TEAMS:

1. Budućnost 2. Thüringer HC 3. Zvezda Zvenigorod 4. Viborg HK

Expert Grit Jurack says:

Group D will see some very interesting matches. Thüringer HC coach Herbert Müller is always modest, but no one should underestimate the German champions - they can be one of the biggest surprises despite their tough opponents, especially on home ground.

Zvezda are another candidate for the semi-finals. Look at their reinforced squad with interesting players: even a world class player like Liudmila Postnova is sitting on the bench. The Croatian coaches are doing a really good job and breathed new life into this club.

Nearly all their top stars have left, so defending champions Budućnost have a tough task ahead to reach the Main Round, as I estimate they cannot perform as well as their opponents. They can count on emotional players and their lion’s den in Podgorica, but I don’t know if this is enough to proceed.

My former team Viborg have been hit hard by injuries, especially on the right side. By signing Anita Bulath VHK now have an alternative, but it will take some time to integrate her. Of course I hope that they proceed to the Main Round and I rate Viborg even higher than Budućnost, but below Zvezda as this season they are completely focused on the EHF Champions League.

74 2012/13 Women's European Cup EHF Champions League Group Matches

Group D matches won draw lost goal-difference points 1 MNE Buducnost 0 0 0 0 0:0 0 0 2 GER Thüringer HC 0 0 0 0 0:0 0 0 3 RUS Zvezda Zvenigorod 0 0 0 0 0:0 0 0 4 DEN Viborg HK 0 0 0 0 0:0 0 0 MatchID: 201312020103- 037 MNE Buducnost vs. RUS Zvezda Zvenigorod 13.10.2012 20:00 Podgorica / MNE Del.: Metalari MKD 038 GER Thüringer HC vs. DEN Viborg HK 14.10.2012 15:00 Nordhausen / GER Del.: Cuderman SLO 040 RUS Zvezda Zvenigorod vs. GER Thüringer HC 20.10.2012 17:00 Chekhov / RUS

039 DEN Viborg HK vs. MNE Buducnost 21.10.2012 17:00 Viborg / DEN

041 GER Thüringer HC vs. MNE Buducnost 28.10.2012 15:00 Nordhausen / GER

042 DEN Viborg HK vs. RUS Zvezda Zvenigorod 28.10.2012 17:00 Viborg / DEN

044 RUS Zvezda Zvenigorod vs. DEN Viborg HK 04.11.2012 18:30 Chekhov / RUS

043 MNE Buducnost vs. GER Thüringer HC 04.11.2012 19:00 Podgorica / MNE

045 RUS Zvezda Zvenigorod vs. MNE Buducnost 11.11.2012 17:00 Chekhov / RUS

046 DEN Viborg HK vs. GER Thüringer HC 11.11.2012 17:00 Viborg / DEN

048 GER Thüringer HC vs. RUS Zvezda Zvenigorod 18.11.2012 15:00 Nordhausen / GER

047 MNE Buducnost vs. DEN Viborg HK 18.11.2012 19:00 Podgorica / MNE

75

RR_B365R3 EHF Report | 10.05.2012 12:40 | 4/4

BUDUĆNOST PODGORICA (Montenegro)

Qualification for the Women´s EHF Champions League 2012/13 season: Montenegrin Champions Club address: Season Preview: Budućnost They secured the trophy and successfully Ivana Milutinovića B.B. finished their major long-term project by 81000 Podgorica, Montenegro winning the Women’s EHF Champions League title for the first time. Many of their players then Contact numbers: followed that up with the Olympic silver medal Tel. +382-20-244081 in London – but now everything has changed at Fax. +382-20-244081 defending champions Budućnost Podgorica. Email: [email protected]

