Most countries in the world have their own official version of Fives/Handball. Fives, as we know it in England, is quite simply one of a very large number of varieties of what is a truly global game. The huge diversity displayed in rules, courts, balls and gloves from one country to the next, make it impossible for the game to come together as a truly International sport. Worldwide, there are millions of people who have fine-tuned the art of striking a ball with their hands!

As a sport, English Fives has two avenues for international involvement and interest. On the one hand, there are the specific activities involving specialist Fives courts internationally, and on the other, there is the involvement of Fives players taking part in the wider Handball/Fives scene.

International Fives
It is well known that Eton Fives is widely played in Northern Nigeria, and in Zuoz and Zurich in Switzerland. Rugby Fives still survives in a couple of American schools. There are also courts dotted all over the world, but which have ceased to be used many years ago. There are even some courts abroad which have been built relatively recently, but which fell into almost immediate disuse, due to the lack of a well-thought-through structure that would ensure the creation of local fives players. Whilst no one could realistically imagine there being a building boom of Rugby or Eton Fives courts around the world, there are plans underway to get all the existing courts into full and proper use, no matter where they are to be found.

The Rugby and Eton Fives Coaching Agency intend to make available its gap year students, free of charge, to any schools or sports centres with Fives courts, during the months outside of the English Fives season. This work would form part of the REFCA coaches' travel plans, and only require expenses paid. At this present moment, James Toop. on behalf of REFCA, is coaching Eton Fives in Geelong Grammar School in Australia. Their two Eton Fives courts have been dormant for many years. The promise of a Fives coach each year for several months at a time, will ensure that the game can thrive there, and can be built upon year by yeerl This blueprint can, and hopefully soon will be, repeated at many centres around the world, be it within a school, or a sports centre (as in Geneva).

For potential Fives centres abroad there are three key ingredients - the courts themselves, regular access to enthusiastic coaching, and access to purchasing equipment. Where courts already exist, REFCA can now provide easy access to the coaching, whilst the existence of The Hand Ball Supplies Company has now made it easy for schools abroad to order any equipment that thay require - all from the same source. Many foreign schools no longer have any idea what Fives equipment looks like - let alone how to get hold of some!

Fives in Switzarland has a key role to play in the future development of Fives abroad. Within Switzerland itself, the Zuoz Old Boys are about to build a second court in Zurich. This will suddenly make it a realistic proposition for English players and teams to travel to Zurich to play the Zuoz Old Boys, and to combine it with a tour to Zuoz School itself. Mill Hill School, together with St Olave's School, enjoyed a fabulous one-week tour to Zuoz in July. In the future similar tours will easily be able to include Fives in Zurich en route. Most importantly, the huge number of international students that leave Zuoz School as Fives players results in there being pockets of interest in the game within various countries where Old Boys live. There is at present serious interest in courts being built in Brazil and Turkey as a result.

The Fives boom within Zuoz School itself, can sport a ladies pair from roughly ten different countries! REFCA has promised Zuoz that it will run a Girls' International at Zuoz once every three years if it goes ahead with plans to roof some of their courts. This would enable all the British Schoolgirl Fives players to compete in the Swiss Alps! This would help to reward Zouz for their annual trips to the National Schools' Championships in England, and enhance Schoolgirl Fives in England. Zuoz School is already the host venue for the Engadin Challenge, which is a very successful tournament, run every other year by the Zuoz Old Boys. There is every chance that at some point in the not too distant future, that Zuoz may be able to host, perhaps every five years, an International Youth Eton Fives Championships, with players travelling from all over the world for the event.

International Handball for Fives Players
Whilst one or two adult Rugby Fives and Eton Fives players have been spotted taking part In international events for their own private pleasure in recent years, England seems to have somehow excluded itself from a wider involvement - without even knowing it! The Handball players in Wales and Ireland have apparentlY been trying in vain for many years, to make connections with English Fives, that would result in larger numbers of Fives players uniting with them from time to fime, in order to play some form of Handball/Fives together. Their requests had fallen on deaf ears for many years! It is a shame that links were not made earlier - there is a great deal of benefit to Fives specifically, since the image of the sport within schools is automatically enhanced as soon as it is seen to qualify people for a wider international arena.

The crucial link was made between the Irish Handball Council and REFCA during the 1998/99 season, that resulted in the inaugural international Youth Fives and Handball Championships taking place at Rossall School last October. Rugby, Eton and Winchester Fives Schools, together with Irish and Welsh Handballers took part on virtually level terms on this neutral hybrid facility. The Tournament waS the first occasion in which all these codes had been successfullY brought together. As a result, REFCA, who were managing the Rossall Tournament, were invited by the Irish Handball Council to send a representative English Youth Team to a European Championship that was to be held the following Easter in Ireland. The court was to be a one-wall court - the most basic arena which could bring together all the various handball sports played in Europe. With the joint backing of the RFA and EFA, a representative England Team was selected, consisting of an equal number of both Eton and Rugby Fives players. Without compromising the standard of the team at all every attempt was made to make the selection across a large a number of different schools as possible. This maximised the publicity with British schools and awareness that excellence in Fives can result in representing your country - a huge step forward for enhancing the image of our game. The England Team demonstrated clearly that skills required on a Fives Court can be quickly adjusted to suit other similar codes/versions of handball.

Very strong links have been made with the Irish and the Welsh Handballers, who are likely to take part in the Youth international each year at Rossall, There has been an invitation for the England youth Team to take part in the World Handball Championships in Chicago next year (we shall see!) and the next one-week International is likely to take place in France· The Welsh Handballers are keen to host matches against any Fives players/clubs who would like compete on their unique facilities at Nelson.

It is worth noting that squash courts can be used for an excellent game of Handball. A'Big Blue' ball (available from The Handball Supply Co.) is recommended, although the Intenational Handballs (also from HBSCo.) work well if you are very fit indeed! You can make up your own rules, or contact me Wiseman for further details on recommended squash court handball rules. A number of schools in England now play this game on a regular basis - most notably Malvern College, Ipswich School, Warwick University and St Olave's School. Indeed, St Olave's use their squash courts to play friendly matches against visiting pairs who are waiting for a spare Fives court to become available for the official school match. This keeps everyone warm and occupied at all times.

There are numerous tournaments all over the world, which would be highly suitable for any individuals who play any form of Fives to enter. If you are interested in taking part in any of these - especially those in Wales or Ireland, then please contact Howard Wiseman on 0181 778 0752, who will willingly provide you with all the contact information that you will need.

International Report 1998-1999 by Howard Wiseman
Created 8th February 2006 by Mike Fenn
efa@etonfives.co.uk

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