From the beach to the EHF EURO: the rise of Greek handball

Kerlidi’s experience on the sand this year and previously will certainly be a boost for Greece when they take to the Women’s EHF EURO court in December. She says her initial reaction to qualifying for the EHF EURO was: “What did we just do now?”

She adds: “We were so thrilled, so amazed. I need to admit, while we were playing the last match against Spain, the girls who were playing were completely focused on the match, and we didn't realize we had qualified. The others on the bench started celebrating, and we were looking like what is going on? Did we really qualify? After a couple of seconds, we understood that we did it. Then it was just pure paradise.”

It was a culmination of a long journey. Before the EHF EURO qualifiers, the Greek squad was shaken up. Experienced players ended their careers for the national team; younger players came in who had been playing together for many years, including Kerlidi.

“The fact that we managed to do something like that together was like the best feeling in the world. I’m getting chills talking about it,” she adds.

Sleeves and volume up

It is not hard to spot the 25-year-old on the court. Kerlidi likes — or rather needs — to play with her sleeves rolled up.

“I don't know if beach handball affected me on this, but for the last five or six years, I have always put my sleeves up. I feel more comfortable playing like that. At first, I was told that I shouldn’t do it, but I didn’t feel good. I feel more ready when my sleeves are up,” she explains.

That is not the only routine that shows what kind of person Kerlidi is. Before matches, she gets into her zone and doesn’t “want to hear anything else than my music at full volume”. When warming up, Kerlidi recaps her preparations, thinks about the opponent’s goalkeeper and while doing that, she mostly listens to rock and roll or Brazilian Portuguese music.

“I have a lot of Brazilian and Portuguese teammates, I’m in love with the language and they taught me a bit,” Kerlidi says.

Music plays a big role in her preparation in general. “When I’m putting on makeup I give a little concert at home. This brings me the dopamine that I need. If I don’t do this, I don’t have the energy for the match.”

“My mum wanted me to run”

Kerlidi started playing handball when she turned 11 years old, in 2011.

“I also tried other sports, but I loved running and scoring goals as well as the energy. My mum sent me to handball because I was a little fat and she just wanted me to run,” Kerlidi says. “She also wanted me to feel this team spirit. That’s why she didn’t choose track and field.”

In 2016, Kerlidi got introduced to beach handball. Maria Karantoni, now the head coach of the Greek women’s beach handball team, invited a few players of the same age to introduce them to beach handball.

“She nominated me because I had a good jump shot. Afterwards, she took me to the Beach EURO and World Championship in 2017 and 2018. After that, the rest is history. I have been part of the team since then. I’m very thankful for her support.”

It is no wonder that it was a perfect match between Kerlidi and beach handball.

“It’s totally different from indoors. The vibe, the sport, everything. I love the sun. I love summer. It's my favourite time of the year,” she says.

Her medal collection on the beach is impressive: world champion in 2018, and a gold and silver medal at the Mediterranean Beach Games 2019 and 2023. The team also just missed out on bronze at their home world championship in 2022 when they lost against the Netherlands in a shoot-out. Another world championship medal could be on the cards now in Zagreb, especially if Kerlidi, who was the top scorer for Greece at the EHF Beach Handball EURO 2025, is on form.

“We need fresh minds”

The Greek women’s beach handball national team have become regulars at major championships and the men’s team also reached fourth place at the home world championship at home.

Indoors, the women’s national team will take part in an EHF EURO for the first time, and the men’s national team have qualified for a world championship for the first time since 2005. At club level, Kerlidi’s PAOK and men’s side Olympiacos SFP both went deep into the EHF European Cup this year; Olympiacos were also runners-up in the competition in 2024.

This raises the question how the sport can keep growing in Greece.

“Generally, in Greece, handball is not well known, so not everyone knows exactly what it is. However, a lot of kids are coming in more and more, but we generally need better advertising within our organisation. Also, from our federation and from the clubs.

“Handball is changing over the years. It's not like we play the same handball as we did two decades ago. We need fresh minds, we need new people who study the sport, who love the sport, so they can teach it the correct way,” Kerlidi explains.

Kerlidi and her teammates want to do their part on the court. “We became idols out of the blue. This is my favourite part, to tell you the truth, when playing for the national team and for my club, now. After matches, it doesn't even matter if you lose or you win, all the children see you, and they say: ‘Oh, how beautiful is this? I need to be like her!’ This is the true pure happiness that you take from all of this.”

The team want to help by discussing how to develop the sport further with the people in charge at the federation and clubs.

Enjoying the EHF EURO journey

In December, Greece will play in group C in Antalya, Türkiye, against Denmark, Spain, and the hosts. Even though, Kerlidi knows about the work the staff will put into the preparation, the main focus for her is to enjoy the journey.

“It’s our first time and we don’t know if this will happen again. We will try to reach the best result that we can and hopefully inspire the next generations,” she notes.

Being part of the beach handball national team for such a long time will help her deal with the pressure that comes while playing a major tournament indoors.

“I started from a young age to have a big role in beach handball. I know it's a different sport, but I don't think the mentality of an athlete changes across sports. It stays the same. So, I learned a lot from beach handball. When the match is tight, you need to know how to be calm, how to control your mind in order to put the ball into the back of the net, so you can take the advantage. These experiences were huge for me,” she concludes.

Photos © kolektiff images; Paris Sarrikostas