The team for the forthcoming season is Arena: completely different to the one which won the S.C. Morača title. Top stars Bojana Popović and Maja Savić Str. Ivana Milutinovića b.b. retired with former becoming the new team 81000 Podgorica, Montenegro manager, back court shooter Katarina Capacity: 4525 Bulatović transferred to Oltchim Vâlcea, and goalkeeper Sonja Barjaktarović and pivot Ana Media contact: Djokić now play for Rostov. Savo Laković, +382 67600055 [email protected] Coach Dragan Adžić has the challenge of integrating seven new and mostly young Online: players and has to build up a new team, so their Club website: www.zrkbuducnost.com objective for the coming season is only to reach Facebook: ŽRK-Budućnost-T-Mobile the Main Round. Explaining the changes, club ehfCL.com president Predrag Bošković said: “We decided that, after a season in which we achieved all our EHF Champions League: dreams, we should make a new young team Participations (including 2012/13 season): 17 with high quality." Winners: 2011/12 Semi-finalists: 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, “We signed the best European players from the 2011 1990 generation. And maybe there are still Quarter-finals: 2003, 2004 two players who could be of that age and play Last 16: 1996 in Budućnost. I am convinced that Buducnost Group Phase/Champions League: 1997, 2005, will secure a lot of top results in the next season 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010 and that we will be a most pleasant surprise.” Cup Winners´ Cup: The playmaker and national team player Winners: 1984/85, 2005/06, 2009/10 Milena Knežević is also convinced for the IHF Cup: future. “This is a totally new team, so we will Winners: 1986/87 need some time to get into shape,” she said. “I am sure we will have a good time together and Montenegrin champions: 24 titles we will show a great fighting spirit and a strong (1985,1989,1990,1992-2012) defence. The team is young, we cannot Montenegrin Cup winners: 17 titles suddenly gain a lot of experience but we will do our best.”

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The squad

No. First Name Family Name Nat. Position Date of Birth Weight Height 40 Katarina Bralo CRO Goalkeeper 19.8.1988 80 182 10 Andjela Bulatovic MNE Centre Back 15.1.1987 70 175 72 Dragana Cvijic SRB Line Player 15.3.1990 80 183 18 Elena Gjeorgjievska MKD Right Back 27.3.1990 70 179 8 Jelena Despotovic MNE Left Back 30.4.1994 183 17 Bojana Popovic MNE Left Back 20.11.1979 185 22 Katarina Perovic MNE Goalkeeper 17.1.1994 182 10 Ivana Stojanovic Bozovic MNE Left Back 14.6.1988 177 27 Katarina Jezic CRO Line Player 19.12.1992 65 173 90 Milena Knezevic MNE Back 12.3.1990 70 178 92 Suzana Lazovic MNE Line Player 28.1.1992 70 176 77 Majda Mehmedovic MNE Left Wing 25.5.1990 60 169 8 Claudine Mendy FRA Left Back 8.1.1990 72 182 2 Radmila Miljanic MNE Right Wing 19.4.1988 60 174 14 Zeljka Nikolic SRB Right Wing 12.7.1991 60 164 88 Biljana Pavicevic MNE Left Wing 12.5.1988 60 170 5 Jelena Trifunovic SRB Left Back 4.8.1991 80 180 30 Marina Vukcevic MNE Goalkeeper 24.8.1993 70 178 16 GER Goalkeeper 2.3.1983 60 178 9 Jelena Zivkovic SRB Right Back 6.7.1991 70 182

New signings (including former club): Left the club (including new club):

• Claudine Mendy (Metz /FRA) • Bojana Popović, Maja Savić (end of • Katarina Ježić (Lokomotiva careers) Zagreb/CRO) • Katarina Bulatović • Katarina Bralo (HBC Nimes/FRA) (Oltchim Vâlcea/ROU) • Jelena Živković (FTC Hungaria Rail • Ana Radović (KIF Vejen/DEN) Cargo/HUN) • Sonja Barjaktarović, Ana Djokić (both • Jelena Trifunović (Crvena Zvezda Rostov/RUS) Beograd/SRB) • Dijana Golubić (destination unknown) • Biljana Pavičević (Zito Prilep/SRB) • Dijana Števin (Jagodina) • Željka Nikolić (Zork Jagodina/SRB) • Gabriela Adriana Tacalie (Brasov/ROU)

77

Key players

Clara Woltering:

Charismatic Clara Woltering was educated by Andreas Thiel, one of the greatest German goalkeepers of all time. After playing in Leverkusen for more than ten years, Woltering transferred to Budućnost Podgorica in 2011 and won the Women’s EHF Champions League in her first season in Montenegro. And in 2005 she won the Challenge Cup with her former club Bayer Leverkusen. The 29-year- old is the most experienced player in the German national team with nearly 150 caps. Her biggest success was the bronze medal at the 2007 world championship. And after Sonja Bajraktarović left Budućnost to Rostov, Woltering has even more responsibility to carry on her shoulders.

