues of parking fees for national players, insurance and the international game calendar. Close cooperation with the EHF and the IHF was sought.
In December 2007, 24 European top clubs signed a contract in which they ceded their marketing and media rights for the 2008/2009 season to the GCH and thus appeared in confrontation with the EHF.
The EHF Congress thereupon decided in January 2008 to introduce two club committees with an advisory function, one within the EHF and one within the EHF Marketing GmbH.
At the European Championship in Norway in 2008, the EHF set up a fund for the first time to compensate clubs for players injured during the European Championship.
Since 2008 the President of the GCH has been the club representative elected by the EHF Congress in the EHF Competition Commission.
In April 2009, the GCH lodged a complaint with the European Community Competition Commission against the monopoly of the international associations IHF / EHF.
For the European Championship 2010 in Austria, the EHF announced for the first time a compensation payment for the surrender of national players to the clubs.
In January 2010, the IHF announced on its homepage for the future a similar compensation for the clubs for the surrender of national players to world championships and an insurance of the players' salaries in favor of the clubs. In addition, clubs are to be included in the calendar planning in the future.
Since May 30, 2010, the Forum Club Handball (FCH), a larger group of European clubs headed by Group Club Handball EEIG (GCH), has been added.
The FCH was founded in order to have a larger number of associations to represent the EHF and IHF. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been concluded as the basis for future cooperation between FCH and EHF . Part of the MoU is the Professional Handball Board (PHB), which in the future will represent the interests of associations, clubs, leagues and players and will be integrated into the structures of the EHF. The FCH is recognized by the EHF as a club representative. The FCH is organized by the GCH.
The GCH's lawsuit against the EHF / IHF before the European Commission was withdrawn after the FCH was founded and the associations became part of the EHF's bodies.
The GCH has been in constant contact with the EHF since it was founded and discussed issues relating to professional handball. There was no contact with the IHF. On October 3, 2011, the Group Club Handball (GCH) in Düsseldorf was dissolved and replaced on October 4, 2011 by the Forum Club Handball (FCH).
Members
| society | accession | be right | Representative, function in the association |
|---|---|---|---|
 BM Atlético Madrid
|
2006 | 4th | Joan Marín, Board Member |
|
FC Barcelona
|
2006 | 4th | Xavier O'Callaghan , manager |
|
AMAYA Sports San Antonio
|
2006 | 3 | Miguel Galarraga, President |
 THW Kiel
|
2006 | 4th | Klaus Elwardt , managing director |
|
SG Flensburg-Handewitt
|
2006 | 3 | Dierk Schmäschke , managing director |
|
TBV Lemgo
|
2006 | 3 | Christian Sprdlik, managing director |
|
Ademar León
|
2006 | 3 | Emilio Álvarez-Prida Carrillo, managing director |
 RK Celje
|
2006 | 4th | Tomaž Jeršič, manager |
 Medvedi Chekhov
|
2006 | 3 | Alexander Arawin, President |
 Montpellier HB
|
2006 | 4th | Robert Molines, President |
 KIF Kolding
|
2006 | 1 | Jens Boesen, manager |
 MKB Veszprém KC
|
2006 | 1 | Csaba Hajnal, managing director |
 RK Zagreb
|
2006 | 1 | Bartol Khaleb, manager |
|
BM Valladolid
|
2007 | 1 | Dionisio Miguel, President |
|
HSV Hamburg
|
2008 | 2 | Christoph Wendt, managing director |
|
Rhine-Neckar lion
|
2009 | 1 | Thorsten Storm , manager |
 KS Vive Targi Kielce
|
2009 | 1 | Bertus Servaas, President |
 Cadets Schaffhausen
|
2009 | 1 | Peter Leutwyler, manager |
The eleven European Cup winners since 2001 were founding members of the alliance. In addition to the BM Ciudad Real , four other Spanish clubs were represented. Five representatives from Germany also took part in the G14, plus RK Celje ( Slovenia ), Medwedi Chekhov ( Russia ) and Montpellier HB ( France ). In addition, KIF Kolding ( Denmark ), due to the most developed television market, KC Veszprém ( Hungary ), has been a permanent participant in the finals of various European competitions in recent years, the RK Zagreb ( Croatia ), as a representative of one of the largest handball nations, as well as since 2007 BM Valladolid ( Spain ), as EHF Champions League semi-finalist in 2006/07, participated in the merger.
The open structure made it possible to expand the membership at any time. One reason for admission was u. a. the semi-finals in the Champions League (see Valladolid). However, other clubs could also apply for admission, which the General Assembly decided on.
In 2009 the grouping was expanded to Valladolid and Hamburg by another three clubs (KS Vive Targi Kielce / POL, Kadetten Handball / SUI and Rhein-Neckar-Löwen / GER), so that the GCH comprised a total of 18 clubs from ten countries.
Structure and voting rights
.PNG)
The main professional managing director of GCH was Gerd Butzeck, the board was made up of President Joan Marín ( BM Ciudad Real ) and Vice-Presidents Volker Zerbe from TBV Lemgo and Tomaž Jeršič ( Slovenia ). The length of the first electoral period varied, it was two, three or four years with the possibility of being re-elected twice for three years. This guaranteed that the entire board would not change in one year. Managing Director Butzeck had been appointed for four years.
Each member initially had one vote in the general assembly for an unlimited period. The eleven founding members also had an additional vote. Anyone who has won a European Cup title within the last seven years had another vote, and Champions League winners also received another vote. However, these additional votes were only valid for up to seven years after winning the title and expired if no new title was won in the meantime. A club could have a maximum of four votes.
The general assembly entitled to vote met twice a year, the executive board and the managing director (board) met at least four times a year. In the rules of procedure it was stipulated that topics were only forwarded to the umbrella organizations EHF or IHF if a three-quarters majority was achieved in the plenary assembly.
financing
The GCH was financed by the members, i.e. by the associations. 50 percent of the contributions were equal for everyone, the remaining 50 percent were divided proportionally according to the clubs' voting shares.
swell
- Olaf Nolden: G 14 founded in handball - Group Club Handball seeks cooperation with EHF on www.handball-world.com (November 25, 2006)
- Erik Eggers: G14 foundation in Düsseldorf - The new power center in handball week No. 48/2006 (November 28, 2006), p. 5
- Mattias Kornes: GCH puts EHF under pressure and takes over marketing and media rights to www.handball-world.com (December 14, 2007)