More than 800 students from universities across the UK are coming to Medway to compete in the British University Handball Championships.

On 18 and 19 March, they’ll be going head to head to win the title at Medway Park in Gillingham, the council’s centre of sporting excellence renowned for hosting national and international tournaments.

The event was first held in 2012 and has grown significantly year on year in line with the surge in popularity of the Olympic sport of handball as a legacy of London 2012. Local teams representing the University of Kent will be among the 72 teams from all over the UK taking part.

England Handball took over organisation of the championships for the 2016/17 season and selected Medway Park as this year’s finals venue.

David Meli, chief executive of England Handball, said: “Medway Park is a great venue for handball. This was shown when it hosted the Men’s Under-21 European qualifiers, and the recent EHF Women’s Challenge Cup ties between Olympia and LK Zug of Switzerland.

“I know the university teams will be impressed by the facilities at Medway Park and I am looking forward to watching a weekend of great handball, as the university competition reaches its exciting conclusion.”

The two-day tournament will include men’s and women’s competitions, with matches also being played at Brompton Academy due to the large scale of the event.

Spectators are welcome and can simply turn up on the day, although space will be extremely limited. Anyone interested in trying the sport of handball can do so through Medway Dragons Handball Club, based at Medway Park.

Other sporting events coming up at Medway Park

The University Handball Championships is the first event in a busy year of major sports events at Medway Park.

Elite table tennis returns to Medway on 6 and 7 May with the England Table Tennis Cadet and Junior National Table Tennis Championships. This follows the success of last November’s international women’s team championships qualification match when England beat Slovenia at Medway Park.

The first ever UK Open Pickleball Championships in 2017 will be staged at Medway Park from 26 to 28 May. National and international players will travel to Medway to compete over three days in this emerging paddle sport that combines elements of tennis, badminton and table tennis.

From 9 to 11 June there’ll be international events between British and Dutch teams with sports including sitting volleyball and football as part of the 350th anniversary of the Battle of Medway.

The focus then shifts to the Olympic sport of judo. The annual Kent International Judo competition takes place on 24 and 25 June, followed by the National Judo Championships on 1 July.

The bumper summer of live sporting action will close with the Wheelchair Rugby League Grand Final national on Saturday, 16 September.

To find out more about events taking place at Medway Park, as well as other council-run sporting activities visit www.medway.gov.uk/leisurecultureandsport/sport.aspx

Medway Council’s Portfolio Holder for Community Services Cllr Howard Doe said: “We’re pleased to be hosting the finals of the British University Handball Championships and look forward to welcoming the hundreds of university students to Medway.

“We have an extensive programme of sporting events taking place in Medway, and we hope it will not only further highlight the area as a location for major sporting competitions but also inspire local people to watch, enjoy and take part in more activities.”