Sílvia M. Nunes da Silva
Playing to Feel Alive Again
European Handball Masters is proud to share the story of Sílvia Maria Nunes da Silva, a player, coach, and club official whose lifelong connection to handball reflects the true spirit of the Masters community.
From her first steps at Associação Cultural de Salreu in Portugal to decades of dedication on and off the court, Sílvia’s journey has been defined by passion, perseverance, and commitment to the sport. After years as a player, she continued her path as a coach and later as a club official, always staying close to the game that shaped her life.
Her return to handball through the Masters category brought back the same adrenaline and joy she felt as a young player, proving that the bond with the sport never disappears. Today, as part of the women’s Masters team of Artística de Avanca, she represents the values that define this movement: friendship, resilience, and the happiness of still being able to compete while sharing the court with teammates who feel the same passion.
European Handball Masters sincerely thanks Sílvia Maria Nunes da Silva for sharing her story with us — a reminder that handball is not only a sport, but a lifelong connection that keeps the spirit alive at every age.
CHILDHOOD / TRAINING
Why did you start playing handball? In what year and where?
I started playing handball when I was 14 years old. Before that, I had practiced athletics from the age of 7 to 11, but the sport ended in my club, Associação Cultural de Salreu. Three years later, several sports were restarted there, including athletics again, which my father wanted me to return to. However, since I already had sports classes at school and had tried some team sports, I chose the one I liked the most at school — handball — because I loved the adrenaline, the physical contact, and the competitive spirit of fighting for something.
What teams have you played for and in what position?
Associação Cultural de Salreu – Right wing, left wing, and later centre back
S. Bernardo – Left wing
Jobra – Right wing and centre back
In my later years, I just wanted to keep playing. The position didn’t matter much anymore, as I was already 45 and still playing for the senior team of Associação Cultural de Salreu.
What was your regular club during your youth?
Associação Cultural de Salreu
PROFESSIONAL STAGE
What was your greatest sporting achievement during your youth?
As a player, reaching the final stage of the Portuguese National Second Division with the senior team.
As a coach, I started my coaching career at Associação Cultural de Salreu, where I managed to promote the Under-18 men’s team from the Regional League to the National First Division and kept the team competing at that level for four consecutive years.
Later, I also gained further experience in other clubs, working with several youth development teams.
What is your best memory or experience from handball during your youth?
My best memories are the moments shared as a team, both in victories and defeats. The locker room atmosphere and the trips to matches were perhaps the most important parts for teammates to truly get to know each other. There were so many of these moments that it’s impossible to mention just one.
The experience of living everything we received and learned from one another is what I remember the most. There were players with more years of experience than me who taught me so much (some of whom have sadly passed away), and those lessons stayed with me and carried over into everyday life.
Sometimes you are part of the starting seven and suddenly, because of new players joining the team, you find yourself in the stands watching the game. But understanding that it is in your hands to try to change that — by working hard and taking the opportunities the coach gives you — is an important lesson.The satisfaction of earning your place back is incredibly rewarding; it’s the true prize for your work.
MASTERS BLOCK
When did you start playing or getting involved with Masters Handball again?
A friend, who was a former athlete from one of the clubs I played for, invited me to attend a training session. Because the location suited both my workplace and where I live, I went along just to try it… and the passion that had been sleeping inside me woke up again. From that day on, I made Masters training a twice-a-week rule.
What was the reason and with which club?
The reason was that I couldn’t really connect with any other sport, even though I tried. For me, handball is something that can’t really be explained — it’s something you feel. I love the adrenaline, scoring goals, preventing goals, the speed of the game, and the beauty of playing it. After my friend’s invitation, I registered with Artística de Avanca.
Tell us about your Masters team, how it was formed, and its spirit.
It all started thanks to the enthusiasm and dedication of a former player from the club. The club only had male teams, from youth levels to Masters. Carla Isolete, who at the time was a former player of Artística de Avanca, invited some former players from the same club and started bringing people together, suggesting the creation of a women’s Masters team — and hopefully encouraging the club to eventually consider women’s teams in all age groups.
From there, she began contacting other former players who had stopped playing, many of whom she had played with before. Those players knew others, and so the group grew. Today we have around 20 players in the team. Some played in different clubs before, and a few had never played handball at all but have children who play and decided to try it — and they stayed.
What does continuing to play handball through the Masters category bring you personally?
You know, with the routine of daily life and the stress that comes with it, this becomes a break from that routine — a way to release stress. Masters players still want to compete, but above all we want to experience the happiness of still being able to do something we love.
Being part of a women’s Masters team is even more challenging because many of us are mothers, wives, professionals with busy lives. During those moments, we escape from all of that. We spend time together, laugh with each other, and share concerns about life. We support one another and become each other’s “shoulder to lean on,” united by a common love — handball.
What would you improve in the Masters category in your country and at the European level?
Honestly, in my country I would give more value to this category. There should be more teams competing across different regions of Portugal and, above all, more support from all the stakeholders — clubs, municipalities, district associations, and the federation.
At the moment, however, I cannot complain too much because this category has only just started to have competition within the Aveiro Handball Association. Previously there was only one Masters team in the district, and we had to compete in the Porto Handball Association. This year in Aveiro we already have three teams, and there has even been an experiment with an Aveiro Opening Cup and a Regional Championship.
One sentence that summarizes why any player should return to playing handball after 33/35 years old.
Simply to feel alive inside again.
Sílvia Maria Nunes da Silva: Simply to feel alive inside again.
