SG Flensburg-Handewitt

SG Flensburg-Handewitt
Full nameSpielgemeinschaft Flensburg-Handewitt
Short nameSGFH
Founded1990 (1990)
ArenaFlens-Arena, Flensburg
Capacity6,300
PresidentHolger Glandorf
Head coachAleš Pajovič
LeagueHandball-Bundesliga
2024–255th of 18
Club colours   
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Website
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SG Flensburg-Handewitt is a professional handball club from Flensburg and Handewitt in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. Currently, they compete in the Handball-Bundesliga and EHF European League. They play home matches at Flens-Arena. Since forming in 1990, the club has been one of Germany's most successful teams domestically and in European tournaments. The club is best known for winning the EHF Champions League in 2014 by defeating arch-rivals THW Kiel in the final 30–28.

Flensburg
Location of SG Flensburg-Handewitt

History

SG Flensburg-Handewitt was created in 1990 following a merger of the handball divisions of TSB Flensburg and Handewitter SV.[1] The first season of the club (1990–1991) took place in the 2. Handball-Bundesliga, with SG finishing in fourth position under Zvonimir Serdarušić. In 1992, they were promoted to the top division as SG Flensburg-Handewitt for the first time, winning every league fixture. In their first season in the top-flight, SG finished sixteenth, though they were spared relegation due to the liquidation of TSV Milbertshofen. The following year, under the leadership of Anders Dahl-Nielsen, SG were fourth and from that point, equalled that placement or better in each season until the 2008/09 season.

SG Flensburg-Handewitt acquired their first major trophy with the 1996/1997 EHF Cup by defeating Danish side Virum-Sorgenfri HK 52–42 on aggregate in the final. Three consecutive DHB-Pokal titles (2003/04 vs TUSEM Essen, 2004/05 vs HSV Hamburg, and 2005/06 vs THW Kiel) followed, as did success in the league, with a championship victory in the 2003/04 season. Flensburg defeated HSG Nordhorn-Lingen at Flens-Arena in round 33 to secure their very first title with a game to spare. Slovenian club RK Celje did however, prevent a third trophy that year for SG by winning the 2003-04 EHF Champions League final against them. The 2004-05 and 2005-06 league campaigns both saw Flensburg finish second behind THW Kiel. In 2007, SG once again lost the Champions League final, this time they were defeated by "Landesderby" rivals THW Kiel.

In 2010, former player Ljubomir Vranjes became the new coach and it was under him that SG Flensburg-Handewitt won the EHF Champions League final at their third attempt, beating THW Kiel 30–28 at the Lanxess Arena in Cologne. During Vranjes' time as coach of SG, they also won the DHB-Pokal for a fourth time, beating SC Magdeburg on penalties. Maik Machulla took over from Vranjes as head coach in 2017, and consecutive league titles (their second and third successes) followed in the 2017/18 and 2018/2019 campaigns. The 2017/18 title was secured on the final day of the season with a 22–21 victory over Frisch Auf Göppingen. The following year, SG once again took the title on the final day, winning 27–24 away at Bergischer HC. Machulla was sacked in April 2023 after Flensburg lost three vital matches in just eight days. They were defeated 38–31 by Rhein-Neckar Löwen in the DHB-Pokal semi-finals, 35–27 at Flens-Arena by BM Granollers in the EHF European League quarter-finals, and then 29–19 by THW Kiel in the Nordderby in a crucial Handball-Bundesliga game. In the 2023-24 season with Nicolej Krickau as head coach, Flensburg missed out on qualification for the 2024-25 EHF Champions League by finishing 3rd in the Handball-Bundesliga. They were also defeated in the semi-finals of the DHB-Pokal by MT Melsungen, though they were victorious in the 2023-24 EHF European League final, defeating Füchse Berlin.

