Handball commentary prep checklist

Definitions used on this page

• Match sheet is the list of up to 16 players a team registers for a match.
• Two-minute suspension is a temporary exclusion. The team plays one player short until the two minutes have run on the match clock. A third suspension for the same player means disqualification.
• 7-metre throw is a penalty throw, awarded mainly when a clear chance of scoring is destroyed illegally.
• Team timeout is a one-minute break requested by a team. In EHF competitions each team has at most three in regular time, at most two per half, and only one in the last five minutes.
• Run is a sequence of consecutive goals by one team.

Stage 1: Before you start (three days before)

• Check what data you will have. For the EHF EURO, EHF Champions League and EHF European League (men and women), LiveCast supports match sheets and live events. National leagues are not covered, so plan to build the player list by hand. See handball data coverage for commentators.
• Find both teams' last two or three results and how they were won or lost: close finishes, big runs, or a goalkeeper performance.
• Note the format: group stage or knockout, what a draw means, whether extra time and a shoot-out are possible.

Stage 2: The match sheet (two days before)

• Every player with number and position: goalkeepers, wings, backs, centre back, pivot.
• Pronunciation. Top European club teams are very international. Check every name you are not certain of.
• One line per player. Context, not numbers you will see live.

Stage 3: The players who decide matches (two days to one day before)

• Goalkeepers. Who starts, who comes in for 7-metre throws, and how each has played recently. Save percentage is the number viewers understand.
• 7-metre takers. Who takes them for each team, and who takes over if the first choice is off court.
• Top scorers, and where their goals come from: wing, back court, breakthrough, pivot.
• Defensive system: 6-0, 5-1 or 3-2-1, and whether it changes when the team is short-handed.
• Discipline: players with many suspensions this season, because a third suspension ends their match.

Stage 4: The rules you will be asked about (the day before)

Handball viewers ask about rules more than in many sports. Prepare one clear sentence for each:

• Passive play and the warning signal.
• Suspensions and red cards, including when a red card leads to a further report.
• Timeouts. Know the rule well enough to say how many each team has left. A team that used no timeout in the first half has two left in the second half, not three, because no more than two can be taken in one half.
• The empty net: when a team takes the goalkeeper off for an extra court player.

Stage 5: Fill time and expert questions

• Five fill-time items: the arena, the history of the fixture, a club story, a format detail.
• Two or three questions for your expert, for example about the defensive system or a key match-up.

Stage 6: During the match

Because goals come roughly every minute, a screen that alerts you to every goal is noise. What you need at a glance:

1. Who is suspended, and when they are back on the match clock.
2. Timeouts left for each team.
3. The current run: four unanswered goals is a story.
4. 7-metre throws and goalkeeper changes.

How LiveCast does it

LiveCast keeps the match sheet, your notes and the numbers situation in one place. The recorded handball demo, Györ v Metz from the EHF Champions League Women final, is frozen late in the second half so you can see the suspension clock and timeout count on real data.

• The match sheet comes in automatically for supported competitions: up to 16 players per team with number, position and photo where available, sortable by number, name or position.
• Notes are your own, written on the player, and follow them to the next broadcast.
• The match strip shows who is on court, who is suspended and when they are back, red cards, timeouts left, the current run, the top scorer and technical faults.
• Timeouts left is calculated from the rule (three per match, at most two per half, one in the last five minutes, none in overtime), not as "three minus used".
• Player numbers for shots, goals and goalkeeper saves are available for supported matches.

For the general workflow across sports, see how to prepare for a live sports commentary, and for the handball screens, handball in LiveCast.

FAQ