The Bundesliga is the strongest handball league in the world. Frank Bohmann sees it that way too. “We have the largest collection of top teams and world stars in the HBL,” emphasizes the managing director of the league. However, if you ask Bohmann about the future, German handball is facing major challenges.
For example, the 57-year-old calls for a noticeable increase in investment so that the league can “remain competitive” in international comparison. “This is only possible if we follow clear strategies, and with the new media contract we enter a whole new era in terms of multimedia,” explains Bohmann in a detailed interview and provides insights into the strategy of those responsible.
Question: Mr. Bohmann, the Bundesliga is still the strongest league in the world
Frank Bohmann: The competition is definitely getting tougher. But you can’t measure that against individual top clubs like FC Barcelona, which is of course one of the best clubs in the world and could probably also become champion with us. However, they play in a league where they are unrivaled and have not lost a game for ten years. That is not the case with us. We have the largest collection of top teams and world stars in the HBL. Finally, HBL has also won the most European club titles in the last ten years. The highest number of viewers, the largest sales and the best media coverage worldwide also show that we are still a long way ahead of all other leagues.
Question: Are there any other leagues that you look at with envy?
Bohmann: It’s not just a lot of investor money that’s currently on the move in Scandinavia. The national teams are currently performing much better than ours. In Denmark, Sweden and to some extent also in Norway, handball is becoming very popular. Handball is number one in Denmark, they are completely independent of football. We still look at football too often here and think about what we can take on. That’s wrong.
Question: How much damage have the national team’s recent failures done to the Bundesliga?
Bohmann: I wouldn’t speak of failures. It’s a matter of expectation. Ten years ago we launched joint missions, then we wanted to become Olympic champions in 2020. It didn’t work, and we’re a long way from that. The 2016 European Championship title was not necessarily a coincidence, but it was by no means the result of systematic work. In the national teams, we are currently inferior to the Scandinavians, but also to the French and Spanish.
Question: How happy were you personally about SC Magdeburg’s German championship this year?
Bohmann: I’m strictly neutral, but that made me very happy because the championship is the result of a long strategy process. The team not only impresses with brilliant individual players, but at SCM one cog fits into the other, they have their very own game philosophy. Even if I don’t support any team, I was very happy when SCM won the title.
Question: Why?
Bohmann: The excellent sporting development was only possible because the SCM is also managed in a first-class manner. After many economically difficult years, the club is in a very good balance sheet, the support of the fans in the city and in the state is huge. The SCM is now the fourth champion in the past six years. That shows that we have a great balance at a very high level. In the new season, another team might be competing for the title, Füchsen Berlin. We really don’t need to worry about an exciting competition.
Question: Who will play for the championship in the new season? In recent years, only Flensburg and Kiel have been traded.
Bohmann: The group of favorites has clearly grown. The two will certainly belong again. As well as Magdeburg and Berlin. Some others have recently fallen well short of their potential, such as Rhein-Neckar Löwen or MT Melsungen.
Question: What nobody at Melsungen understands. Do you have an explanation?
Bohmann: I can’t say why either. Systematically and financially they are at the top – and I think they will be there one day. One thing is clear: German champions will always be a team that has played together for a long time and was not put together at short notice. The Melsunger certainly still have to work on that.
Question: What are you most looking forward to in the new season?
Bohmann: That we can finish a season from the first to the 34th day of the game without any restrictions. We recently slipped from one crisis to the next. One thing is also clear: in order to remain competitive, the Bundesliga must double its budget in the next five years! In order to keep up with new financiers – be it in Kielce, be it in Kolstad, be it in Aalborg. This is only possible if we follow clear strategies and, with the new media contract, enter a whole new era in terms of multimedia as well.
Question: What was the decisive factor for “S Nation Media” in awarding the television rights from 2023?
Bohmann: The contract for S Nation Media was preceded by a tendering process that took around a year. In advance, we set our goals together with the shareholders of the 1st and 2nd HBL. The rights revenue played a rather subordinate role here. We rated parameters such as increased reach and access to new target groups much higher. As correct as our decision to switch to Sky five years ago was, I am now convinced that S Nation is the ideal platform for the competitions in our 1st and 2nd Bundesliga.
Question: There will be new rules in the new season.
Bohmann: As the Bundesliga, we are often confronted with a fait accompli by the top international associations. Like the other top leagues, we were not involved at all in the reinterpretation of the rules. The regulator, the world association IHF, could have really used our feedback.
Question: How do you personally find the new rules that are now coming into force?
Bohmann: I think the four-pass rule after the referee’s warning signal is a good one. The two-minute penalty for headshots was tried out in Sweden. Result: There were no fewer headshots. The extended throw zone will make the game even faster. However, implementation will be very difficult for amateur clubs. The necessary lines are not even available on the hall floors. Adjusting it costs a lot of money. And if we end up with different rules in the upper and lower leagues, that would be a disaster. We would need much more lead time to implement these rules. We were informed in January – far too quickly.
Question: In a conversation with us two years ago, you suggested that handball players need a different outfit. Do you still have that thought?
Bohmann: Yes, it’s a never-ending process that I started back in 2003 when I became HBL’s managing director. I would like handball to get an outfit where the handball player is immediately recognizable as such. For example, a basketball jersey immediately identifies a basketball player. Our jerseys are too similar to those used in football. An easily recognizable fit of the jersey would be good for handball. This could also be a tank top, for example. No other sport has that before.
