Beach handball tournament

Beach handball is played in accordance with the international elite rules.

Rules

A Generation Handball beach team consists of a minimum of four players and a maximum of 16 players per match (like the general tournament). 

Three players and one keeper are together on the court.

There is unlimited substitution incl unlimited keeper substitution. 

In case of suspension, the player will be suspended until the opponents get the ball.

A 2nd suspension causes a disqualification/red card.

The matches are played either barefoot or with soft socks.

Regular goals give 1 point. 

2 point goals: 

* Goalkeeper goal, free throw goal, spectacular goals. 

* In U-11 and U-13, goals behind the back or between the legs are considered spectacular goals.

In U-11, U-13, and U-15: The team with most points wins the match. 

In U-17 and U-20: A team gets one point per half time win. If the match ends 1-1, the winner will be found with shoot out. 

Shoot out rules

Each team shoots five times.
The team with most points after the shoot out wins the match.

In case of equality, there will be single rounds until a winner is found. 

The goals in shoot out are included in the total score.

In U-11 and U-13, the players run from the middle of the court.
In U-15, U-17, and U-20, the players run from the edge of the goal field.
The keeper stands in the goal field.

Tournament structure
The Generation Handball McDonald’s beach tournament is a group play, where the leading team (1st place) from each group advances to playoff. If there’s only one group, 1st and 2nd place advance.

Playing time for GH2023 – will be updated for GH2024 when we know the number of registered teams:
U-11, U-13, and U-15: Matches can be played on Monday, Thursday, and Friday. Group play, 1/8 finals, 1/4 finals, and 1/2 finals are 1 x 15 minutes with golden goal until a winner is found. Finals are 2 x 10 minutes with shoot out. 
U-17 and U-20: Matches can be on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Group play and playoff matches are 2 x 10 minutes with shoot out. 

Results and playoff
Results and playoff progression can be seen in the Generation Handball app -> matches -> beach handball. 

Team list
NB: No team list needed in 2024 (trust based system). A maximum of 16 players can be used per team, and a player can only play for one team. 

Exemption players
Rules regarding exemption players for the general tournament also apply to the beach tournament (read more in the tournament rules).

Shirts
Shirts can be different colors as the teams can use vests. In case of same shirt color, the last mentioned team (team 2) must change shirts or wear vests.

The courts
The beach handball courts are named court no. BigMac 1, McChicken 2, and McFeast 3.

Referees
The finals have two referees. All other matches have one referee.