PITSEA’S Josh Da Silva is heading to Denmark, the home of handball, to help develop his own career.

The Great Britain under 19 captain will be spending a year at the IHÅ Handball Academy in Aarhus.

And he cannot wait to get started.

“I’ll be training twice a day and be playing matches at the weekend which will be great because Denmark is the best place to start playing,” said the Bromfords School sixth form student.

“I’ll be going out there in the summer and will be staying for a year which is great because handball was born and bred there.

“There’s world class coaches in Denmark and a league which is the equivalent to our Premier League in football.

“They send scouts come out to look at players so it’s a really good opportunity for me.”

However, Denmark may not be Da Silva’s only European destination this year.

For the talented teenager could also be heading to Spain to train with one of the very best teams in the world.

“I’ve had a phone call which said there’s a possibility of me going to train in Barcelona which would just be fantastic,” said Da Silva.

“They are one of the best teams in the world so going there would be an amazing experience.”

The opportunities coming Da Silva’s way also underline his potential in the sport he first started playing after being excited by the London 2012 Olympics.

Since then the youngster has earned international recognition.

And he was thrilled to be part of Great Britain’s under 21 squad for the World Championships held in Kent earlier this year.

“The championships were great, they very well organised and it was just a shame we didn’t go further in the competition,” said Da Silva.

“We were in a really tough group alongside the Netherlands, Hungary and Israel who are three established sides so they were difficult battles.

“But, being part of the under 21 squad, aged 18 I’ve learnt so much and now I’m passing that down to the under 19s where I’ve been given the captaincy.

“I’ve also got another chance to play for the under 21s as well so I can’t wait.”

However, Da Silva’s long term progress in the sport could be hindered by a lack of funding.

Handball has received less financial support since the end of the Olympics.

And that has led to Da Silva and Great Britain having to miss out on this summer’s European Open in Sweden.

“Unfortunately we’ve had to drop out of the European Open due to logistics and a lack of funding,” said Da Silva.

“It would’ve been brilliant to play out there so it is a shame and the lack of funding means there aren’t many opportunities to play to be honest.

“I travel to Carshalton and Ruislip to train and play in the Super Eight League which is the top one in the UK.

“But hopefully the sport can raise its profile and get some contribution towards funding.”

That would enable handball to build on the popularity it began to enjoy after London 2012.

And Da Silva is hopeful something can soon be sorted.

“The governing body came to watch us at the World Championships and they are looking to get a men’s programme running again,” said Da Silva.

“After the Olympics it collapsed and a lot of the players who had professional contracts out in Europe had to come back home.

“It was a real shame but hopefully it can all get back up and running again. “

DA SILVA GETS HELPING HAND WITH SPONSORSHIP DEAL

Handball star Josh Da Silva has been boosted by a sponsorship deal with PCS Legal.

The Basildon based property lawyers have thrown their weight behind the 18-year-old

And PCS’s Stuart Forsdike was only too pleased to support Da Silva.

“We were looking for a local athlete to sponsor, Josh came up and he fitted the bill,” said Forsdike.

“He’s young and he’s English and he’s exactly the type of athlete we wanted to support.

“We know the potential he’s got and the ability he has to go even higher in the sport.”