Milena Knežević:

The 22-year-old playmaker is one of the biggest talents in Montenegro and already has a leading role at Budućnost as well as in the national team. Knežević was captain of the Montenegrin junior team that won bronze at the world championship 2010 and was member of the All-Star-Team at the same tournament. Her next milestone was to become a senior national team player, and she was part of the team which successfully finished the Olympic Games 2012 with the silver medal. And as a large number of stars left the

club, Knežević has stepped up to play a major part in the Budućnost attack.

Dragana Cvijić:

The Serbian line player (22) is one of the most powerful attackers and defenders in the Women’s EHF Champions League. Cvijić arrived in Podgorica in 2011 after she had played for the Slovenian side Krim Mercator for two seasons. Born in Belgrade, Cvijić became a member of the Serbian national team very early – and was a key part of Budućnost’s victory in last year’s Women’s EHF Champions League.

Coach Dragan Adžić:

42-year-old Adžić is already a legend in women’s handball – especially in Montenegro since they won Olympic silver in London. His list of successes started in 2010 when his women’s junior team won the bronze medal at the world championship in Korea. Then he led Montenegro women for the first time ever to European (2010) and World Championship (2011) titles. Despite missing the quarter finals in Brazil, Montenegro qualified for the Olympic Games and eventually made their way to the finals. But perhaps Adžić’s biggest success occurred on club level when he led Budućnost Podgorica to their first ever title in the Champions League in May 2012. 78

THÜRINGER HC (Germany)

Qualification for the Women´s EHF Champions League 2012/13 season: German Champions

Season Preview: Club address: With just one point from six matches in their Thüringer HC debut season, 2011/12 was disappointing for Mittelhäuser Str. 21 Thüringer HC in the Women’s EHF Champions 99089 Erfurt, Germany League. Contact numbers: But this year the German champions are aiming Tel. +49-172-7954660 for more, although they have a tough task ahead Fax. +49-3603-816457 with matches against defending champions Email: [email protected] Budućnost and the former Women’s EHF Champions League champions Viborg and Arena: Zvezda. Wiedigsburghalle Nordhausen August-Bebel-Platz 6 But coach Herbert Müller, who has much 99734 Nordhausen, Germany experience in European competitions having Capacity: 2218 worked with Nuremberg and Braşov in the past, has strengthened his squad with top Media contact: international players, including two times Bernd Hohnstein, +49 1794649389 Champions League winner , arriving [email protected] from Viborg, and the Danish international , arriving from CL participant Online: Randers. On top of that, Ana Gros has signed Club website: www.thueringer-hc.de from Women´s EHF Champions League 2012 Twitter: @thueringerhc finalist Györi and goalkeeper Katarina Facebook: thueringerhc Tomašević joins from Serbian champions ehfCL Zaječar. Club achievements: Two big names have left Thüringer HC: former EHF Champions League: trophy winner Nora Reiche has returned to her Participations (including 2012/13 season): 2 home club HC Leipzig and Brazilian wing player Group Matches: 2011/12 Idalina Borges Mesquita has retired. Other EC records: And as well as the squad looking different, THC will now play home matches at Nordhausen after Challenge Cup: being based at Erfurt last season. Finalists: 2008/09

Just as they did in 2011, THC became German German champions: 2011, 2012 champion by the closest possible margin, with German Cup winners: 2011 just one goal giving them the play-off final verdict against Buxtehuder SV, who have also booked their ticket for the Women’s EHF Champions League Group Matches, by winning the qualification tournament in Trondheim.

The international objective of THC sounds easy, but is hard to reach: to win their first ever match in the Women´s EHF Champions League. 79

