Islington Handball Club
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The Ratitas
| Islington Handball Club | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Islington Handball Club Community Interest Company |
| Nickname(s) | The Rats The Ratitas |
| Founded | 2012 |
| Arena | London Metropolitan University Science and Sports Centre Holloway Road / London |
| President |  Alexandra Geanina Văideanu |
| Head coach |  Icham Benallal  Anton Lammers |
| League |  Premier Handball League |
| Club colours | |
| Website Official site | |
Islington Handball Club (IHC)[1][2][3] is an amateur English handball club based in Islington, London, UK. The club fields men's, women's and youth's teams, and competes in South Division of the Premier Handball League, England Handball Association’s (EHA) top male and female competition. [4]
The men’s team achieved promotion back to the first division in 2023,[5] whilst the women’s team achieved promotion to the first division in 2024.
The club has more than 120 members representing around 20 different nationalities.
The motto of the club is ‘Join the Mischief’.
The club was founded in 2012,[6] but it was later incorporated as a Community Interest Company in 2017.[7]
IHC started after an influx of interest in the sport due to the 2012 London Olympics. The club had initially three teams (one of each for men's, women's, and youth). The teams competed in EHA's regional leagues.
In 2017, the men's team reached the English Cup final and secured promotion to the top English Handball competition, the Handball Premier League. The club failed to take up due to administrative mistakes, and was demoted to third division.[6]
Teams
IHC currently fields five teams in EHA competitions:
Three men's teams:
- Team 1, competing in the EHA Premier League (South).
- Team 2, competing in the EHA Regional League South 1. The team acts as a development base for potential Team 1 players.
- Team 3, competing in the EHA Regional League South 2 (East). The team is open to players of any skill-level.
Two women's teams:
- Team 1, competing in the EHA Premier League (South).
- Team 2, competing in the EHA Regional League South. The team acts both as a development base for potential Team 1 players, and an all-skill-level team.
A youth team, aiming to introduce children under 18 to the game, is also part of the club.
Men’s Team
Team 1
Coach: Icham Benallal
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Goalkeepers
Right wingers
Left wingers
Line players
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Left backs
Centre backs
Right backs
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Team 2
Coach: 
Renard Teipelke
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Goalkeepers
Right wingers
Left wingers
Line players
|
Left backs
Centre backs
Right backs
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Team 3
Coach: Alexandra Văideanu
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Goalkeepers
Right wingers
Left wingers
Line players
|
Left backs
Centre backs
Right backs
|
Women’s Team
Team 1
Coach: Anton Lammers
|
Goalkeepers
Right wingers
Left wingers
Line players
|
Left backs
Centre backs
Right backs
|
Team 2
Coach: Anton Lammers
|
Goalkeepers
Right wingers
Line players
|
Left backs
Centre backs
Right backs
|
Youth Team
In accordance with the EHA’s national guidelines and in the spirit of the game, Islington HC has re-established its youth team in 2022. [8]