United Handball Association
Current season, competition or edition: 2025 | |
| Game | TBA |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1947 |
| Inaugural season | 1947 |
| Commissioner | TBA |
| Motto | TBA |
| No. of teams | 40 |
| Continent | North America |
| Most recent champion(s) | TBA (TBA) |
| Most titles | TBA |
| TV partner(s) | TBA |
| Sponsor(s) | TBA |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
The United Handball Association (UHA) is a professional handball league based in North America consisting of 32 teams - 31 in the United States and 1 in Canada. It is the highest level of organized handball in the world, and is considered to be one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada.
History
Early years (1947 - 1962)
The United Handball Association was founded in 1947 by Ingvald Mannes, a Norwegian entrepreneur, alongside a coalition of former players from the United States' national handball team during the 1936 Summer Olympics. That same year, the first 8 teams were founded: the Omaha Twisters, Philadelphia Pirates, Chicago Braves, Toledo Robins, Detroit Jets, New York Crows, St. Louis Archers, and Columbus Wildcats. The league played it's first game on May 17, 1947 at Philadelphia Arena, between the Pirates and Crows. Despite early success in markets such as Philadelphia, New York, and St. Louis, the league did not immediately catch on, and games frequently struggled to draw large crowds. This led to financial difficulties which caused three of the league's inaugural franchises - the Braves, Robins, and Jets - to fold less than 10 years after their formation. These issues would be remedied in the 1950s, following a boost in popularity thanks to radio and television broadcast and financial support from businessmen such as Raymond Hooper, who later founded the Boston Chill in 1952.
After their first year of operation, the Philadelphia Pirates renamed their franchise to the Philadelphia Fireballs, so as to avoid being confused with the MLB's Pittsburgh Pirates. In 1952, the UHA received it's first two expansion teams: the Boston Chill and San Antonio Spikes. These additions were followed up three years later by the Minnesota Mustangs, which were added to the league to replace the recently folded Chicago Braves. In 1958, the UHA would absorb the much-smaller National Association of Team Handball, adding the Louisiana Crocs, Pittsburgh Spartans, Atlanta Aces, and Chicago Foxes to its roster and expanding the league's roster to 12 teams. That same year also saw the Columbus Wildcats relocate to Detroit, where they play to this day.
League expansion and competition (1962 - 1980)
After serving as the league's commissioner for 15 years, Ingvald Mannes retired in 1962 due to his declining health, giving the position to his son, Andrew Mannes. Three years later, in 1965, the St. Louis Archers and Minnesota Mustangs would relocate to Los Angeles and Phoenix respectively as part of Mannes' plan to expand the league into new markets. While the Archers' relocation was successful, the Mustangs would quickly become pariahs in their former home city of Minneapolis, prompting the league to grant the city an expansion team: the Minnesota Grips, who would begin play in 1967 alongside the Miami Spaniards.
Teams
References
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