SG Flensburg-Handewitt holds a reputation as being a perennial "second-place" club – with three league titles the team has also finished runner-up fourteen times. In addition to this, they reached each of the seven DHB-Pokal finals between 2011 and 2017, losing six of them. The club has however, won all the competitions it has participated in at least once except the IHF Super Globe, and it is the only club to have won four different European Cups (one EHF Champions League, two EHF Cup Winners' Cup, two EHF European League titles and one EHF European Cup in addition to several finals), as well as the three different German national competitions (three German championships, four DHB-Pokal and three DHB-Supercup).

Due to their proximity to Scandinavia, SG typically have top international players from Denmark, Sweden and Norway in their squad. Danish right winger Lasse Svan became the club's all-time leading appearance maker during the 2021/22 season, overtaking legendary left winger and fellow Dane Lars Christiansen. At the most recent World Men's Handball Championship, the victorious Danish squad featured six Flensburg players.

Club information

Kit manufacturers

Period Kit manufacturer
–2013 Hummel
2013–2023 Erima
2023– Hummel

Kits

Supporters

There are four official fan clubs of SG Flensburg-Handewitt. The largest is called "Hölle Nord" (Hell North). The other three are called "Die Wikinger" (The Vikings), "Nordlichter" (Northern Lights) and the "Alte Garde" (The Old Guard).[2] Club songs include "Hier regiert Flensburg-Handewitt" by Andreas Fahnert and "Unvergleichliches".

Cooperations

SG Flensburg-Handewitt have sporting partnerships with SønderjyskE Herrehåndbold, VfL Lübeck-Schwartau, Lugi Handboll, DHK Flensborg and Flensburg Academy.

Rivalries

The main rival of SG Flensburg-Handewitt is fellow Schleswig-Holstein side THW Kiel. The two clubs compete in the "Nordderby" and have regularly and closely fought for national championships and in finals of the DHB-Pokal. As of March 2025, 114 matches have been contested between the two sides, with THW winning 67 and SG with 42 victories.[3]

The other rival of SG is HSV Hamburg. Due to HSV's financial issues and subsequent license removal, Flensburg and Hamburg did not play each other for more than five years until the rivalry was renewed in October 2021 when SG won 33–27 in Hamburg.

Attendances

Season Average
2011–2012 5,622
2012–2013 5,553
2013–2014 5,680
2014–2015 5,819
2015–2016 6,026
2016–2017 6,088
2017–2018 5,984
2018–2019 6,060
2019–2020 6,019
2020–2021 382
2021–2022 3,710
2022–2023 5,864
2023–2024 6,183
2024–2025 6,260

Flensburg first played at Wikinghalle, which was built in 1975. They last played there in 1995, having moved to the Flensburger Förderhalle in 1991. Flens-Arena has been the home court of the club since its completion in 2001. In April 2023, the naming rights for the arena became free, as the agreement with local brewery Flensburger Brauerei ended.

