Hall of Fame

Renata Ferreira is not only a passionate coach, she is a key figure in bringing Brazilian youth handball to the international stage.

Since 2006, Ferreira has been present in Gothenburg almost every year. In addition to her role as a coach, she has also acted as an agent and coordinator, making it possible for several teams from São Paulo to participate in the world’s largest youth handball tournament. Her work has not only given young players invaluable international experience — it has also built strong relationships between Brazil and the global handball community. With her energy, drive, and passion for the sport, Renata Ferreira continues to inspire – both back home in Brazil and here at Partille World Cup.

Åge and Jorunn Mathisen started their Partille World Cup journey back in the 1970s. They have both been active in the Norwegian club Fjellhammer IL, which has been a frequent visitor to the tournament since the second year of the tournament, in 1971. In addition to the role of leader, Åge has also been a referee at the tournament for many years and Jorunn already played in the womens team of Fjellhammer as a 16-year-old. For Åge and Jorunn, the Partille World Cup was the start of the summer and the whole family was present at the tournament. Åge and Jorunn, with their Fjellhammer IL, have been faithful to the tournament as far as they have been able to and have meant a great deal to the event.

Erik Bang, Strandby-Elling (DEN) has been a coach since the early 80s when he also participated in the Partille Cup for the first time. Erik has brought an almost countless number of teams to Partille Cup. Now he also gets the opportunity to follow his six grandchildren, who participate as players, and his son who is a coach. Erik has helped nurture many talented players.

Our Turkish friend has since 2004 participated with no less than nine different clubs in the Partille Cup. It is thanks to him that Partille Cup has received yet another flag as a returning nation. Something that we hope will continue for a long time to come.

This crowd from Mumbai, India are the country's pioneers in the sport. Early on, they started traveling around the world with handball teams from India to see and learn how to develop the sport. Partille Cup is an annual destination and over the years thousands of players from Mumbai have met players from all over the world.

He himself participated in Partille Cup in the early 70s and became a good handball player who also got to represent Iceland in the national team. Since then, in his professional career, he has worked with youth travel and has brought thousands of Icelanders to participate in Partille Cup. He is a big reason why Iceland is one of the top five nations in the tournament.

Brazil is a recurring nation in the Partille Cup and for more than 20 years José Ricardo has brought young handball players from Brazil to the tournament. That makes him one of the foremost within our community and therefore selected for the Hall of Fame.

During more than 20 years Leonardo Mascarenhas has been one of our most loyal and active representatives. He has brought thousands of Brazilian youngsters to the Partille Cup, more than anyone else, and is a dear and well-known guest at the tournament. All this makes him a worthy member of the Partille Cup Hall of Fame.

Our ambassador Kazimir Ilijas has since 2006 contributed with teams to Partille Cup from Croatia, mainly from the area around Zagreb. The talented Croatian players have had great success in the tournament and it is no wonder that several players in the Croatian national team started their international career during Partille Cup.

Germany has always been a great nation in the Partille Cup. Between 2009-20014 the club HSG Haltern Sythen was the largest non-Nordic association in the tournament with upwards of 250 players and leaders from the same club. The chief leader was Barthold Budde.

As an ambassador for the Partille Cup, Ib can be counted as one of the greatest. Together with Gunnar Quist (the founder of Partille Cup), Ib started cooperation with a Danish tournament during the 80s. The aim was to make handball even more international and to give teams from countries outside Europe a reason to travel and play many matches against Nordic and European youth teams - over a longer period. The idea turned out well and Ib is a big reason why Denmark is the third largest nation in Partille Cup.

Erfan Bedair has meant a lot to the Partille Cup. He already started coming to the tournament already in 1980 and has done 19 visits to Partille Cup until 2012. He brought 1700 participants from Kuwait to the tournament until 1993. It was a big reason why the Partille Cup became so international and thus also popular.

Several Egyptian clubs and teams have also accompanied Erfan to the tournament between 1991 and 2012 (2100 participants).