Switzerland: Inspiring the next generation of EHF EURO stars

The victory against the Faroe Islands was a culmination of years of hard work, and for their players, this was a moment they will cherish forever in their hearts, according to one of Switzerland's young stars, Mia Emmenegger.

”It was crazy. The atmosphere and all these people just coming to support us. It's nearly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. You have this first time running to the court and seeing these people cheer for you. It was unbelievable.”

For the Swiss team, playing in front of such a crowd and atmosphere was a new experience, one that fuelled their determination to give their best. In every moment of the game, the fans were reminding them of how much their performance mattered, and, riding on it, players also found that extra spark.

“These people believe in us. They cheer for us. We mean something to them. It's like an extra motivation just to show what we can, to play freely. I feel like they only see what you're good at, and they don't see if you made a mistake. They're just like, come on, we believe in you. Let's go. ‘Hopp Schwiiz’. They are really like an eighth player on the court. And I love our fans,” says Emmenegger.

Hosting a major competition like the Women's EHF EURO is already a big achievement in itself, but for Switzerland, to secure their first win at this level, only in their second appearance at the European championship, made it even more special. For the 19-year-old right wing and her teammates, this win was proof that their hard work and dedication were paying off.

“For us as a team, it was really important to prove that we can also win in a competition where it means something. Because, before this, we had some good games where we won, I think, five times in a row. But it was never like this. These were all friendly games. So it was nice that we can also do it when it counts,” Emmenegger says.

Even though the team's focus is on advancing to the main round, making another milestone for the women's handball in Switzerland, their ambition goes even further than just this championship. Their story is also about inspiring the next generation of handball players and making an impact on women's handball in Switzerland.

“This means a lot for the whole country. It's really, really nice to see this improvement over the last few years. That these steps we made were worth it. That they pushed women's handball in Switzerland into the right direction,” adds Emmenegger.

“Our goal overall for this European championship was to amaze the children, to get more kids to handball or girls especially. I think men’s handball is also on a good path. But women's handball needs some extra support. I feel like, if children see this, maybe they can say: ‘Oh my God, I also want to play in front of these people’.”

With many young children in the St. Jakobshalle stands, cheering and enjoying every move, every goal and every save, their impact has already started.

“On the meeting after the first game, our coach talked to us about this boy who plays football and handball and he was never sure what to choose. And now he said, I'm really jealous of you, that you could stand on this court. I think now I want to play handball! Maybe you have to ask the coach for the exact story but it shows we can excite people.

“To see that it also means something, not only to us on the court, but also for the rest of the community; that this can grow and get more people's attention, it's just amazing,” adds Emmenegger, Switzerland's joint all-time EHF EURO top scorer with 20 goals, alongside Tabea Schmid.

In the 38th minute of the game against the Faroe Islands, line player Schmid, who was also the Player of the Match, presented by Grundfos, scored for 19:9, the first double-digit lead.

“First of all, I was like, oh, nice. We're 10 goals in the lead. And then it was like, OK, now we need to bring it home. But I feel the mentality that now we had to do it not the best. We made mistakes,” Emmenegger says, remembering that moment.

“Also myself, I made some really bad shots then which were not so good for the team, but in the end we could manage it. So it was not that bad for us, but I think we started to think too much about it and we were maybe a little bit more scared.”

However, the Faroe Islands never gave up. When Jana Mittún netted for 24:25, with two minutes on the clock, Switzerland found a new energy and delivered while under pressure.

“I never thought that we were going to lose those two points. I know we can win tight games. So that was not my worry. It was just like, oh, oh, oh, they're coming close. I also already thought at the half time, okay, we need to continue the good work because they can come back and they did,” says Emmenegger.

The second match of group D promises to be another amazing experience for the team as they are pitting sides with 2022 silver medallists Denmark. For Switzerland's players, the game is not just about winning – but about enjoying the special moment with their fans once more.

“I think we're going to have a nearly full hall, so this is going to be really incredible. We're also going to play with special jerseys because of the 50th anniversary of our federation. So it's going to be special, and I hope we will have something to celebrate — we try to celebrate every moment we are here, what we can do, and just enjoy it,” Emmenegger says.

“We are always open for a surprise, but we will just try to keep on doing our game. Take all the emotions, and all the atmosphere up to us and use it as a strength. We want to keep up with them as long as possible. And then we can see in the end how the result is going to turn out.”

Reflecting on their journey from debutants to a team on the rise, Emmenegger realises how far they have come. The excitement and wonder of their first experiences have transformed them into a confident team ready to fight against everyone.

“I think you can see the change and the progress we made. Two years ago, everything was new to us. I now remember these numbers of different statistics we saw on big screens, it was like, wow, they measure so many cool things during the game. I was impressed. And now, now I'm more focused on the court and the game. We all grew up and I hope women's handball in Switzerland will grow with us,” concludes Emmenegger.

Photos © EHF/kolektiff