Handball · Careers
How to build a handball career in Nigeria
From school courts to the Golden Arrows and clubs in Europe: every step, what players earn, the careers around the game and the rules that protect you.
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Careers in handball
Your road to a handball career
Handball is fast, physical and still growing in Nigeria. It needs only a court, a ball and two goals, and it rewards the things many Nigerian children already have: speed, strength, a strong throwing arm and courage. The sport has been organised here since 1972, Nigeria joined the International Handball Federation in 1974, and the men played the 1999 World Championship in Egypt.
This page is written for young players, parents, PE teachers and grassroots coaches. It explains each stage from school handball to the national team and a professional contract abroad, how people actually make a living in the sport, and the coaching, refereeing and other careers around the court. Every figure was checked on 1 October 2026.
One honest truth before you start: most handball players in Nigeria are not full-time professionals. The league is small and the money is modest. But the door to Europe is real, and a Sokoto teenager has already walked through it. If you combine talent with school, discipline and the right club, handball can take you a long way.
Career facts · Checked 1 October 2026
Nigerian handball careers in numbers
-
1999
World Championship
Nigeria's men played in Egypt and finished 23rd.
-
6th
Africa 2026
The men's finish in Kigali, with four wins in seven games.
-
₦2.5m
League winners' prize
Under the Ardova sponsorship announced in 2023.
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14
Faruk Yusuf's age
When he was named best player of the 2018 national championship.
The pathway at a glance
Six stages from school court to professional
Ages are a guide, not a rule. Handball rewards athletes who arrive late from other sports.
Age 8 to 12
School and mini handball
Learn to catch, pass, jump and throw. Many children first meet handball in school PE lessons and inter-house sports.
Age 10 to 15
Join a club, academy or state team
The national under-12 and under-15 championships are where Nigeria's youngest talent is seen. Academies now enter teams too.
Age 14 to 18
Youth national teams
Nigeria's under-18 women played the IHF Youth World Championship in 2024 after winning bronze in Africa in 2023.
Age 16 and up
A Premier League club
The national Handball Premier League has men's and women's divisions. Clubs such as Kano Pillars and Safety Babes have been champions.
Age 18 and up
The senior national team
Nigeria's men, the Golden Arrows, finished sixth at the 2026 African Championship in Kigali.
Age 18 and up
A professional contract abroad
Faruk Yusuf went from Sokoto Rima to clubs in Morocco, Poland, Spain and France.
Step by step
Eight steps to a handball career
Follow these in order. Each step builds on the one before it.
Learn the game at school, and stay in school
Handball is played in two halves of 30 minutes by teams of seven: six court players and a goalkeeper. It is taught in many Nigerian schools, and the Handball Federation of Nigeria (HFN) traces its first competitive team to secondary school students selected for the 1973 All-Africa Games in Lagos.
- Ask your PE teacher if your school has a handball team, or start one.
- Play other sports too: basketball, volleyball and athletics all build handball skills.
- Keep up your grades. Very few players earn a full living from handball, so education is your safety net.
Join a club or academy that plays in national youth events
The HFN runs national championships for under-12 and under-15 boys and girls. When Sokoto hosted them in 2020, 26 teams took part and nearly half came from handball academies, after the HFN changed its rules to let academies enter. Tojemarine Sports Academy won two of the four titles. In March 2025 the championships were held in Umuahia, Abia State, where Abia won both under-15 titles and Benue and Sokoto took the under-12 crowns.
Before you join a club or academy, watch a session, meet the coach and ask which competitions it enters.
Build the athlete as well as the player
Handball allows controlled body contact, so you need strength, speed and good conditioning. The most common injuries are muscle strains in the shoulder and elbow and back pain, and most can be prevented with proper conditioning. Warm up properly, strengthen your shoulders and core, and rest when you are hurt.
Get noticed at state and national championships
Results at national youth championships, school competitions and the national league are what selectors see. Faruk Yusuf was only 14 when he was named best player of Nigeria's senior national championship in 2018, playing for Sokoto Rima. Ask your coach to keep video of your best games and to register you properly for every event.
Earn a youth or senior national team call-up
Nigeria's under-18 women made history at the 2024 IHF Women's Youth World Championship in China, the country's first women's team at an IHF world championship. They qualified by winning bronze at the 2023 African youth championship, beating Angola 28-24. The senior men, coached by Rafiu Salami, beat Algeria and Zambia on their way to the quarter-finals of the 2026 African Championship in Kigali.
