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USA Team Handball has selected Myrtle Beach as the site of its Collegiate National Championships, to be held April 23-April 25. The championships are expected to attract athletes from men’s and women’s college teams across the country. Spectators may watch the matches free of charge.

“We are extremely pleased to have Myrtle Beach as our host and an innovative setting for Collegiate National Championships this year,” said Steve Pastorino, USA Team Handball general manager. “Athletes can expect three days of fun, sun and great handball.”

“Once again Myrtle Beach has been chosen as the site of a national sporting event,” said Brad Dean, Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce president and CEO. “This is the area’s first national handball competition and the first such sporting event to be held at Broadway at the Beach, a top Myrtle Beach attraction, with about 14 million visitors a year.”

Handball, an Olympic sport, is an aggressive 7-on-7 team competition that takes place on an elongated basketball court. Teams will compete outdoors on temporary courts to be constructed at Broadway at the Beach. SnapSports, the official floor of USA Team Handball, will provide two state-of-the-art courts. Hampton Inn at Broadway at the Beach will serve as the official host hotel.

The sport, widely known as team handball in the United States, is played in 159 nations by 39 million people. Called “ripe for an American invasion” by TIME Magazine, handball has elements of basketball, soccer and lacrosse, making it a fast, physical and exciting sport.

Two teams, composed of six players and one goalie each, face off on a court approximately 66 feet by 131 feet. Players dribble, pass and shoot a ball into a goal. Similar to a soccer ball, men’s and women’s handballs are about 22-23 inches and 21-22 inches in circumference, respectively, making it easy to grip in one hand.

Although about 40 feet longer than a basketball court, a handball court is similar in appearance: Half circles on both ends of the court mark the goal area, a zone that extends about 20 feet in front of the goal, which is 6 feet 7 inches tall and 10 feet wide. The 12 court players may not step in this area, which challenges them to make NBA-style leaps over the line and shoot while in the air. Successful scoring attempts result in a single point. Defensive play is fierce, allowing aggressive person-to-person full body contact to prevent the offense from shooting.

Final scores in this action-packed game are typically in the 30s. A regulation game is played in two 30-minute halves with one team timeout per half. The clock stops only for team timeouts and injuries and at the referee’s discretion.

For more information, visit USATeamHandball.org.