San Francisco CalHeat
Full nameSan Francisco CalHeat Team Handball Club
Short nameSF CalHeat, CalHeat
Founded1984
PresidentJean-Marc Junique
Club colours   
Team colours
Team colours
Team colours
Team colours
Home
Team colours
Team colours
Team colours
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Away
Website
Official site

San Francisco CalHeat is a handball club from the San Francisco Bay Area. It has approximately 100 members (adult and youth), and five teams (women, men and youth). The top women's and men's teams compete at the highest level in the United States and have won the national championships multiple times. The women's and men's teams are the current USA Team Handball reigning national champion.[1][2]

On the last weekend of January, San Francisco CalHeat traditionally hosts the California Cup tournament. This is a USA Team Handball sanctioned event and qualifier for the USA Team Handball Nationals.[3]

The main sponsors of the club are Waymo, RockTape and the DishDash Restaurant Group.[4] In January 2020, San Francisco CalHeat signed a multi-year partnership with Hummel, the Danish manufacturing company of sportswear brand based in Aarhus.[5]

History

The club was founded in 1984 following the continuously growing interest of handball in the San Francisco Bay Area. Back in 1979, Ray Gehrke,[6] considered one of the founding fathers of the sport in California, began an intramural handball program at the Centerville Jr. High School. San Francisco CalHeat was subsequently created in an effort to centralize handball activities in one area.[6]

In 2011, San Francisco CalHeat became a non-profit organization exempt from Federal income tax under section 501 {c} (3) of the Internal Revenue Code.[4] Under the leadership of Bernward Schwarte, President, and Jean-Marc Junique, Vice-President,[7] the club has significantly grown ever since.

In 2016, San Francisco CalHeat started a youth development program and handball league involving numerous schools in the San Francisco Bay Area such as Lycée Français de San Francisco and Leland High School (San Jose, California). In 2019, the program culminated with the organization of summer and winter camps led by Claus Dalgaard-Hansen, former member of the Denmark men's national handball team, and David Degouy, assistant coach and handball academy director of Montpellier Handball.[8]

In 2019, the club got even more exposure abroad after Nicolas Raemy, player of Wacker Thun and longstanding member of the Switzerland national handball team, helped the team win the US men's national championship[9][10][11]

In 2021, the club won the North American and Caribbean Men's Club Championship and qualified for the IHF Super Globe.[12] For their inaugural participation, the team finished at the 10th place losing against AlWehda, the Saudi Arabian champion, Al Noor Handball Club, and Al Duhail, the 2020 Asian Men's Club League Handball Championship.

In 2022, the club won another US Men's National Championship in Adrian, Michigan.[13] This is the sixth national title for the men's team, bringing them closer to the all-time greats New York Athletic Club and New York City THC.

One year later, in 2023, the club won both the US Men's National Championship and the Women's Open Division in Spokane, Washington. This is the first time a US handball club wins both the men's and women's national competition in the same year. This also marks the seventh national title for the men's team, tied with New York City THC. A few months later, the club won the North American and Caribbean Men's Club Championship and qualified for the IHF Super Globe.[14] At the 2023 IHF Super Globe, the team recorded its inaugural win against University of Queensland (27-22), marking the first ever win in the competition's history for a US and North American club team. [15]

On October 9, 2023, San Francisco CalHeat became the 105th member of Forum Club Handball, following in the footsteps of New York City THC and Detroit Handball Club.

Sports Facility Information

Accomplishments

International

National

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, the 2020 and 2021 USA Team Handball Nationals were cancelled.[16]

Teams

Men's first team

Squad for the 2023–24 season[17]

Women's first team

Squad for the 2022–23 season[19]

References

  1. ↑ "2019 USA Team Handball Nationals". International Handball Federation. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  2. ↑ "New York City vs San Francisco CalHeat". USA Team Handball. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
  3. ↑ "2020 California Cup". USA Team Handball. Archived from the original on October 29, 2020. Retrieved 22 Jan 2020.
  4. 1 2 "Sponsors and Donations". San Francisco CalHeat. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  5. ↑ "Hummel Partnership". San Francisco CalHeat. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
  6. 1 2 "Ray Gehrke: American Handball Hero". Centerville Jr. High School. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
  7. ↑ "Board of Directors". San Francisco CalHeat. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
  8. ↑ "Le Montpellier Handball a San Francisco". Montpellier Handball. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
  9. ↑ "Nicolas Raemy führt San Francisco zum US-Meistertitel". Swiss Handball Association. Retrieved 21 June 2019.
  10. ↑ "Highlife für unsere #5". Wacker Thun. Retrieved 21 June 2019.
  11. ↑ "Eine lustige Geschichte". Handball World. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
  12. ↑ "SAN FRANCISCO CALHEAT BOOKS TICKET TO 2021 IHF MEN'S SUPER GLOBE". International Handball Federation. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  13. ↑ "2022 US OPEN CLUB NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS - FINAL RESULTS". USA Team Handball. Archived from the original on May 18, 2022. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  14. ↑ "SAN FRANCISCO CALHEAT RETURN TO IHF MEN'S SUPER GLOBE AFTER 2023 NACHC CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP WIN". International Handball Federation. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
  15. ↑ "San Francisco CalHeat claim historic maiden win against University of Queensland". International Handball Federation. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  16. ↑ "2020 USA Team Handball Nationals". USA Team Handball. Archived from the original on July 26, 2020. Retrieved 25 Jun 2020.
  17. ↑ "SF CalHeat Men Roster". San Francisco CalHeat. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  18. ↑ "Das Interview mit Florian Schoebinger". TVB Stuttgart. 12 November 2018. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
  19. ↑ "SF CalHeat Women Roster". San Francisco CalHeat. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  20. ↑ "Weekend Warrior: Constance Duvert". ESPN. 22 September 2016. Retrieved 22 September 2016.


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