NEW DELHI: The Premier Handball League Wednesday announced Golden Eagles Uttar Pradesh, the UP team which comes on board as the second franchise to participate in the franchise-based inaugural edition of the PHL.
Golden Eagles Uttar Pradesh is owned by the Pavna Group of Industries, one of the leading automotive part solution companies in South East Asia. The group, apart from its business interests, is also involved in sports goods manufacturing and now with its latest association with the Premier Handball League, exclusively licensed to Bluesport Entertainment Pvt Ltd under the aegis of Handball Federation of India (HFI), aims to popularise the game and contribute to the growth of the sporting ecosystem in Uttar Pradesh.
“This association with the Pavna Group gives us, the PHL family, immense pleasure and we are proud to state that we both share similar goals which entails taking the sport of handball to the next level, both in the state of Uttar Pradesh and nationally for India. Uttar Pradesh has given many handball athletes to the nation since the beginning and the participation of the current ones in the league would further inspire the enthusiasts and the sport within the state. With the likes of such committed partners, I am also confident that the league will not only establish itself but work with an equal commitment to ensuring the handball ecosystem sees a sturdy growth in India,” said Manu Agrawal, CEO, Bluesport Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.
The Golden Eagles Uttar Pradesh is headed by Swapnil Jain, managing director, Pavna Group of Industries. The company, in operation for 50+ years, in its stated mission of taking the sport to the masses, is looking to cover the entire northern part of the country.
“Handball is a popular sport and most schools in India have included it as a part of their sports curriculum. But with time, the popularity has faded. We as a stakeholder want to support handball and enable it to regain its glory and by joining hands with PHL. We hope to achieve this goal. Our objective will be to bring the awareness and the excitement of the sport back,” said Jain.
The league had earlier announced Garvit Gujarat as its first franchise.
PHL’s inaugural season, which is scheduled to launch next year with 6 franchise teams representing 6 states of India, will have 14 players per team.