The squad

No. First Name Family Name Nat. Position Date of Birth Weight Height 20 Anja Althaus GER Line Player 3.9.1982 72 175 18 Mie Augustesen DEN Left Wing 19.7.1988 74 179 9 Stefanie Bischof GER Back 15.10.1995 72 176 8 Marieke Blase GER Back 6.1.1994 75 178 15 Nadja Bolze GER Line Player 18.5.1990 75 173 12 GER Goalkeeper 16.10.1995 67 174 19 Katrin Engel AUT Right Back 2.5.1984 62 173 5 Sonja Frey AUT Centre Back 22.4.1993 64 169 10 Frenzy Geis GER Back 17.6.1994 82 180 6 Ana Gros SLO Right Back 21.1.1991 74 186 28 Lydia Jakubisova SVK Right Wing 14.10.1981 68 168 16 Maike März GER Goalkeeper 9.12.1983 81 180 13 Ewgenija Minevskaja GER Left Back 31.10.1992 78 183 3 Nadja Nadgornaja GER Left Back 22.9.1988 72 186 17 Petra Popluharova SVK Left Back 23.8.1988 64 176 14 Danick Snelder NED Line Player 22.5.1990 76 178 27 Katarina Tomasevic SRB Goalkeeper 6.2.1984 78 179 31 GER Centre Back 11.1.1984 68 169

New signings (including former club): Left the club (including new club):

• Anja Althaus (Viborg HK) • Nora Reiche (HC Leipzig) • Mie Augustensen (Randers HK), • Ulrike Jahn (retired) Katarina Tomašević (Zaječar/SRB) • Idalina Borges Mesquita (retired) • Sonja Frey ( MGA Fivers Wien) • Katrin Schröder (retired) • Ana Gros (Györ) • Dagmara Stuparičová (Halle- Neustadt/GER)

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Key players

Nadja Nadgornaja:

At 24 years old and standing tall at just over six feet, Nadja Nadgornaja is one of the new faces in the German national team. The left back was born in Kiev, Ukraine, but learned everything about handball in Germany and in the spring of 2011 was selected for the national team. Her biggest success on international level was the gold medal at the 2008 junior world championship. For the last two years she has played for Thüringer HC, becoming German champions twice and cup winner once. Nadgornaja is well-known for her precise jump-shots.

Anja Althaus:

Apart from Grit Jurack, 30-year-old Althaus is the most successful German player ever in the Women’s EHF Champions League. The line player, who started her career in Trier (German champions 2003), won the trophy twice with Danish side Viborg HK in 2009 and 2010. After five years in Denmark, Althaus returned to Germany at the start of this season. With nearly 200 international matches, she is one of the most experienced German national team players.

Mie Augustesen:

The Danish winger was the only participant from the German League at the 2012 Olympic Games. From 2005 to 2012 she played for Danish side Randers HK who became national champion in 2012, before transferring to Thüringer HC. Since 2007 Augustesen (24) has been a member of the Danish national team and plays a key role in the rejuvenated squad of . During the EHF EURO 2010 she was the top Danish scorer until the Main Round, but then had to miss the final weekend including semi-final and bronze medal match due to an injury.

Coach Herbert Müller:

Nicknamed “the motivator”, Romanian born Müller (50) knows how to treat his players to achieve success. Thüringer HC is the third club he has coached in the Women’s EHF Champions League. Müller started his coaching career at FC Nürnberg and led them to three German championship titles and two cup victories. Twice he reached the Main Round of the Champions League. After that club went bankrupt he moved to Romanian side Brasov, before returning to Thüringer HC two seasons ago, again being the key to two national championships and one cup triumph. Besides working at club level, Müller is the coach of the Austrian women’s national team. 81

ZVEZDA ZVENIGOROD (Russia)

Qualification for the Women´s EHF Champions League 2012/13 season: Winner of Wildcard Tournament, third ranked in Russia

Season Preview: Club address: Never ever a debutant had won the Women’s Zvezda Zvenigorod EHF Champions League before 2008 - then the Chaykovskogo st. 59/32 Russian star of Zvezda (“star”) arose quickly. In 143180 Zvenigorod 2007 the team of former coach Evgeny Russia Trefilov became Russian champions for the first time after winning the EHF Cup, and in Contact numbers: their first ever season they went all the way to Tel. +7-495-9920007 the final, then beating Hypo Niederösterreich Fax: +7-495-5977444 twice. Email: [email protected] [email protected] But the star fell as it had risen before: Three more times Zvezda qualified for the Women´s Arena: EHF Champions League, three more times they Sport Hall "Olimpiyskiy" Chekhov were eliminated in the Group Matches. Now Poligrafistov Str. 30 the Russian team are willing to prove that they 142300 Chekhov, Russia belong to the top of Europe again. Though they Capacity: 3000 only ranked third in the strong Russian league below champions Dinamo and Rostov they Media contact: made it to the Group Matches by winning the Artem Shmelkov, +7 9161744283 wildcard tournament in Paris. [email protected]

