MEDIA GUIDE Women’s EHF Champions League 2017/18 Main Round Update 1 2 ULTIMATE Completely controlled bounce. Extreme durability. Optimal roundness. Perfect grip and soft feel. Official match ball of the WOMEN’S EHF Champions League. select-sport.com 3 Table of contents Table of contents Foreword 5 Media contacts 6 Playing system diagrams - stages and dates 7 How to follow and cover the matches 9 Important regulations 11 Facts and figures 12 GROUP 1 14 Preview 14 Head-to-heads in the EC 15 CSM Bucuresti 16 Györi Audi ETO KC 22 Rostov-Don 28 NFH - Nykøbing Falster Handboldklub 34 FC Midtjylland 40 RK Krim Mercator 46 GROUP 2 52 Preview 52 Head-to-heads in the EC 53 HC Vardar 54 Metz Handball 60 FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria 66 Buducnost 72 SG BBM Bietigheim 78 Thüringer HC 84 HISTORY All-time stats Women’s EHF Champions League 90 All-time clubs standings 93 Timeline - 25 years 94 4 Foreword Their morale boost can prove to be a decisive factor for their sides in what will become probably the closest and most thrilling main round stage of the Women‘s EHF Champions League yet. While all twelve participants still have a fair chance of reaching the quarter- finals, there are at least eight teams who have what it takes to reach the season‘s culmination in Budapest – the Women’s EHF FINAL4. While the 2016 winners CSM Bucuresti lead Group 1 alongside the defending champions from Györ, the Macedonian powerhouse HC Vardar have yet to lose a game this season and are sitting atop Group 2. However, none of the group Dear handball friends, leaders can take the ticket to Budapest for Welcome to the Main Round of the Women’s granted as packs of formidable contenders also EHF Champions League 2017/18. eye a May trip to the Hungarian capital. Less than six weeks after France‘s triumph at Who will rule the final standings in Group 1 World Championship 2017 in Germany, Europe’s following the three-way race between CSM, elite women’s handball club competition Györ and Rostov? Can Bietigheim reach the returns to the spotlight. From 26 January to quarter-finals in their maiden Champions 11 March, the six weekends of the main round League season? Can another German team will determine which eight teams progress to Thüringer HC emulate Baia Mare’s fabulous the quarter-finals. I take this opportunity to feat from the past and reach the quarter-finals welcome twelve sides from nine countries to despite starting with zero points? And will the third phase of the competition. another ambitious newcomers Nykøbing just Before we start analysing the two main round make up the numbers in the main round or groups and their participants we should have can they make it to the next round? All these a look back to the tournament in Germany questions and many more will be answered last month, which underlined the prominent over the next two months. position of the EHF Champions League in We pride ourselves on our positive and women‘s handball. No fewer than 109 players cooperative relationship with the press and from the European top flight took part in the media and I am sure this will continue and event and all 12 main round teams had at develop in the future. Should you require least one player who took the floor in the any information, help or assistance during tournament. the course of the season, your first point of As many as 25 players return to the Champions contact is the EHF Media and Communications League race decorated with a medal – 11 French Department based in our office in Vienna. They champions, six Norwegian silver medallists and will be more than happy to assist you with any eight Dutch bronze medallists. And it goes questions you might have. without saying that Champions League players We look forward to working with you! created the backbone of most European teams. We will all be eager to find out how the recently Michael Wiederer awarded medallists can transfer their success EHF President from national team competition to their clubs. 