Handball — Step-by-Step Roadmap

1. 1
   Stage 1 · From 8 Grassroots & local entry

   School and club handball with a smaller ball and shorter games for children. [1]

2. 2
   Stage 2 · 12–18 · U19 State to national breakthrough

   Handball is one of SAI's 27 STC sports — entry by results and tests. Railways count the Junior National Handball Championship as the junior national. [11][14]

3. 3
   Stage 3 · Scouted · senior National camp & elite trials

   NCOE: Gandhinagar. Railways, Services and police teams play the nationals and offer jobs. [11][8]

4. ★
   Stage 4 · LA28 International orbit

   12 teams per gender, 14 players each: the world champion, continental winners (Asia's top team at its qualifier), 6 from IHF qualification tournaments, and the host. [3]

Fuel, from stage 1: food first. Pair cereals with pulses about 3:1 — roti or rice with dal, chana or rajma; vegetarians add milk or curd, others eggs, fish or meat. ICMR-NIN says most athletes get enough protein from food and protein powders are unnecessary; NADA warns that no supplement is risk-free. [18][19]

• 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]

The handball ladder [11][1][14][6][8]

SAI National Centre of Excellence with handball [11]

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

• 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]

• 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]

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
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
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
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