Dear Handball Community,
Since becoming a non-profit organization (Aug. 2011), San Francisco CalHeat has grown into a more structured and viable sports organization. In the past few years, our club has enjoyed increased exposure and has attracted passionate handball players from all corners of the world, middle and high schoolers in the Bay Area intrigued by the sport, and new sponsors and partners. Our club is now slowly but surely approaching the 100 members mark and is at a crossroads.
After months reflecting on our development and growth opportunities, we have decided to establish a vision and set of key priorities to achieve by the end of the 2024/25 season. This document outlines our ‘2025 Strategic Plan’.
Mission
The Mission of San Francisco CalHeat shall be to develop, promote, educate and grow the sport of Team Handball at all levels, adult and youth, in the San Francisco Bay Area and more largely in the State of California. As an organization, we are to enable our member athletes and staff to develop and achieve sustained competitive excellence at the national, regional and local levels, as well as empower our communities to connect through the practice of the Olympic sport of Team Handball.
2025 Strategic Vision
By 2025, our organization envisions the following to be true:
- Advance our women’s and men’s teams competitiveness, develop the necessary governance and a self-sufficient club infrastructure, including a core player pipeline of approximately 80 players, to compose at least two sustainable adult teams (on both the women’s and men’s sides), competing from the beginning and up until the end of the season;
- Further develop and expand our youth program and talent pool. Double the number of middle and high school teams and athletes competing in our youth league and tournaments, develop grassroots u16 and u18 elite teams (with qualified coaching staff) to fuel our adult teams and establish a girls program similar to the youth program we have running. Register for local and international competitions, host one US Youth/Junior National Team tryout per year and be a facilitator to give US talents the opportunity to practice and play in Europe;
- Provide more opportunities to practice and play across the Bay Area: indoor, outdoor, competitive, recreational, collegiate, etc. Add additional practice slots at the Centerville Jr. High School to cover for all our core adult and youth team needs, e.g. one dedicated handball practice slot per team, at least twice a week (three times a week for our top teams). Past 2025, we want to further investigate about the possibility of having access to our own handball facility in the Bay Area;
- Define the way forward for Team Handball clubs in the US, and serve as the model to follow. Develop coaches and referees, marketing, media and livestreaming operations, and export the model to other clubs (toolbox). Lead the creation of a California (or West Coast) Team Handball Association. Establish partnership with top clubs in Europe and give the opportunity to talents to level up through these collaborations;
- Keep working on promoting a culture of inclusivity, cohesion and collaboration. Further advance our community building efforts on- and off-the-court, develop more social interactions through indoor, grass and beach handball, season-end dinners, fundraising and miscellaneous social events. Forge a unique club identity and be the reference club in the United States.
Guiding Principles (Core Values)
Leadership – we strive to become a role model (or a reference) in the US Team Handball landscape by empowering people from all backgrounds to practice and play the sport we all fell in love with.
Responsibility – we hold ourselves accountable for our decisions and actions, while striving for excellence in all that we do; we are dedicated stewards of our athletes, organization, and sport.
Teamwork – we encourage a diverse and inclusive team handball community, and work collaboratively with members, athletes and staff, partners, sponsors and stakeholders to achieve our mission.
Respect – we honor the rights, views, dignity, and inherent value of others, striving for an environment of mutual trust and respect. Though we may have different opinions, we move collectively as one and aspire for the best of our members.
Love of Sport – Love of the game is at the heart of all sports. It is the core reason that we practice and play. When we play this sport, it is because of our passion and love of the game. It is our ultimate objective to preserve that value no matter what.
Strategic Plan (Overview)
The Strategic Plan consists primarily on the following areas of focus:
- Competitive Excellence & Development of the Sport – strengthen our core pool of athletes and staff while providing more opportunities to practice and play.
- Organizational Growth – level up the organization, expand the activities and further delegate responsibilities to committees, task forces and ambassadors.
- Youth Development – grow our youth program (more teams, more schools, more competitions) and establish a viable pipeline of young athletes to feed our adult teams.
- Fundraising, Marketing & Communication – implement effective fundraising, sponsoring and marketing strategies to sustain our current and new initiatives and improve our brand recognition in the United States and internationally.
Access the Full CalHeat 2025 Strategic Plan with detailed action items if you want to dive deeper.