5 Media contacts EHF/M media contacts Media matters TV and Radio Vlado Brindzak Miguel Mateo Marcellan Media and Communications Media Manager European Handball Federation EHF Marketing GmbH +43 1 80 151 161 +43 1 80 151 224 [email protected] [email protected] Clubs media contacts GROUP 1 CSM Bucuresti (ROU) RK Krim Mercator (SLO) Győri Audi ETO KC (HUN) Ioana Patachi Gašper Lončarič Tamas Szabo +40 748 050 301 +386 51 630 877 +36 20 505 63 07 ioana.patachi@ [email protected] szabo.tamas.gyorietokc@ csmbucuresti.ro gmail.com Nykøbing Falster HK (DEN) FC Midtjylland (DEN) Rostov-Don (RUS) Kristian Jakobsen Louise Nielsen Andrey Demyanov +45 289 01 111 +45 20 70 9305 +79897198555 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] GROUP 2 HC Vardar (MKD) Metz Handball (FRA) Buducnost (MNE) Ana Stojkov Estelle Vogein Milos Pavicevic +38976487779 +33 608 258 725 +382 682 226 66 [email protected] estelle.vogein [email protected] @metz-handball.fr [email protected] FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria (HUN) Thüringer HC (GER) SG BBM Bietigheim (GER) Adam Schleinig Bernd Hohnstein Jens Zimmermann +36 704 454 902 +49 179 464 9389 +49 172 740 3672 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] 6 Women’s EHF Champions League 2017/18 playing system Qualication Group Matches Main Round Quarter-nals FINAL4 Semi-nals 4 vs. 1 vs. 3 vs. 2 vs. rd vs. 3 Place Match vs. vs. Final Home matches 3 3 1 Total matches 6 6 2 vs. Season 2017/18 playing dates Qualication Group Matches Main Round Quarter-nals FINAL4 08.-10.09.2017 06.-08.10.2017 (1) 26.-28.01.2018 (1) rst leg 12./13.05.2018 13.-15.10.2017 (2) 02.-04.02.2018 (2) 06.-08.04.2018 20.-22.10.2017 (3) 09.-11.02.2018 (3) 03.-05.11.2017 (4) 23.-25.02.2018 (4) second leg 10.-12.11.2017 (5) 02.-04.03.2018 (5) 13.-15.04.2018 17.-19.11.2017 (6) 09.-11.03.2018 (6) Women´s EHF Champions league 2017/18 WOMEN'S EHF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 2017/18 Qualification Tournaments Group Matches Main Round Quarterfinals FINAL4 2Tournaments 4 groups with 4 teams 2 groups with 6 teams 8 teams 4 teams 06.-08.10.2017 (1) 26.-28.01.2018 (1) 08.-10.09.2017 13.-15.10.2017 (2) 02.-04.02.2018 (2) 06.-08.04.2018 12./13.05.2018 tournaments 20.-22.10.2017 (3) 09.-11.02.2018 (3) first leg tournament played in semi finals 03.-05.11.2017 (4) 23.-25.02.2018 (4) played in and finals 10.-12.11.2017 (5) 02.-04.03.2018 (5) 13.-15.04.2018 semi finals and in one venue 17.-19.11.2017 (6) 09.-11.03.2018 (6) second leg finals 30 June 2017 in DRAWS: 29 June 2017 in Vienna/AUT no draw no draw 17.04.2018 Ljubljana/SLO 1 HUN 1 Györi Audi ETO KC 2 MNE 1 Buducnost 3 MKD 1 HC Vardar 4 ROU 1 CSM Bucuresti 5 NOR 1 Larvik 6 RUS 1 Rostov-Don 7 DEN 1 Nyköbing Falster HB 8 FRA 1 Metz Handball 9 GER 1 SG BBM Bietigheim 10 SLO 1 RK Krim Mercator 11 HUN 2 FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria 12 DEN 2 FC Midtjylland 13 POL 1 Vistal Gdynia 14 FRA 2 Brest Bretagne HB 15 NOR 2 Vipers Kristiansand 16 GER 2 Thüringer HC 17 SWE 1 H 65 Höörs HK 18 CRO 1 HC Podravka Vegeta the of team placed 4th and 3rd 2nd, 1st, 1st, 2nd and 3rd placed team from each group group each from team placed 3rd and 2nd 1st, 19 AUT 1 Hypo Niederösterreich Round Main League Champions EHF WOMEN'S Qualification Qualification 20 TUR 1 Kastamonu Belediyesi tournaments 21 BLR 1 HC Gomel Winners of the 2 4 Winners of WOMEN'S EHF Champions League Quarterfinals League Champions EHF WOMEN'S of Winners 4 22 ESP 1 Mecalia Atletico Guardes 2 groups with 4 teams 4th placed teams of CL Qualification Tournaments go to EHF Cup Rd 2, 2nd and 3rd placed teams of CL Qualification Tornaments go to EHF Cup Rd 3 status: 26.06.2017 How to follow and cover the matches How to follow and cover the matches ehfTV.com after each match, a completed match report will also Handball fans across Europe will not miss a single be available online with details such as goal scorers match in the new season of both elite European club and number of spectators. competitions. All matches starting from group phase of the VELUX EHF Champions League and group Media portal matches of the Women’s EHF Champions League will All media professionals are invited to register to the be broadcast live on ehfTV.com and the videos of all EHF Media portal, where they can find all essential matches will be also on demand. Furthermore, like in information on the EHF club and national teams the past season fully produced highlights magazine competitions including media guides and updates. - “Rewind - the handball show” will feature stories bit.ly/ehfmediaportal and highlights from all women´s top matches will be played out after each playing round. Apart from Media acreditation selected matches of other European Cup competitions in the new season there will also be a renewed focus The written media and photographer’s accreditation on coverage of top leagues (SEHA League and Spain’s procedure in the group matches, main round and Asobal).