although games in which a ball is grabbed instead of kicked exist for a very long time, handball remains a relatively recent invention. apparently it started being played in germany, in the 19th century, using a soccer field and soccer rules, the key difference being the use of the hands instead of the feet.

it only became an official sport in 1928 with the creation of the international federation for amateur handball. indoor handball then came to be in 1940 in denmark, this time changed to the seven-a-side teams we know of today.