And the team of Croatian coach Zdravko Online: Zovko, who arrived in the Moscow Region last Club website: www.zvezda-handball.ru season with famous goalkeeper’s coach Vlado Facebook: Звезда Šola, is estimated to be a contender for the ehfCL.com semi-finals at least – as they added international top class to their strong squad. EHF Champions League records: Participations (including 2012/13 season): 5 Samira Rocha is the first ever Brazilian to join Winners: 2008 the Russian club, French international Group Matches: 2009, 2010, 2011 Alexandra Lacrabére is another top newcomer like the two Russian internationals Maria Other EC records: Sidorova and Ekaterina Marennikova, both EHF Cup: arriving from their big domestic rivals Lada Winners: 2007 Togliatti. Cup Winners’ Cup: Quarter-finalists: 2010, 2011, 2012 With this squad Zvezda are fighting for their second Russian title, on which they wait since Russian champions: 2007 2007, and at minimum to proceed to the Main Round of the European heavy-weight class. Russian cup winners: 2009, 2010, 2011 Zdravko Zovko, who is also manager of the team, is looking forward to a new challenge: “16 top teams compete for this most important trophy. It is our dream to be part of the top four teams of the Champions League.” 82

The squad

No. First Name Family Name Nat. Position Date of Birth Weight Height 63 Anastasia Alexeeva RUS 18.9.1994 75 Alena Amelchenko RUS 7.7.1995 10 Irina Antonova RUS Line Player 2.7.1986 80 180 69 Yulia Arefyeva RUS 23.8.1995 23 Natalia Chernova RUS Right Wing 11.6.1990 70 167 4 Samira Pereira Da Silva Rocha BRA Left Wing 26.1.1989 70 170 7 Elena Dmitrieva RUS Left Wing 1.7.1983 70 180 Natalia Ivanova RUS 1.4.1995 12 Victoriya Kalinina RUS Goalkeeper 8.12.1988 80 183 26 Julia Khavronina RUS Right Back 20.5.1992 50 184 4 Victoria Klimantceva RUS Left Wing 26.9.1989 60 168 14 Oxana Koroleva RUS Back 17.7.1984 80 186 66 Kristina Kozhokar RUS 28.2.1994 8 Polina Kuznetcova RUS Left Wing 10.6.1987 60 167 64 Alexandra Lacrabere FRA Back 27.4.1987 80 177 Anastasia Lagina RUS 11.8.1995 17 Anastasia Lobach BLR Line Player 25.6.1987 70 178 22 Ekaterina Marennikova RUS Right Wing 29.4.1982 60 174 21 Victoria Nikitina RUS 3.11.1994 14 Julija Nikolic MKD Centre Back 20.4.1983 80 180 17 Anastasia Novitskaya RUS Left Wing 29.9.1990 70 175 55 Maria Palyukh RUS 2.7.1994 5 Liudmila Postnova RUS Left Back 11.8.1984 80 183 22 Nadezda Potapenko RUS Centre Back 8.12.1990 60 172 16 Maria Sidorova RUS Goalkeeper 21.11.1979 60 178 31 Valeria Szabo HUN Line Player 2.3.1983 80 181 19 Yana Uskova RUS Right Wing 28.9.1985 59 168 13 Anna Vyakhireva RUS Right Back 13.3.1995 58 168 91 Regina Yakupova RUS Goalkeeper 22.2.1994 New signings (including former club): Left the club (including new club):

• Maria Sidorova, Ekaterina • Nigina Saidova (Vardar) Marennikova (both Lada Togliatti) • Marina Skladchikova (Rostov-Don) • Alexandra Lacrabére, Julia Nikolić • Tatiana Dronina (Kuban Krasnodar) (both Arvor 29 Brest/FRA) • Svetlana Pasicnik, Simona Spiridon • Anastasia Lobach (Dunarea Braila) (end of career) • Samira Rocha (Hypo NÖ) • Daria Gruzdeva, Dina Sashurkova, Inga Gaijutite (both Luch Moscow) • Olga Vinogradova

83

Key players

Liudmila Postnova:

Postnova is the hub of the Russian National team as well as Zvezda. The playmaker and shooter has enjoyed her biggest successes with the national team, becoming three times world champion (2005, 2007, 2009), Olympic silver medallist 2008 and EHF EURO silver (2006) and bronze medallist (2008). At the world championship 2009 Postnova was awarded most valuable player and later-on was nominated three times for the world handball player of the year award. In her younger years she was junior world champion in 2003 and youth and junior European champion in 2001 and 2002. At club level the playmaker was EHF Champions League finallist with her former club Lada Togliatti, and five times Russian champion. She has played for Zvezda since 2010.

