The Sydney University handball team is the best in Australia and secured a fourth place finish in the Club World Cup in Qatar last year.
The team now wants to help form a national league later this year, something that will improve Australia’s chances of qualifying for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. But it won’t be easy.
"It's like playing cricket in Europe - nobody knows about it," Australia and Sydney Uni captain Tomasz Szklarski told SBS.
But the Sydney University handballers will flex their social media muscles to help.
Despite being the sport that no one appears to know about here in Australia, the Sydney University Handball Facebook page outstrips the rugby, football and any other rival sporting code you care to mention on campus.
The team manager is Pascal Winkler.
"Social media and online is important in developing the sport so we’re helping to establish a grassroots following for the league," he told SBS.
A Sydney University campaign to raise money for last year's Olympic qualifying trip also proved successful.
The reigning Handball World Club Champions Fuchse Berlin got on board and sponsored the shorts of the Australian team, tipping in more than $3000. That, along with successful crowdfunding, got the team to Doha but the campaign didn’t end in a trip to Rio this August.
Australia’s deepening multicultural mix may also give the fledgling National Handball League an important boost.
"2.7 million Australians were born in a country where handball is the number one, two or three sports," Mr Winkler told SBS.
He’s hoping the new league, which is likely to involve teams from Melbourne, Brisbane and Canberra, can be expanded within two to three years. If sponsors and funding can be found, the League may get a start in June this year.
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