Play in the national league
The Handball Premier League is the top level at home. In 2023 the HFN announced a three-year sponsorship deal with Ardova PLC, with 22 teams (12 men's and 10 women's), a ₦2.5 million prize for the winners and ₦500,000 for each team's preparation. Leading clubs in our records include FRSC, Kano Pillars, Edo Dynamos, Benue Buffaloes, Niger United, Lagos Seasiders, Civil Defence and the Nigerian Army.
Go abroad the right way
Nigerian players have played professionally in Morocco, Qatar, Israel, Poland, Spain and France. A real move comes from a real club, with a written contract you have read with your parents or a lawyer. See The road to Europe below for how one Nigerian teenager did it.
Plan for life after playing
Coaching, refereeing, teaching PE, physiotherapy and club management all keep you in the sport. Start your first coaching or refereeing course while you are still playing, so a second career is ready when your playing days end.
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Abroad
The road to Europe
Many young Nigerians ask whether handball can take them overseas. It can, and one recent story shows the road.
Faruk Yusuf: from Sokoto to Limoges
Faruk Yusuf was born in Sokoto and discovered handball at his local club, Sokoto Rima, with whom he won the national youth championship in 2017. In 2018, aged 14, he was named best player of the senior national championship. Later that year he moved to Morocco with Mountada Derb Sultan. In 2020 the Polish giants Kielce signed him, then loaned him to Granollers in Spain, where in 2023/24 he scored 210 goals in 51 games and reached the final of the European League. Since 2024 he has played for Limoges Handball in France. With Nigeria he won bronze at the 2023 African Games.
What his story teaches
- Domestic results come first. He was seen because he dominated national youth and senior championships.
- Africa can be a stepping stone. North African clubs have given Nigerian players their first professional contracts.
- Keep playing for Nigeria. International matches at the African Championship and African Games are seen by scouts across the world.
Our records also list Nigerians who have played abroad for Al Shamal in Qatar, KMC Marrakech in Morocco and Maccabi Holon in Israel. Read more on our national teams and players page.
Pay
Making a living from handball
Handball pay in Nigeria is modest, and much of what you hear is rumour. These are the figures we could verify.
| Level | What we could verify | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Premier League winners | ₦2.5 million prize, under the Ardova sponsorship announced in 2023 | Pulse Sports, 2023 |
| Premier League teams | ₦500,000 preparation subsidy for each team | Pulse Sports, 2023 |
| Professional clubs abroad | Salaries depend entirely on the club and league; no reliable figure is published for Nigerian players | SitesNG |
| Senior national team | No published match fee or bonus figure | SitesNG |
How players really fund themselves: most combine handball with school, university or a job. Several leading clubs in our records are teams of public bodies, such as the FRSC, Civil Defence and the Nigerian Army. Ask any club you join exactly what it provides: kit, transport, allowances, medical care or a job, and get it in writing.
Federation support also depends on development work: the National Sports Commission has told federations they must show grassroots development to receive funding for international competitions. That is good news for young players, because it pushes the sport to invest in you.
Beyond playing
Careers around the court
Not every handball career is on the court. Nigerian handball needs coaches, referees, table officials, physiotherapists, PE teachers and organisers.
| Career | How to start in Nigeria | Next level |
|---|---|---|
| Coach | Help at a school or club, then ask the HFN about IHF coaching courses. The IHF's D licence teaches progressive methods for coaching young players. | The IHF C licence covers training methods, talent development and tactics. Courses run across Africa with the African Handball Confederation. |
| Referee and table official | Ask your state handball association or the HFN about referee training. The HFN has run refresher courses for Premier League coaches and referees before the league season. | National league, African and IHF appointments. |
| PE teacher | Study physical and health education and bring handball into your school. | School and state teams, national youth championships. |
| Physiotherapist | Study physiotherapy and register with the Medical Rehabilitation Therapists Board of Nigeria. | Club and national team medical staff. |
| Club founder or organiser | Volunteer with a club or academy. Tojemarine Sport Club now hosts an international tournament in Lagos. | Club, state association or federation roles. |
The HFN president, Jibril Saidu Ojih, elected in October 2025, has said the federation wants to begin raising standards by training its technical officials, coaches and referees. If you want to coach or referee, now is a good time to put your name forward.
Women's handball
The path for girls and women
Girls' handball is one of the most exciting stories in Nigerian sport. The under-18 women won bronze at the 2023 African youth championship and then became the first Nigerian women's team at an IHF world championship, in China in 2024, with a squad of just 14 players.
- Girls play in the national under-12 and under-15 championships. In 2025 Benue won the under-12 girls' title and Abia the under-15.
- Women's clubs play in the Premier League. Safety Babes have been champions, and Lagos teams such as Seasider Babes play in international club events.