Accomplishments

Winners: 2003–04

Final performances

Season Competition Opponent Score
1991–92 DHB-Pokal TUSEM Essen 20–19 19–20 4–5 (P)
1993–94 DHB-Pokal SG Wallau-Massenheim 14–17
1996–97 EHF Cup Virum-Sorgenfri HK 22–25 30–17
1997–98 DHB-Supercup TBV Lemgo 33–35
1997–98 EHF Cup THW Kiel 25–23 21–26
1998–99 EHF City Cup BM Ciudad Real 27–27 26–21
1999–00 DHB-Pokal THW Kiel 25–30
1999–00 EHF Cup RK Metković 22–24 25–23
2000–01 DHB-Supercup THW Kiel 20–19
2000–01 EHF Cup Winners' Cup CB Ademar León 32–25 19–24
2001–02 EHF Cup Winners' Cup BM Ciudad Real 22–31 32–27
2002–03 DHB-Pokal TUSEM Essen 31–30
2003–04 DHB-Supercup TBV Lemgo 28–32
2003–04 DHB-Pokal HSV Hamburg 29–23
2003–04 EHF Champions League RK Celje 28–34 30–28
2004–05 DHB-Supercup HSV Hamburg 24–25
2004–05 DHB-Pokal THW Kiel 33–31
2005–06 DHB-Supercup THW Kiel 34–36
2006–07 EHF Champions League THW Kiel 28–28 27–29
2010–11 DHB-Pokal THW Kiel 24–30
2011–12 DHB-Pokal THW Kiel 31–33
2011–12 EHF Cup Winners' Cup VfL Gummersbach 34–33 32–28
2012–13 DHB-Supercup THW Kiel 26–29
2012–13 DHB-Pokal THW Kiel 30–33
2013–14 DHB-Supercup THW Kiel 29–26
2013–14 DHB-Pokal Füchse Berlin 21–22
2013–14 EHF Champions League THW Kiel 30–28
2014–15 DHB-Pokal SC Magdeburg 27–27 5–4 (P)
2015–16 DHB-Supercup THW Kiel 26–27
2015–16 DHB-Pokal SC Magdeburg 30–32
2016–17 DHB-Pokal THW Kiel 23–29
2018–19 DHB-Supercup Rhein-Neckar Löwen 26–33
2019–20 DHB-Supercup THW Kiel 32–31
2020–21 DHB-Supercup THW Kiel 24–28
2023–24 EHF European League Füchse Berlin 36–31

Team

Current squad

Squad for the 2025–26 season

Technical staff

Transfers

Transfers for the 2025–26 season
Transfers for the 2026–27 season

Transfer History

Domestic competition

Season Tier Division Pos. W D L Pts.
1990–91 2 2. Handball-Bundesliga 4th 14 4 8 32
1991–92 2 2. Handball-Bundesliga 1st 26 0 0 52
1992–93 1 Handball-Bundesliga 16th 12 5 17 29
1993–94 1 Handball-Bundesliga 4th 18 4 12 40
1994–95 1 Handball-Bundesliga 4th 16 5 9 37
1995–96 1 Handball-Bundesliga 2nd 19 4 7 42
1996–97 1 Handball-Bundesliga 2nd 20 1 9 41
1997–98 1 Handball-Bundesliga 4th 16 2 8 34
1998–99 1 Handball-Bundesliga 2nd 21 4 5 46
1999-00 1 Handball-Bundesliga 2nd 25 2 7 52
2000–01 1 Handball-Bundesliga 3rd 26 6 6 58
2001–02 1 Handball-Bundesliga 4th 21 4 9 46
2002–03 1 Handball-Bundesliga 2nd 28 1 5 57
2003–04 1 Handball-Bundesliga 1st 28 2 4 58
2004–05 1 Handball-Bundesliga 2nd 29 2 3 60
2005–06 1 Handball-Bundesliga 2nd 26 3 5 55
2006–07 1 Handball-Bundesliga 3rd 25 1 8 51
2007–08 1 Handball-Bundesliga 2nd 26 2 6 54
2008–09 1 Handball-Bundesliga 5th 21 2 11 44
2009–10 1 Handball-Bundesliga 3rd 27 0 7 54
2010–11 1 Handball-Bundesliga 6th 21 2 11 44
2011–12 1 Handball-Bundesliga 2nd 28 1 5 57
2012–13 1 Handball-Bundesliga 2nd 25 5 4 55
2013–14 1 Handball-Bundesliga 3rd 26 2 6 54
2014–15 1 Handball-Bundesliga 3rd 24 6 6 54
2015–16 1 Handball-Bundesliga 2nd 26 3 3 55
2016–17 1 Handball-Bundesliga 2nd 28 2 4 58
2017–18 1 Handball-Bundesliga 1st 27 2 5 56
2018–19 1 Handball-Bundesliga 1st 32 0 2 64
2019–20 1 Handball-Bundesliga 2nd 20 2 5 1.556a
2020–21 1 Handball-Bundesliga 2nd 32 4 2 66
2021–22 1 Handball-Bundesliga 4th 22 6 6 50
2022–23 1 Handball-Bundesliga 4th 23 3 8 49
2023–24 1 Handball-Bundesliga 3rd 23 4 7 50

aDue to the COVID-19 pandemic, the final table was decided on a points-per-match basis.

