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Handball — rules, ball sizes, LA28 & the jobs that recruit players

Governed by International Handball Federation (IHF) · national federation in India ·Official rule books & government schemes only ·Last checked 17 Oct 2026

Education Margdarshan's handball map for India in simple words: the court and how the game is played, the step, time and goal-area rules, the 2-minute suspension, ball sizes for each age, how 12 teams reach LA28, India's national championships, the SAI centre, who pays, and the Railways, CRPF and police teams that hire handball players.

📍 See The Journey / Full Roadmap IHF Rules of the Game (PDF) (opens in a new tab) LA28 handball qualification (PDF) (opens in a new tab)
Court
40 m × 20 m · 6 m goal area [1]
Playing time
2 × 30 min (age 16+) [1]
With the ball
Max 3 steps and 3 seconds [1]
Olympic tournament (LA28)
12 men's · 12 women's teams of 14 [3]
01 Core rules & selection formats

How handball is played

Handball is a fast team game: players pass and bounce the ball with their hands and throw it into a goal 3 m wide. A team has up to 16 players, but only 7 (six court players and a goalkeeper) may be on court at once. Only the goalkeeper may be inside the goal area (the 6-metre line). [1]

  • You may take at most 3 steps with the ball and hold it for at most 3 seconds; then pass, shoot or bounce it.
  • Court players may not step into the goal area; the goalkeeper may stop the ball there with any part of the body.
  • Holding on to the ball without trying to attack is passive play and gives the ball to the other side.
  • A clear scoring chance destroyed by a foul brings a 7-metre throw (penalty).
  • Serious or repeated fouls bring a 2-minute suspension: the team plays a player short for two minutes. [1]

Playing time and ball size by age (IHF) [1]

Playing time and ball size by age (IHF)
GroupPlaying timeBall (with resin)
Men 16+ and senior2 × 30 minSize 3 — 58–60 cm, 425–475 g
Women 14+ and senior; boys 12–162 × 30 min (seniors) · 2 × 25 min (ages 12–16)Size 2 — 54–56 cm, 325–375 g
Girls 8–14, boys 8–122 × 20 min (ages 8–12)Size 1 — 50–52 cm, 290–330 g
02 Institutional & global recognition

Olympics, Asian Games — and India's nationals

LA28 Olympic handball — how teams qualify [3]

LA28 Olympic handball — how teams qualify
RouteTeams per gender
World champion (men: 2027 IHF World Championship, Germany)1
Continental qualification — Asia, Africa, Europe, the Americas4 (Asia: the highest-ranked team at the Asian qualification event)
IHF Olympic Qualification Tournaments6
Host (USA)1
  • Each team at LA28 has 14 players; 12 teams per gender.
  • Handball is also on the 2026 Asian Games programme (with beach handball at the World Games). [3][4][5]
  • India's Senior National Men's Handball Championship was won by Kerala for the first time, 34–31 over Chandigarh; Services and Indian Railways reached the semi-finals. India has also hosted the Asian women's championship and the IHF Trophy youth and junior Asian phase in Lucknow. [6][7]

Government cash award for a senior handball medal (₹ lakh) [9]

Government cash award for a senior handball medal (₹ lakh)
EventGoldSilverBronze
Olympic Games755030
Asian Games / Commonwealth Games302010
World Championship (every 2 years)20148
Asian Championship (every 2 years)7.552.5

In team events every squad member, reserves included, gets 75% of the individual amount. [9]

03 Physical benchmarks & anti-doping

Protective kit and anti-doping

  • The IHF publishes separate regulations on protective equipment and accessories; the team official confirms before the game that all players are correctly equipped, and a player with faulty equipment must leave the court until it is fixed. [2]
  • Under the anti-doping code you must be available for testing and check every medicine against the Prohibited List; apply to NADA for a TUE if you need a banned medicine. [10]
04 Grassroots-to-elite residential pipeline

From the school team to the India squad

  1. 1Grassroots & local entry From 8
  2. 2State to national breakthrough 12–18 · U19
  3. 3National camp & elite trials Scouted · senior
  4. 4International orbit LA28
The full Handball roadmap has its own page

Every stage from first club to the international level, the detailed route, the age-by-age ladder and what to eat from stage 1, with sources.