Maria Sidorova:

Since the start of this season 32-year-old Sidorova has been the first choice in the Zvezda goal, after more than a decade playing for Lada. After giving birth to her son, she returned three years ago and became number one in the Russian National team again. She was a Champions League finalist with Lada in 2007, and became world champion in 2007 and Olympic silver medallist in 2008.

Alexandra Lacrabére:

The 24 year old right back arrived in Russia from French champions Brest. Lacrabére has been a member of the French National team since 2006, and has already played in several clubs in her home- country as well as Spain (Bera Bera). Her biggest success with the National was winning the silver medal at the 2011 world championship after winning EHF EURO bronze in 2006. She is teaming up with her Brazilian colleague Samira da Silva, who also moved to Zvezda before this season.

Coach Zdravko Zovko:

It was a big surprise when 57-year-old Zovko arrived at Zvezda a year ago, together with his fellow Croat and Olympic champion Vlado Šola, the goalkeeping coach at the Russian side. As a player Zovko was Olympic champion with Yugoslavia in 1984 and runner-up in the world championship 1982. Later on in his career he coached the Croatian men’s national team, leading them to silver at the 1995 world championship and the 1994 EHF EURO, and he was successful coach of the men’s team at RK Zagreb (Champions Cup winner in 1992 and 1993) and later at MKB Veszpré m. Before arriving at Zvezda, Zovko had his first job in women’s club handball as coach of84 Croatian record champions Podravka.

VIBORG HK (Denmark)

Qualification for the Women´s EHF Champions League 2012/13 season: Danish runners-up

Season Preview: Club address: They are three times Women’s EHF Viborg HK Champions League winner and twice finalists, Tingvej 7, 2. sal but in the past two seasons Viborg HK have 8800 Viborg, Denmark been eliminated after the Group Matches. In 2011/12 they made their way to the Cup Contact numbers: Winners’ Cup final, but missed another trophy Tel. +45-22-700904 for their cabinet against FTC from Hungary. Fax. +45-86-620182 Email: [email protected] Now an era has come to an end, as several experienced players left the club such as Arena: Christina Pedersen, Anja Althaus or Cristina Viborg Stadionhal Vărzaru, or finished their career like Louise Tingvej 5 Bager Due or . The 8800 Viborg, Denmark rejuvenated team was supposed to be led by Capacity: 3000 German right back Grit Jurack, but at the end of August both her and the club were shocked to Media contact: learn of her forced retirement due to a Inger Fog, +45 22 700904 shoulder injury. [email protected]

Before the start of the new Women’s EHF Online: Champions League season, Viborg had big Club website: www.vhk.dk problems on the right, as newcomer and left- Twitter: @viborghk handed Olympic champion Amanda Kurtovic is Facebook: viborgHK also out with a long-term injury, therefore they ehfCL.com signed Anita Bulath from Podravka. Viborg also signed a new – and internationally experienced EHF Champions League: - goalkeeping duo in Cléopatre Darleux and Participations (including 2012/2013 season): 17 Cecilia Grubbström, and additionally added Winners: 2006, 2009, 2010 some hopeful talents to the squad. But despite Finalists: 1997, 2001 the loss of experience Viborg still aim to reach Semi-finalists: 2003 the Main Round. Quarter-finals: 1998, 2005, 2007 Last 16: 1995 New goalkeeper Darleux starts her first Main Round: 2008 international season at Viborg with mixed Group Phase: 1996, 2000, 2002, 2011, 2012 emotions. "I think it is a very hard group with three strong opponents, including last years EHF Cup: champions Budućnost. I hope Bojana (Popović) Winners: 1994, 1999, 2004 won't play for them, but they are strong even if she doesn't," she said. Cup Winners’ Cup: Finalists: 2012 To proceed to the next stage would be the icing on the cake for the club which celebrated its Danish champions: 13 titles (1994, 1995, 1996, 25th anniversary this summer. Their 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2006, celebrations included voting for the all-time 2008, 2009, 2010) best players and. Heidi Holme Astrup received the award for the most valuable player. Danish Cup winners: 8 titles 85

