Humans of Beach Handball: Simon Møss

“My beach handball adventure actually started because of a serious back injury that I sustained during a summer camp in indoor handball. The injury resulted in a fracture in my spine and meant that I missed out on a potentially great experience as a youth player indoors,” Møss explains.

“When I had finally recovered, the then youth national coach for indoor handball, Claus Hansen, called me and asked if I wanted to try my hand at beach handball.”

Møss gave it a go, and found a love for the sand that has only grown as the years have gone on.

“Over time — and through all the people and experiences the sport has given me — I found that beach handball contains a very special community. There is a unique unity across nations and an atmosphere that is almost impossible to explain, but must be experienced,” he says.

“The combination of community, experiences and the pursuit of the big goals is where I find my passion and motivation for the sport.”

Møss made his debut for the Danish beach handball team in 2017 and is fast-approaching 100 games for Denmark, scoring over 1,000 points to date. For the national team, Møss has won EHF Beach Handball EURO gold in 2021 and bronze in 2023, as well as silver at the 2022 and 2024 World Championships.

He was named MVP at the 2019 Beach Handball Champions Cup and won the competition in 2023 with his club side, Rødby Beach Boys, and is regularly nominated for All-star Teams.

“When you try to stand at the top of the podium, you only become even more motivated — especially when you are still missing a World Championship gold,” Møss says.

“It is one of the major driving forces in my continued beach handball career: the dream of getting that world cup gold medal around my neck,” adds the 30-year-old handball player, who currently works in the banking world.

Although everyday life is characterised by more than sand, medals and handball, the time with the national team in particular is very special for Møss.

“Being part of the Danish national team is a special thing. We are now a group that has been through a lot together and have a lot of common experiences in our luggage. We know each other inside and out, both on and off the field.

“At the same time, a new generation of young players is knocking on the door to become part of the national team, and at some point a generational change will be inevitable — the only question is when,” he points out.

Simon Møss has several anecdotes from his time as a national team player, and one of them goes back to 2019.

“Just before we were due to leave for the European Championship in Poland in 2019, I went to the optician because I thought my vision had noticeably deteriorated,” Møss reveals.  

“It turned out that I had +3.5 in my left eye and +2.5 in my right eye and the optician said it was incredible that I could make my everyday life work, as he jokingly said that ‘I was almost blind’. I was so late that the optician wasn’t sure he could get lenses home in time for the European Championship,” he continues.

“Until then, I had never tried to finish anything other than seventh at the European Championships, and we honestly had no expectations that we would be competing for medals. The optician said he would make an urgent order because he didn’t want to be the cause of my not being able to see — and maybe even making a fool of myself in a European Championship final. I laughed and told him that he didn’t need to make any extra effort because the chances of us being in a European Championship final were almost non-existent.”

Møss underestimated his team’s ability, while the optician came through.

“But the lenses arrived — the day before departure. We ended up winning the final and taking home European Championship gold for the first time ever. The tournament completely changed our self-perception and showed us that we could actually be among the very best,” Møss adds.

Møss has shared his beach handball journey with many others, both in Denmark and further afield.

“My club team Rødby Beach has collaborated with the Aarhus club HEI Beach Handball on the ebt tour for many years. One of the biggest driving forces behind the collaboration being able to work has been Martin Vilstrup Andersen,” Møss says, referring to his fellow Danish legend.

“In recent years, I have also developed a very close relationship with several Spanish and Portuguese players. It actually started with me starting to learn Spanish as a hobby, because I noticed that much of the communication internationally was in Spanish, and I was tired of not being able to follow what the players were saying on the pitch for the opposing team,” he explains.

“It developed into a special bond with Spaniard Hugo Madera and Portuguese Rui Rodrigues in particular, and I have since played for the Portuguese team Tigres a few times.”

Møss says he has also appreciated games with and against the likes of Dutchman Thomas van Ophem, and Manu Rado, Borja Totti, José Silva and Joel Cantador from Spain and Portugal.

But nothing lasts forever, particularly in the world of sport. When Simon Møss finally ends his career, there are some very special things that he hopes he will be remembered for.

“Basically, I hope that I have been seen as someone who has given more than he has taken,” he reveals. “I hope people have been able to see that I have always wanted the best for the sport and everyone involved in and around it.

“Ultimately, it would mean a lot if the young and the next generation felt that I was a good ambassador and that I was someone they could use to establish themselves in the sport,” Møss concludes.

Photos © Kolektiff Images