Handball: Naming, TV rights, future play-offs… 'I learned to swim by diving in,' says the National League president

Fabrice Boutet, in his first season as president of the French National Handball League (LNH), described his initial year as a period of significant engagement and progress. He expressed satisfaction with the "real involvement" and "real desire to progress, innovate, and work together" demonstrated by all stakeholders in professional handball.

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What was interesting first and foremost for me was to see the involvement of all the actors and all the entities of professional handball. There is a real involvement, a real desire to progress, to innovate and to work together.

On the sporting front, Boutet observed a growing level of competition and combativeness in both the StarLigue and ProLigue. He was particularly pleased by the "very good state of mind" maintained by the players, noting that the championships are becoming "increasingly disputed."

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Then, on a purely sporting level, whether it's the StarLigue or the ProLigue, we have two increasingly disputed championships that are progressing in terms of competition and combativeness, but always in a very good state of mind. It's something that really surprised me positively.

A key achievement highlighted by Boutet was the improved collaboration with the French Handball Federation. "There is a real collaboration that allows us, each with our particular interests, to work on a common foundation," he stated, referring to advancements in player development conventions and training programs.

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Finally, there is work that we have carried out with the Federation on our conventions, on the desire to advance our training, which has given rise to a real collaboration that allows us, each with our particular interests, to work on a common foundation.