As the season comes to a close, it’s clear that BBK Handball has had an impressive run. The team went undefeated in Division 2 and secured promotion to Division 1.
Behind these results is a team that has maintained a clear focus on development throughout the season, both individually and as a group.
“I think we’ve done a great job of finding challenges this season. Even though the games haven’t always presented many challenges, the girls have focused a lot on their development and supported each other in this,” says head coach Kalia Klomp.
It's an approach where the team is constantly striving to improve, regardless of the opposition or the results.
Workplace environment as a key to the team's success
When we interviewed BBK Handball about a year ago, Kalia Klomp highlighted a perspective that may not always be obvious in sports—the work environment is just as important on a team as it is in a workplace.
That view has not changed.
– That perspective still holds true. I believe that a good atmosphere off the field leads to better play on the field.
Creating the right environment is about more than just comfort. It affects how the team communicates, how players develop, and how they handle both setbacks and successes over the course of a long season.
Throughout the season, BBK Handball has been using Hartic as a platform to gain a clearer picture of how the players perceive the team environment.
“When I joined two years ago, there was a big gap between our development team and the first team. We’ve worked hard in many different ways to build a stronger sense of unity, which in turn has led to more progress and better results,” she explains.
Hartic has made it possible to track how players perceive the team environment.
– With Hartic, we’ve been able to gauge how the girls perceive the environment and make adjustments to our program and coaching.
Key insights for the next level
Working with feedback in a structured way has also provided new insights during the season.
– Yes, absolutely. We realized that the girls wanted more personalized feedback and that the workload was too heavy for our youngest players.
Those kinds of signals can be hard to pick up on in everyday situations, but they become clear when the team regularly checks in with the players to see how they’re actually experiencing the situation.
At the same time, player engagement has grown over the course of the year.
– The girls are stepping up to the plate, and the younger ones in particular have improved rapidly over the course of the season.
The next step lies ahead as BBK Handball moves up to Division 1. With a faster pace and higher expectations, clarity and a positive team environment will become even more important.
“As performance expectations rise for our first team, transparency will be even more important for maintaining a positive work environment. Being able to gauge how the players actually feel about it is incredibly important, and it’s something we will definitely continue to do,” says Kalia Klomp.
For the club, it is clear that success is built not only on the field, but also through the culture and environment surrounding the team.
BBK Handball is one of the teams participating in our “Clubs of the Future” initiative, which helps sports clubs work in a more structured way on workplace environment, leadership, and team culture. Through short, recurring assessments, leaders and clubs gain a better understanding of how players and leaders actually experience their environment and can take timely action. Are you a club looking to develop your organization, strengthen team spirit, and create a sustainable environment for both players and leaders? Please feel free to contact us, and we’ll tell you more about how we can build the clubs of the future together.
📸 Petra Söderström.
