15 first-division clubs and four second-division clubs meet the demanding criteria for youth certification, which have been continuously developed since 2007. In some cases, the certification is subject to conditions. These clubs have thus been awarded the HBL seal of approval for sustainable and qualitatively outstanding youth development work in German professional handball, in some cases repeatedly.
In the DAIKIN HBL, these are Bergischer HC, FRISCH AUF! Göppingen, Füchse Berlin, Handball Sport Verein Hamburg, HC Erlangen, MT Melsungen, Rhein-Neckar Löwen, SC DHfK Leipzig, SC Magdeburg, SG Flensburg-Handewitt, TBV Lemgo Lippe, THW Kiel, TSV Hannover-Burgdorf, TVB Stuttgart and VfL Gummersbach. In the 2nd HBL, 1. VfL Potsdam, HBW Balingen-Weilstetten, TSV Bayer Dormagen and TuSEM Essen fulfill all requirements.
SG Managing Director Holger Glandorf: "For us, the youth certificate is an important confirmation of the continuous work that has been carried out at the Flensburg Academy for many years. Our aim is not only to offer young players a high-quality sporting education, but also to show them long-term prospects in professional handball. The fact that this work is regularly recognized is a strong signal for the entire club and all those involved in youth development."
Johann Volquardsen, Managing Director of the Flensburg Academy: "Receiving the youth certificate again is a valuable confirmation of our continuous work at the Flensburg Academy. It shows that our commitment to quality, structure and individual support at the highest level is being recognized. Behind this success is a dedicated team that works with a lot of responsibility and passion to offer young talents the best possible conditions for their personal and sporting development - with the aim of introducing them to professional handball step by step."
The current successes of the German Handball Federation's youth teams underline the outstanding work of the Bundesliga clubs' youth performance centers, as well as the great importance of the criteria set out by the youth certificate. German handball can look back on one of the most successful years for its junior national teams: the U17 and U19 teams became world champions, while the German team finished a strong 5th at the U21 World Championship after winning the title in 2023.
The senior national team also benefits from the development of young players in the Bundesliga clubs. Two thirds of the European Championship squad, which is currently competing for the 2026 European Championship title in Scandinavia as one of the youngest teams in the tournament and is attracting enormous attention and outstanding coverage, was trained in the youth development centers of the HBL Bundesliga clubs. The majority of the 18 players involved started their handball careers at a certified Bundesliga youth training center.
The cooperation with HBL media partner Dyn also has a positive impact on the development and visibility of youth handball: HBL media partner Dyn financially supports HBL youth projects with the "Move your Sport" initiative, and Dyn recently acquired a rights package until the end of 2031, which includes the exclusive pay TV rights to all matches of the 2027 Men's World Handball Championship in Germany as well as all other men's and women's world championships until 2031. The Dyn rights package also includes the exclusive pay-TV rights to all matches of the World Junior Championships until 2031.
About the Youth Certificate: The Youth Certificate was launched in 2007 and awarded for the first time in 2008. The aim is to ensure the qualitative and continuous further training and development of talented players in the professional clubs in the long term. The close cooperation between HBL GmbH and the professional clubs creates the best possible framework conditions for young German players. The aim is to enable young handball players to develop into top performers and top players in the two national leagues and, in the long term, into national players.
Numerous criteria are examined as part of the award procedure. These include the employment contracts and qualifications of the youth coaches responsible, existing school partnerships for the implementation of morning training sessions and concepts for the individual promotion of talented players with particular development potential. The regulations for awarding the youth certificate can be found at www.daikin-hbl.de/de/hbl/nachwuchs/das-jugendzertifikat can be viewed here.
Professional clubs that do not apply for the youth certificate or do not receive it after assessment pay into a fund. The funds generated from this are used for projects that promote youth work in handball as a whole. These include coaching symposiums, meetings of youth coordinators and other measures and events for the sustainable development of youth handball.
The youth certificate is awarded annually by the licensing commission of the Handball Bundesliga. Decisions are based on the opinions of the certification committee, which is made up of Frank Bohmann (Managing Director of HBL GmbH), Jochen Beppler (Head National Coach for Young Talent, DHB) and Marie Küppers (Game Organization, Sports Development, Licensing HBL GmbH).