The squad

No. First Name Family Name Nat. Position Date of Birth Weight Height 22 SWE Centre Back 3.10.1987 175 13 Johanne K. Andersen DEN Right Wing 18.3.1994 167 17 Emily Andersen Baunsgaard DEN Centre Back 9.11.1994 178 8 Mouna Chebbah TUN Left Back 8.7.1982 165 24 Cleopatre Darleux FRA Goalkeeper 1.7.1989 176 5 Anne Cecilie Dornonville de la Cour DEN Right Back 8.12.1993 178 25 Maria Fisker DEN Left Wing 3.10.1990 70 170 3 NOR Line Player 25.11.1985 182 1 Cecilia Skagerstam Grubbström SWE Goalkeeper 2.9.1986 80 178 9 Isabelle Gulldén SWE Centre Back 29.6.1989 80 178 23 Signe Hald DEN Line Player 17.6.1995 175 22 Amanda Kurtovic NOR Right Back 25.7.1991 175 11 Holly Elisabeth Lam-Moores GBR Left Wing 12.9.1990 168 6 Pernille Holst Larsen DEN Left Back 6.9.1984 184 19 Louise Knak Lyksborg DEN Right Wing 17.1.1988 59 168 15 Sabine Pedersen DEN Line Player 5.5.1986 178 2 Rikke Erhardsen Skov DEN Left Back 7.9.1980 70 181 83 Anita Bulath HUN Left Back 20.9.1983 75 178 12 Søs Simone Søby DEN Goalkeeper 11.3.1991 70 186

New signings (including former club): Left the club (including new club):

• Cléopatre Darleux (Arvor 29, France) • Christina Pedersen (FIF) • Søs Søby (Aalborg DH, to which she is • Louise Bager Due (retired) loaned out currently) • Grit Jurack (retired) • Cecilia Grubbström (IK Sävehof) • Henriette Mikkelsen (retired) • Sabine Pedersen (Aalborg DH) • Anja Althaus (Thüringer HC) • Amanda Kurtovic (Larvik) • Cristina Vărzaru (CSM Bucharest) • Holly Lam-Moores (British National • Camilla Mikkelsen (Hadsten) Team) • Louise Lyksborg (HC Leipzig) • Johanne K. Andersen (Youth Team) • Anita Bulath (Podravka Vegeta)

86

Key players

Isabelle Gulldén:

Sweden’s current female handball player of the year started her career at Sävehof IK and became EHF EURO silver medallist with Sweden in 2010, having been a National team player since 2008. In 2011 Gullden (whose nickname is Bella) moved to Viborg HK and became Danish cup winner twice and finallist of the EHF Cup Winners’ Cup in 2012.

Cléopatre Darleux:

The French national team goalkeeper has arrived at Viborg this season, as a replacement for Christina Pedersen, who has retired. Cléopatre Darleux (23) has previously played for top French clubs Besancon, Issy, Metz and Brest, becoming twice national champion, three times cup winner and once (in 2010 with Metz) semi-finalist of the EHF Cup. In 2011/12 she was voted best goalkeeper in the French League after becoming champion with Brest. With the French national team she was runner-up in the world championships in 2009 and 2011 and was a member of the 2012 Olympic team.

Marit Malm Frafjord:

The Norwegian line player signed her contract in Viborg in 2010 and moved from Byasen Trondheim. Frafjord (27) is captain of the Norwegian national team and has won all major titles – Olympic champion in 2008 and 2012, world champion in 2011 and EHF EURO champion in 2006, 2008 and 2010 as well as world championship silver medal in 2007 and a world championship bronze medal in 2009. On club level she won the silver medal at the beach handball EHF EURO in 2010 and was Danish cup winner with Viborg in 2011 and 2012.

Coach Martin Albertsen:

Albertsen (37) is part of the VHK coaching staff for the second time – since 2011 he has been head coach, but from 1998 to 2004 he had been in an assistant role and coached the youth teams. In between his two spells with VHK he worked for German side HC Leipzig and both the men’s and women’s clubs at Randers in Denmark. His first major success with Viborg was winning the EHF Cup, but later-on he led his teams to German and Danish championship and cup titles.

87