European competitions

Season Competition Round Club Home Away Aggregate
2013–14 EHF Champions League Group matches (Group D) HSV Hamburg 27–24 27–32 2nd place
Velenje 35–31 28–23
Aalborg 31–27 27–26
La Rioja 37–25 32–32
HK Drott 33–25 37–27
Quarter-finals Vardar 24–22 25–27 49–49
Semi-final (F4) Barcelona 41–39 (penalties)
Final (F4) THW Kiel 30–28
Season Competition Round Club Home Away Aggregate
2014–15 EHF Champions League Group matches (Group B) FC Barcelona 33–37 27–36 4th place
KIF Kolding København 27–20 21–35
Wisła Płock 35–28 29–31
Alingsås HK 31–21 27–22
Beşiktaş 31–27 27–20
Last 16 THW Kiel 21–30 28–33 49–63
Season Competition Round Club Home Away Aggregate
2015–16 EHF Champions League Group matches (Group A) Paris Saint-Germain 39–32 32–35 3rd place
MVM Veszprém 28–29 24–28
THW Kiel 37–27 23–27
Zagreb 28–27 30–23
Wisła Płock 27–25 34–30
Celje 30–20 30–26
Beşiktaş 33–25 34–26
Round of 16 Montpellier 31–30 28–27 59–57
Quarter-finals Vive Targi Kielce 28–28 28–29 56–57
Season Competition Round Club Home Away Aggregate
2016–17 EHF Champions League Group matches (Group A) Barcelona Lassa 27–28 23–26 4th place
Paris Saint-Germain 33–34 22–27
Telekom Veszprém 24–24 28–34
THW Kiel 25–26 30–22
Bjerringbro-Silkeborg 26–24 25–19
Wisła Płock 22–20 37–30
Kadetten Schaffhausen 31–26 29–26
Round of 16 Meshkov Brest 28–26 26–25 54–51
Quarter-finals Vardar 24–26 27–35 51–61
Season Competition Round Club Home Away Aggregate
2017–18 EHF Champions League Group matches (Group B) Paris Saint-Germain 33–29 21–29 3rd place
Telekom Veszprém 31–31 22–27
THW Kiel 30–33 20–20
PGE Vive Kielce 32–32 25–25
Meshkov Brest 37–30 30–28
Celje 33–28 30–27
Aalborg Håndbold 30–27 31–24
Round of 16 IFK Kristianstad 27–24 26–22 53–46
Quarter-finals Montpellier 28–28 17–29 45–57
Season Competition Round Club Home Away Aggregate
2018–19 EHF Champions League Group matches (Group B) Paris Saint-Germain 20–27 28–29 3rd place
MOL-Pick Szeged 27–25 28–30
HBC Nantes 29–29 34–31
Motor Zaporizhzhia 31–24 26–28
PPD Zagreb 29–31 22–21
Skjern Håndbold 26–22 31–24
Celje Pivovarna Laško 27–26 20–23
Round of 16 Meshkov Brest 30–20 30–28 60–48
Quarter-finals Telekom Veszprém 22–28 25–29 47–57
Season Competition Round Club Home Away Aggregate
2019–20 EHF Champions League Group matches (Group B) Barça 27–34 31–27 5th place
Paris Saint-Germain 29–30 30–32
MOL-Pick Szeged 34–26 24–24
Aalborg Håndbold 29–32 28–31
Celje Pivovarna Laško 29–26 25–24
PPD Zagreb 20–17 26–25
Elverum 26–19 34–28
Round of 16 Montpellier Cancelled due to COVID-19
Season Competition Round Club Home Away Aggregate
2020–21 EHF Champions League Group matches (Group A) Łomza Vive Kielce 31–30 31–28 1st place
MOL-Pick Szeged 26–24 10–0
Elverum Håndball 37–35 30–29
Meshkov Brest 29–29 28–26
Paris Saint-Germain 28–27 29–28
FC Porto 36–29 0–10
Vardar 1961 0–10 26–31
Last 16 PPD Zagreb 10–0 10–0 20–0
Quarter-finals Aalborg Håndbold 21–26 33–29 54–55