- The Tojemarine championship in Lagos in July 2026 had a women's section of eight teams from Nigeria, Benin Republic and Ghana.
Talk to your family early about your plans, show them the national team pathway, and bring them to meet your coach. Read more on our national teams page.
Stay safe
Stay safe: scams, doping and safeguarding
Handball is a safe sport when it is well organised. These rules protect young players.
Five rules that protect you
- Never pay for a trial or a contract abroad. A real club pays you. If anyone asks for money for a visa, a flight or “registration”, walk away and tell your coach or the HFN.
- Confirm any foreign offer directly with the club and with the federation before you travel. A player under 18 should never travel without a parent's consent and a written invitation.
- Play clean. In April 2025 Nigeria's National Anti-Doping Act was signed into law, creating the Nigeria Anti-Doping Centre and bringing Nigeria in line with the World Anti-Doping Code. Check every medicine and supplement with a doctor before you take it.
- Train with qualified coaches who warm you up properly and do not force you to play when injured.
- Parents and coaches: young players should train where other adults are present, and any concern about an adult's behaviour should be reported to the club, the school or the federation.
Advice from the stars
What Nigerian handball wants you to know
Every quote below was checked word for word against the outlet named under it. We add one practical lesson to each.
I want to become a professional handball player, feature in an European side and become a businesswoman.
Taiwo BabatundeNigeria under-18 women's back, 2024 IHF Youth World Championship
IHF, 15 August 2024The lesson: Write down a big goal, and a second career to go with it.
We have a lot of young players in the team, and the target is simple: to be better than the last outing...
Solomon YolaNigeria men's handball coach
Premium Times, January 2024The lesson: Measure yourself against your last performance, not against anyone else.
We are committed to elevating the standard of the game in Nigeria, starting with equipping our technical officials, coaches, and referees...
Jibril Saidu OjihPresident, Handball Federation of Nigeria
Leadership, 12 November 2025The lesson: Coaching and refereeing are real careers. The federation wants trained people.
Your first move
Where to start this week
Whatever your age, you can start this week. Tick these off:
- Ask your PE teacher or a local club if you can train with their handball team.
- Find out whether your state takes part in the national under-12 and under-15 championships.
- Practise passing, catching and shooting against a wall for 15 minutes every day.
- Strengthen your shoulders, legs and core: handball is a power sport.
- Keep your school grades up: they keep every door open.
- Never pay anyone for a trial or a contract abroad.
- Coaches and would-be referees: contact the HFN about the next course.
Find the federation's details on our Contact the Handball Federation of Nigeria page, and read the full story of the sport on our history of handball page.
Keep exploring
Explore Nigerian handball
Handball in Nigeria
The rules, the federation and the game today.Read more
History of handball
From 1972 to the African Championship of 2026.Read more
National teams and players
Results, coaches and the players in our records.Read more
Contact the HFN
How to reach the Handball Federation of Nigeria.Read more
Quick answers
Handball careers in Nigeria: your questions
How do I start playing handball in Nigeria?
Join your school team or a local club or academy and ask whether it enters the HFN's national under-12 and under-15 championships. These events, held in Sokoto in 2020 and Umuahia in 2025, are where young talent is first seen.
Can a Nigerian handball player turn professional abroad?
Yes. Faruk Yusuf went from Sokoto Rima to Mountada Derb Sultan in Morocco in 2018, signed for Kielce in Poland in 2020, played on loan at Granollers in Spain and has been at Limoges Handball in France since 2024.
How much do handball players earn in Nigeria?
No reliable salary figures are published. Under the Ardova sponsorship announced in 2023, Premier League winners receive ₦2.5 million and each team ₦500,000 for preparation. Most players combine handball with school, university or a job.
Is there a pathway for girls in Nigerian handball?
Yes. Girls play in the national under-12 and under-15 championships and in the women's Premier League. Nigeria's under-18 women played their first IHF Youth World Championship in China in 2024.
How do I become a handball coach or referee in Nigeria?
Start by helping at a school or club, then contact the Handball Federation of Nigeria about courses. The IHF runs D and C licence coaching courses in Africa with the African Handball Confederation, and the HFN has held refresher courses for league coaches and referees.
Who runs handball in Nigeria?
The Handball Federation of Nigeria, formed in 1972 as the Handball Association of Nigeria and an IHF member since 1974. Jibril Saidu Ojih was elected president in October 2025.
Should I pay an agent to arrange a handball trial abroad?
No. A genuine club pays the player, not the other way round. Confirm any offer directly with the club and with the federation before you travel.