📍 See The Journey / Full Roadmap
05 Top elite academies & cities

Where India's handball players train

SAI National Centre of Excellence with handball [11]

SAI National Centre of Excellence with handball
CentreOther sports there
Gandhinagar, GujaratKabaddi, kho-kho, athletics, powerlifting, swimming, table tennis (para)

Handball is also taught at SAI Training Centres (ages 12–18) and in SAI's school and college extension centres. [11]

06 Equipment costs & who pays

A low-kit team sport — and who pays

  • Handball needs a ball of the right size, shoes and a court; teams usually provide balls and halls. Education Margdarshan does not print shop prices — no governing body publishes them. [1]

Who pays — handball ladder [11][12]

Who pays — handball ladder
StagePaid byWhat you get
SAI centre traineeSports Authority of IndiaCoaching, boarding, sports science, diet
Khelo India athleteMinistry of Youth Affairs & Sports₹6.28 lakh a year incl. ₹1.20 lakh cash
Athlete in hardshipPDU National Welfare FundUp to ₹2.50 lakh
07 Earning channels & central job quotas

Railways, CRPF, police and central sports-quota jobs

  • Western Railway's 2026-27 sports quota had Level 1 handball posts — men's right wing and goalkeeper, women's right back and left back.
  • CRPF's 2026 sports quota had 12 handball posts.
  • Police and central armed forces field handball teams: the All India Police Handball Cluster 2025-26 had teams from 30 forces, with SSB (women) and CISF (men) as champions. [14][15][8]
  • Handball is one of the 65 sports in the central sports quota for Group C posts, with up to 5 years' age relaxation (10 for SC/ST). [13]
08 Disqualification traps

Fouls that cost teams

  • Four steps or four seconds with the ball — free throw to the opponents.
  • Stepping into the goal area as a court player.
  • Faulty substitution, or coming back on during a suspension — another 2-minute suspension.
  • Passive play — the referees take the ball away. [1]
09 Real-world player doubts

Jobs, height and certificates — straight answers

Which government jobs can handball get me?

Handball is well served: Western Railway's 2026-27 notice had Level 1 posts for men and women, CRPF's 2026 quota had 12 handball posts, police and central forces run an all-India handball competition, and DoPT lists handball for central Group C posts. [14][15][8][13]

Sports-quota job routes open in 2026 — age, qualifying results, pay [14][15]

Sports-quota job routes open in 2026 — age, qualifying results, pay
RouteAgeMain qualifying resultsPay level
Railways Level 5/4 (graduates)18–25 on 1 Jan 2027Played the Olympics, or top 3 at a World Cup, World Championship, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games or Youth OlympicsLevel 5/4
Railways Level 3/2 (12th, or 10th + apprenticeship)18–25 on 1 Jan 2027Top 3 at Senior, Youth or Junior Nationals, National Games or All India Inter-University; or Federation Cup goldLevel 3/2
Railways Level 118–25 on 1 Jan 2027Played for your state and finished at least 8th at Senior Nationals; or top 3 at the Federation CupLevel 1
CRPF Head Constable (GD) (10+2)18–23 on 1 Aug 2026; sportspersons get +5 years (OBC +8, SC/ST +10)Played for India; or top 3 for your state at Nationals or National Games; or gold/silver at Junior NationalsLevel 4 · ₹25,500–81,100
CRPF Constable (GD) (10th pass)18–23 on 1 Aug 2026; sportspersons get +5 years (OBC +8, SC/ST +10)Played for your state at Senior or Junior Nationals; or top 3 at SGFI school nationals or Khelo India GamesLevel 3 · ₹21,700–69,100

Railways count results from 1 April 2024; CRPF counts the two years before 30 September 2026. Railways fee ₹500 (₹400 back if you attend the trial; ₹250, refunded in full on attending, for SC/ST, women, PwBD, minorities, ex-servicemen and EBC). CRPF fee ₹100 for UR/OBC/EWS men; free for women, SC, ST and ex-servicemen. CRPF picks sign a ₹1 lakh bond to serve at least 3 years. [14][15]

We are a lower-middle-class family. Can my child still play?

Yes — handball needs little personal kit. Aim for SAI Training Centres and the Gandhinagar NCOE, where coaching, boarding and diet are paid, and for Khelo India support of ₹6.28 lakh a year. [1][11][12]

Does any 'national' certificate count for a job?

