History of Ullern 03
Since its children's sport, Ullern's J03 vintage has grown. A natural reason is the growth of already active handball players, but in recent years 10 new players have started on the team. As recently as the age of 13, five new players were added from football.
Ullern J03 has one of the largest and widest teams in the country with close to 40 players with as many as 5 registered teams in different series. At the same time, they have one of the best teams in the country at their age stage.
What is due to this?
We at Learn Handball have had a talk with Vegard Tennfjord, head coach of the girls.
“I think the most important foundation that we have managed to keep the girls in our group has been to create an arena where they feel a sense of belonging. An arena that should be fun and “cool” to take part in. We focus on cohesion through joint events and experiences. While it's fun to win matches, I remember the camaraderie and experiences from tournaments and travels as the best thing about youth sports. You just can't get around it!”
When asked what concrete measures they have to create cohesion and belonging, Tennfjord answers the following:
“It certainly seems a bit banal and indifferent, but we have put in place some guidelines on how to appear and socialize. We train in solid colors at the trainings. Everyone has liked clothes for matches and tournaments. The bags should be left neat and tidy for training and fighting. There should be no mess or rubbish left behind us. We want to give girls the feeling that they are part of ONE community and that the distances in the “hierarchy” are as short as possible. We have emphasized mutual respect, while the girls have wanted to be able to tell each other if they think something is not right. Furthermore, we want to have repsect for other teams and the surroundings around us. It should be perceived as exclusively positive to be an Ullern J03 player”.
When asked about differentiation in training everyday and in the combat program, Tennfjord further answers:
“Of course, it's a difficult balancing act. One wants to see everyone and give all those opportunities and conditions to succeed and feel mastery with the handball, while at the same time each one is to be challenged to develop. We are so lucky that all of our girls want to attend as many trainings and matches as possible. So in that way we feel we've got a clue that as a team we've created something positive together. With different levels of matches, as well as hospitalization upwards, we feel that we have hit well on the breadth offer while allowing those who want bigger challenges to unfold in other arenas, without compromising belonging. We've got a system that makes sure to get rolled around on the players, so hopefully everyone feels like they're part of the success of each other. '
We say kudos from here, and wish Ullern J03 good luck with the great work!
Posted on Facebook 16.04.2019
