Handball national coach Joa: “Women ask more questions than men”

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Knut Ove Joa (46) loves handball through and through. Without this love, he would not be the coach of the Swiss national women’s team today.

In 1999, a serious back injury during strength training almost ended Joa’s love affair with handball. A fateful blow for the then 23-year-old professional. “I hardly slept for a year and first had to come to terms with it mentally,” he remembers. He accompanies his then girlfriend and now wife, also a professional football player, to training every day. At some point he decides to try becoming a coach.

The fact that he has mainly coached women’s teams since then is not important to Joa. “It’s actually not a big difference for men. Except women always question the consequences of your decisions. As a coach you have to be prepared for that.”

When it comes to handball, Joa sees herself more as a Scandinavian than a Norwegian. In addition to his home country, he was active as a player and coach in Denmark for several years. His most important mentor is from Sweden. “I now want to bring this culture to Swiss handball.” The culture ensures that Joa wants to give his players as much responsibility as possible. “You’ll notice when I’m not happy.”

Contact with the Swiss association came about through a tip from those around him. He also knows his predecessor Martin Albertsen very well. «Switzerland has done well in recent years, both for men and women. Hardly any other country has made such great progress,” says Joa.

Joa still lives in Norway

When asked about his goals for the women’s national team, Joa remains vague. The focus is of course on the European Championship at home at the end of 2024. “For me it is important that the players perform with heart and soul. They should radiate pride and joy when they play for their country. I am convinced that in a year and a half they will be ready for such a highlight.”

A year and a half seems like a lot. Until then, Joa only has four to five appointments to form his team for the European Championship. ‘We shouldn’t worry about that. We can use the time better than looking for excuses,” he says.

Unlike his predecessor Albertsen, Joa only takes care of the A-Nati instead of the young people in a dual mandate. He therefore continues to live in his hometown of Stavanger. As Swiss national coach, he will play for the first time next week in the context of the European Championship. On October 11th we play against Austria in St. Gallen, and on the 14th Switzerland plays in Joa’s home country Norway.

Source : Blick