GREAT Britain handball aces Lynn McCafferty and Kelsi Fairbrother have both signed professional contracts with top European clubs for next season, as their development into Olympic stars continues.
Fairbrother, a 19-year-old winger from Aldershot in Hampshire, will play for Danish team TST Hjorring, who finished third in the First Division last season.
Pictured right, Fairbrother is the first British player to sign a professional contract from the GB handball stars who joined the World Class Handball Programme three years ago.
McCafferty, the 30-year-old playmaker and captain of the GB side from Cumbernauld near Glasgow, is pictured below.
She will play in Italy for Brixen, a Second Division side who are pushing for promotion back into the top flight after relegation last season.
Lorraine Brown, British Handball’s Performance Director, said: “It is wonderful news for both players, which is very much deserving. As graduates of the British Handball Academy they have worked extremely hard to achieve the level they are now playing at and I know they will continue to gain valuable competitive experience and look to make significant contributions in their new club’s next season.
“More and more, we are seeing British handballers playing and making a positive impact in leagues across Europe. This can only enhance the performance level of GB teams as we work towards competing and making a competitive impact at the London 2012 Olympic Games.”
Other members of both the men’s and women’s GB squad are expected to agree deals with clubs across the continent this summer, and continue their development into top level handballers.
