Denmark aim for top five at the European Beach Handball Championship

Reaching the quarter-finals is the least Morten Holmen, coach of Denmark´s women's beach handball team, would be content with at the European Championship in Denmark next month – and a position among the five best is what he is hoping for.

Holmen has just nominated his squad for the final tournament in Randers from July 9 to 14 July, and he has high hopes for his squad, even though he realises that the team may not be as strong as it used to be.

"The squad contains less experienced players, than it did at previous international champions, but still I think we have a fine mix of relatively experienced players and young, enthusiastic debutants who are eager to perform," Holmen told eurohandball.com.

"Our first goal is to reach the quarter-finals at the very least, but we also have an aim to reach the top five which will probably be enough to qualify for the World Championship next year.

"And if we get as far as the quarter-finals, anything can happen," added the coach who hopes for the home advantage to play a part.

"There may be a certain pressure, as we will probably all wish to perform well in front of our own spectators.

"However, I also expect it to be an advantage for us to play at home. Randers is known to be a good handball city, and as we all know, Denmark is a fine handball country, so I hope we will see this also when it comes to beach handball.

"I hope the weather will be fine, and that a lot of people will show up and support us," Morten Holmen said.

The Danish women's squad for the 2013 European Beach Handball Championship:

Hanne Frandsen (HK Halden) Line Gyldenløve Kristensen (Bjerringbro FH) Maj Tornøe Johansen (HC Odense) Lise Knudsen (no club) Sisse Jongberg (BK Ydun) Pernille Rahr Sørensen (BK Ydun) Melanie Fuglsbjerg (Horsens HK) Camilla Fangel (NFH Nykøbing Falster) Elisabeth Duus (Roskilde Håndbold) Emma Mogensen (SK Aarhus)

For more information visit the official website and become a fan of the EHF's official beach handball Facebook page.