History will be made in New York City Sept. 14–19 as the World WallBall (handball) Championships take place. Competitors from 11 countries, approximately one-third of whom are women, are expected. “The players are all excited,” said Paul Williams, founder of the Inner City Handball Association (ICHA). “This is the first time this is happening here in New York. They’re ready to show off their skills.”
Players from the United States, Canada, Spain, Israel, Ireland, United Kingdom, Ecuador, Japan, Belgium and Hong Kong are among those expected. Due to school resumption in the U.S., there aren’t as many young people as Williams had hoped, but there are still junior brackets. Of course, New York City is well represented among the players.
Venues include the West 5th Street Handball Courts and St. John’s Recreation Center in Brooklyn and Pomonok Park in Queens. The finals in the open division will be in Central Park. “Some of the local organizations, like the St. Albans Handball Association, Castle Hill Handball Association and Impact Pro from the Bronx, are helping to assist in making this a successful event,” said Williams.
The opening ceremony will be at the New York City College of Technology in Brooklyn and the closing ceremony at the New York Athletic Club in Manhattan. Young ICHA players are psyched. “They’re excited to see the top players compete; they’re excited to compete themselves and meet people from other countries,” Williams said. “Part of this is trying to expand handball in the communities.”
When Williams, who grew up in Brooklyn, was a kid, handballs were sold in local grocery stores. “It was accessible, easy to get and inexpensive,” he said. “Now, you’ve got to get it online, and for kids that don’t have access to online sales and purchases, the fact that we’re bringing the sport back into the neighborhoods, hopefully some of the local stores will carry handballs again.”
Williams works with the Public Schools Athletic League (PSAL) to ensure that schools that are underserved can get involved in handball again. There were previously about 150 handball teams, but that number is now around 90.
“The parks were very active this summer with a lot of little tournaments,” said Williams. “At the local tournaments, they’ve been able to see how they’re going to be seeded at the World Championships and if they can actually win. Bringing the sport back into the neighborhoods.”
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