The Ratitas, the women’s team at Islington Handball Club , emerged triumphant last Saturday, having beaten rivals Chelsea Handball Club 31-25.
Following their victory, the team members spoke to Islington Now about finding their feet – or hands – in their new home in the Premier League.
The team earned promotion last May and is currently placed fifth out of six teams in the league.
Julie Andres, Ratitas’ number 15 playing as pivot, said the team has a bit of friendly rivalry with Chelsea as a fellow London club. Still, she said, the games are always respectful.
On their first season in the Premier League, Julie said: “We had some big losses this season, which was also a great lesson for all of us to learn.”
She added that it has been a pleasure to play against higher-calibre teams: “I think this league is taken more seriously and we know what we are here for, we’re here to play a game.”
Since promotion, player numbers have gone up from 28 to 37 and the club now has two women’s teams. The second team plays in the Regional League and is ranked fifth out of nine teams.
Julie said there has been growing interest in women taking up contact sport, with the club receiving many messages on social media.
Ratitas’s number 7 Alex Vaideanu first started playing handball when she was 11. She said her favourite thing about the sport is “when all of the pieces come together, when all of the players sync up and are working and driving forward together”.
Julie said the team feels like “having a billion older sisters” sharing their wisdom.
They hope to remain in the Premier League next season and keep boosting numbers of players at all levels.
The Ratitas train twice a week on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. Their sessions are open to all players.
Araminta Plumptre is a student journalist at City University with a specific focus on her reporting beat, Finsbury Park. Araminta has by-lines at ELLE magazine and experience at The Daily Telegraph she is interested in arts and culture writing alongside international journalism.