Robert White (born 5 April 1983) is a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball or Olympic handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of throwing it into the g ...

player. At the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

he competed with the

Great Britain men's national handball team The Great Britain men's national handball team is the national handball team of Great Britain and is controlled by the British Handball Association which is jointly operated by the England Handball Association and the Scottish Handball Associati ...

in the men's tournament.

Early life

White spent his childhood in

Milton Keynes Milton Keynes ( ) is a city and the largest settlement in Buckinghamshire, England, about north-west of London. At the 2021 Census, the population of its urban area was over . The River Great Ouse forms its northern boundary; a tributary ...

where he participated in a variety of sports including football, karate and swimming. He later played

Non-League football Non-League football describes football leagues played outside the top leagues of a country. Usually, it describes leagues which are not fully professional. The term is primarily used for football in England, where it is specifically used to de ...

for Newport Pagnell Town and Ardley United. He later completed FA coaching qualifications and graduated from the University of Northampton with a degree in Sport and Exercise Science.

Introduction to handball

White began his handball career via a UK Sport scheme to unearth potential Olympic athletes. After impressing during trials, he earned a scholarship with Austrian club

Bregenz Handball Bregenz Handball is a handball club from Bregenz, Austria. They currently compete in the Handball Liga Austria. History Bregenz Handball was founded in 1946 at the divisions of SC Schwarz-Weiß Bregenz. The team initially played in the German ...

. After 4 months at his new club, he moved on to the Great Britain academy in Denmark before signing professional terms with Greek club AO Kydon Chania. He then moved to French club Valence for the final season before the Olympic games commenced.

2012 Olympics

White captained Team GB Handball during the Olympics. The team lost all of its games, finishing the competition with a goal difference of minus 96.

Post Olympics

Following the end of the Olympics, White decided to remain in the UK, taking a role at a British Handball Centre of Excellence. In 2013, White was made player-coach of a new handball side in Milton Keynes. In 2015, White was head coach of the British Handball squad. Since this, White now acts as the National Performance Manager for England Handball Association, and manages the EHA Talent Pathway, in addition to the DiSE (Diploma in Sporting Excellence) program, formerly known as AASE (Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence), aimed at talented Under 18s.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:White, Robert Living people 1983 births People from Milton Keynes Handball players at the 2012 Summer Olympics Olympic handball players of Great Britain British male handball players Sportspeople from Buckinghamshire Newport Pagnell Town F.C. players Ardley United F.C. players Association footballers not categorized by position