Note: All five matches which could not be played due to COVID-19 restrictions were adjudicated by the EHF as 10–0 losses for the club which could not field a full team. This decision was officially criticised by SG Flensburg-Handewitt in a public statement.[4][5]

Season Competition Round Club Home Away Aggregate
2021–22 EHF Champions League Group matches (Group B) Łomza Vive Kielce 25–33 29–37 6th place
Barça 21–25 22–29
Paris Saint-Germain 27–27 30–33
Telekom Veszprém 30–27 23–28
FC Porto 26–26 27–28
Dinamo București 37–30 28–20
Motor 34–27 22–31
Play-offs Pick Szeged 25–21 35–36 60–57
Quarter-finals Barça 29–33 24–27 53–60
Season Competition Round Club Home Away Aggregate
2022–23 EHF European League Group matches (Group B) Ystads IF 30–23 26–30 1st place
Valur 33–30 37–32
FTC 42–30 27–27
PAUC Handball 30–25 29–21
BM Benidorm 35–30 38–32
Last 16 SL Benfica 33–28 39–26 72–54
Quarter-finals Fraikin Granollers 27–35 31–30 58–65
Season Competition Round Club Home Away Aggregate
2023–24 EHF European League Group matches (Group E) Kadetten Schaffhausen 46–32 24–25 1st place
Elverum Håndball 38–35 33–32
RK Lovćen 42–19 35–19
Main round
(Group III) 		Bjerringbro-Silkeborg 38–28 45–26 1st place
RK Vojvodina 42–30 36–26
Quarter finals IK Sävehof 28–29 41–30 69–59
Semi-final (F4) Dinamo București 38–32
Final (F4) Füchse Berlin 36–31
Season Competition Round Club Home Away Aggregate
2024–25 EHF European League Group matches (Group G) MOL-Tatabánya KC 44–27 39–29 1st place
MRK Sesvete 42–25 32–28
HCB Karviná 36–33 41–31
Main round
(Group IV) 		VfL Gummersbach TBD TBD TBD
Fenix Toulouse Handball TBD TBD

EHF ranking

As of 13 January 2025[6]
Rank Team Points
7 KS Kielce 519
8 Füchse Berlin 512
9 SG Flensburg-Handewitt 505
10 Montpellier HB 473
11 Sporting CP 410

Former club members

Notable former players

Former coaches

Seasons Coach Country Trophies
1990–1993 Zvonimir Serdarušić 2. Handball-Bundesliga
1993–1998 Anders Dahl-Nielsen EHF Cup
1998–2003 Erik Veje Rasmussen DHB-Pokal, DHB-Supercup, EHF Cup Winners' Cup, EHF City Cup
2003–2008 Kent-Harry Andersson Handball-Bundesliga, 2 DHB-Pokal
2008–2010 Per Carlén
2010–2017 Ljubomir Vranjes DHB-Pokal, EHF Champions League, EHF Cup Winners' Cup
2017–2023 Maik Machulla 2 Handball-Bundesliga, DHB-Supercup
2023–2025 Nicolej Krickau EHF European League
2025– Aleš Pajovič EHF European League

References

  1. ^ "SG Geschichte". sg-flensburg-handewitt.de.
  2. ^ "Fan clubs". sg-flensburg-handewitt.de.
  3. ^ "106. Landesderby ist 500. Heimspiel". sg-flensburg-handewitt.de. 20 May 2022.
  4. ^ "Statement on the assessment of matches in the EHF Champions League".
  5. ^ "Vier Minuspunkte gegen die SG". 26 February 2021.
  6. ^ "Eurotopteam, classement européen des clubs de Handball".
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