SINGAPORE — It may be a minnow compared to bigger sports like football and table tennis, but that has not stopped the Handball Federation of Singapore (HFS) from dreaming big.

Despite only turning four this year, the national sports association have already set their sights on hosting the 2019 World Men’s Handball Championships.

That is not all. The HFS are also considering staging two regional championships before that: The Asian Men’s Youth (U-19) Championships in 2016 and the Asian Men’s Junior (U-21) Championships in 2018.

HFS president Mary Ang told TODAY that the plan is to use the three tournaments to gradually boost the sport’s popularity in Singapore.

Although the sport currently has over 1,000 players, 60 coaches and 40 officials, as well as 35 primary and secondary schools playing it, there is clearly room for a lot more growth and expansion.

“Handball is a beautiful sport. If we want more people to learn about this fast-paced sport, we need to invite them to our spectators’ stand and watch this sport together,” said Ang.

“Hosting an event should not be a one-time effort. We need to sustain demand and eyeballs, with a steady stream of events like the Asian Youth and Junior to get people interested and involved.”

According to the HFS blueprint, the two Asian age-group competitions will first expose Singaporeans to the region’s future handball stars.

These, in turn, will set the stage for the biggest tournament of all — the World Championships which will feature 24 of the world’s best teams and, if the HFS succeed in their bid, will be held at the S$1.33-billion Sports Hub.

To get things moving, the HFS is looking at hosting the International Handball Federation (IHF) South-east Regional Trophy tournament next year or in 2014 at either the Jurong West or Hougang Sports Halls. This will give local officials, volunteers and players sufficient time and practice to prepare for bigger tournaments, said Ang.

National U-19 captain Yeu Czech Den, who was part of the Youth Olympic Games squad in 2010, is already relishing the thought of competing against the world’s best handballers.

Said the 18-year-old Singapore Polytechnic student who is currently competing in the Malaysia Open Championships in Perak with the U-19 team: “The YOG was a great experience as I got to see how the different teams play. Handball is not that big in Singapore, so it will be nice to introduce and share the sport with my friends and family.

“I hope to see more people playing it and maybe it can become more popular than football or basketball in the future.”

Major international tournament hosting plans aside, the HFS is also trying to get handball into the Singapore School Sports Council’s (SSSC) 28-sport inter-school championships calendar in 2014.

Although some 30 schools competed in this year’s 4th Inter-School Handball Championships (‘B’ and ‘C’ division) at *SCAPE, the numbers are still short of what is needed for entry into the SSSC, said Ang.

“We have yet to meet the last criteria of 20 teams in one division,” she said. “We hit about 15 schools for the National ‘C’ Division in 2012 and we are confident of meeting this last criteria in 2013.”