No. Railways will not recruit on a certificate from a federation MoYAS did not recognise at the time of the championship, and CRPF counts only championships of MoYAS-recognised federations or the IOA's National Games. Handball has had rival bodies in India — check that your nationals are held by the federation recognised by the Sports Ministry. [14][15]

10 Official sources & verification

Where these facts come from

Every fact on this Education Margdarshan page is taken from the governing body's own rule book or a Government of India file below, read on 17 October 2026. Federations change rules, weight classes and scheme amounts — open the current file before you act on it.

  1. IHF — Rules of the Game: Indoor Handball (English, July 2025 edition) (opens in a new tab) Court, playing time by age, ball sizes, team of 16 with 7 on court, goal area, 3 steps / 3 seconds, passive play, 7-metre throw, 2-minute suspension · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
  2. IHF — Regulations on Protective Equipment and Accessories (opens in a new tab) Allowed protective equipment and accessories · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
  3. IHF — Qualification System, LA28 Olympic Games: Handball (version 12 May 2026; copy published by DOSB) (opens in a new tab) 12 teams per gender of 14, World champion, continental (incl. Asia) and OQT routes, host · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
  4. Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games — Sports (opens in a new tab) Handball at the 2026 Asian Games · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
  5. International World Games Association — The World Games 2025, Chengdu (opens in a new tab) Beach handball at the World Games · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
  6. All India Radio News — Kerala clinches Senior National Men's Handball Championship title (opens in a new tab) Kerala beat Chandigarh 34–31; Services and Railways in semi-finals · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
  7. All India Radio News — IHF Trophy Men's Youth & Junior Handball Championship kicks off in Lucknow (opens in a new tab) Continental phase (Asia) in Lucknow · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
  8. All India Radio News — All India Police Handball Cluster 2025-26 concludes at SSB FTR HQ, Siliguri (opens in a new tab) 80 teams from 30 police and CAPF organisations; SSB and CISF champions · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
  9. MYAS — Scheme of Cash Incentive to Medal Winners (amended 1 Feb 2025) (opens in a new tab) Award amounts; handball World and Asian Championships (biennial); 75% for team members · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
  10. NADA India — Athlete's Rights & Responsibilities (opens in a new tab) Testing availability, Prohibited List, TUE · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
  11. SAI — Brief on Sports Promotional Schemes 2024-25 (opens in a new tab) Handball NCOE (Gandhinagar), STCs, extension centres · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
  12. PIB — Financial Support to Athletes (5 Aug 2024) (opens in a new tab) Khelo India, welfare fund · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
  13. DoPT — Instructions on Recruitment/Promotion for Sportspersons (18 Nov 2022) (opens in a new tab) Handball in the 65-sport list, Group C · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
  14. Western Railway RRC — Employment Notice RRC/WR/01/2026 (Sports Quota), 27 Aug 2026 (opens in a new tab) Level 1 handball posts (men RW, GK; women RB, LB), Under-19 Junior National Handball Championship, age 18–25, MoYAS-recognition rule · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
  15. CRPF — Recruitment of Meritorious Sportspersons, HC & Constable (GD), Sports Quota 2026 (Advt. R.II-21/2026-Sports, 17 Sep 2026) (opens in a new tab) 12 handball posts, age and relaxation, qualifications, fee, ₹1 lakh bond · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
  16. SAI NSNIS Patiala — Six Week Certificate Course in Sports Coaching (opens in a new tab) 6 weeks (4 online, 2 offline), ₹14,800, Class 12 + district-level top 3 or state / inter-university / SGFI / national participation · Last checked 19 Oct 2026
  17. SAI NSNIS Patiala — Diploma in Sports Coaching (course page, 2026-27) (opens in a new tab) 1 year, ₹63,800, 785 + 104 seats in 26 disciplines at Patiala, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Thiruvananthapuram; Category A (Class 12 + international record), B (graduation + national record) · Last checked 19 Oct 2026
  18. ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition — Dietary Guidelines for Indians (booklet), Guideline 8 (opens in a new tab) Cereal-pulse 3:1 protein quality, vegetarian and non-vegetarian protein sources; most athletes meet protein needs from food, protein powders unnecessary · Last checked 19 Oct 2026
  19. NADA India — Managing the Risk of Nutritional Supplements (opens in a new tab) Supplement risk, strict liability, food-first approach · Last checked 15 Oct 2026

Spotted something out of date? Email margdarshan07support10@gmail.com with the official link and Education Margdarshan will update it.

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