HRK Izviđač
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| Full name | Hrvatski Rukometni Club Izviđač Ljubuški |
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| Abbreviation (s) | Izviđač | ||
| Nickname (s) | Skauti ( the scouts ) | ||
| Founded | 1956 | ||
| Club colors | Red White | ||
| Hall | Municipal sports hall Ljubuški | ||
| Places | 4,000 seats | ||
| president | Stanislav Mucic | ||
| Trainer | Silvio Ivandija | ||
| league |
Premijer Liga 5th place (2009/10)
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| Website | http://www.izvidjac.com | ||
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| Greatest successes | |||
| National | 4 × champions (BiH) 2 × cup winners (BiH) |
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| International | 1 × European Cup Winners' Cup semi-finals |
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HRK Izviđač [ ɨzvɨɟatʃ ] is a handball club from Bosnia and Herzegovina founded in 1956 , which is based in Ljubuški .
history
Foundation and naming (1956–1963)
Handball was first introduced in Ljubuški in the municipal high school shortly after the Second World War. For example, when Izviđač was founded in 1956 as a youth handball club Partizan Ljubuški ( O mladniski R ukometni K lub Partizan Ljubuški ), mainly high school students played. When the boy scout movement ( izviđači ) had also reached Yugoslavia in the early 1960s , the association was renamed ORK Izviđač in 1963 . The name has existed continuously since then, although only the abbreviation (ORK → RK → HRK) has undergone small changes. The current name H rvatski R ukometni K lub ( Croatian handball club ) is a consequence of the Bosnian War, during which sports clubs across the country have often received a national connotation.
The time as a provincial amateur club (1963–1990)
In socialist Yugoslavia, Izviđač played a subordinate role between the other handball clubs in the state. The first years after its establishment, Izviđač was a participant in a regional Herzegovinian-Dalmatian championship ( Hercegovačko-dalmatinska League ), the most prominent member of which was RK Mehanika Metković . It was not until a few years later that a purely Herzegovinian, then a Bosnian-Herzegovinian regional league was launched. Izviđač was placed in the southern section of the second division and played there for several years with mixed results, but without ever relegating from this. In the 1970s the club got into a crisis and even had to stop playing. The club was soon formed again and in 1986 experienced a real high flight with the promotion to the top division of the Bosnian-Herzegovinian national league in. However, the rules of the first national league demanded that the championship games will only be played in adequate sports halls, which is why Izviđač had to play its home games in Metković from now on , as Ljubuški did not have its own sports hall at that time. Nevertheless, the club managed to establish itself in the league, so that he was not relegated from this until the outbreak of war.
Professionalization, sporting breakthrough and construction of the sports hall (1994–1998)
With the outbreak of war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Izviđač stopped playing for the second time in its history and only resumed it in 1994 as a member of a championship organized in the parallel state of Herceg-Bosna . From 1995 the club was a dominant size of this and was able to win all championships and trophies until it was absorbed in the state Premijer Liga. As early as 1998, the national champions were played for the first time in two play-off games between the champions of Bosnia and the champions of Herceg-Bosna. Izviđač had to admit defeat to the Bosnian champions RK Borac Travnik , but took part in an international competition, the Euro City Cup , for the first time in the following season . As a result of being placed in a European competition, Izviač was again faced with the problem of not having its own sports hall for large home games. So the question was asked again whether the club should move to the nearest hall or whether they should not build their own sports hall in Ljubuški. When the construction seemed to be a hopeless undertaking again due to lack of money, the then player and contractor Stanislav Mucić decided to start construction on his own initiative, took over the costs together with the municipality and was elected the club's new sports director shortly afterwards . At the beginning of May 1998 the construction work finally began, which was completed in time for the European home premiere on October 10, 1998 against RK Lovćen Cetinje .
Establishment at national level and first international appearances (1998–2001)
The first European Cup season in 1998/99 was quickly over after two major defeats against Lovćen Cetinje (17:41 A, 30:38 H). However, Izviđač won in the same season with the national cup, the first national title in the club's history and was thus qualified for the European Cup Winners' Cup. This time they survived the first round with a win and a draw against the Estonian representative Kehra Tallinn, but were just eliminated in the second round against Drammen HK (24:22 H, 21:26 A). But as in the previous year, Izviđač was able to compensate for the early failure in the European Cup with a success at national level in 1999/2000 and celebrated his first national championship victory after play-offs against the champions of Bosnia and the Republika Srpska . In the following year the first appearance in the EHF Champions League followed , from which one had to say goodbye quickly after two defeats against the Ukrainian champions ZTR Zaporozhye. To make matters worse, an unregistered player had been used, which is why Izviđač was not allowed to continue playing in the second round of the EHF Cup as intended in the schedule . In 2000/01 there was no national play-off, as the three sub-national associations were too busy negotiating the mode of a unified Premier League .
National dominance and a first respectable success in Europe (2001-2003)
After three years of working with coach Josip Glavaš, the time for change seemed ripe, which is why at the beginning of the 2001/02 season the former Yugoslav and Croatian international Boris Jarak was entrusted with the coaching office. Internationally, little has changed this season; so Izviđač had to leave the EHF Challenge Cup after just 4 games . But the change had an even more positive effect on the national tournaments. In the championship unified since this season by the Premijer Liga , Izviđač marched without equal competition at the top and won his second championship by 14 points. A similarly dominant image could also be offered in the cup, which was also won for the second time, whereby Izviđač achieved his first and so far only double .
In the following year (2002/03) a first small respectable success could also be achieved in the European Cup. Izviđač's rejuvenated team had to pay a hard time against Pallamano Trieste - especially away from home, where they had lost a break of 14:11 - (27:33 A, 27:26 H) and thus failed again in the qualifying round due to the eligibility to participate in the EHF Champions League. But this time the team was able to continue playing in the EHF Cup, where they defeated the Dutch representative Fiqas Aalsmeer in the second round in two games, both of which were played in the Netherlands , with 32:25 and 29:28. After the draw for the third round, the multiple European Cup winner FC Barcelona was the first real giant of the sports world to come to Ljubuški. Neither the club nor the fans expected any chances of advancement, rather most of the supporters feared another show and a 20-goal defeat, as in the very first European Cup appearance in 1998.
At the first leg in Ljubuški on November 9, 2002, more than 4,000 spectators had gathered in the overcrowded sports hall, which was sold out for the first time. The opening minutes of the game seemed to confirm the predictions of the pessimists; Barcelona dominated the game, but the then 18-year-old goalkeeper Mirko Alilović , who was supposed to celebrate his breakthrough that evening, kept his team in the game. After Izviđač's players had shed their nervousness, they played what was probably the best half-time in the club's history to date against eventual tournament winner Barcelona and held a 15:15 tie at break. The Catalans did not manage to escape in the second half either, but the greater quality in width was ultimately decisive that Izviđač could not hold back in the final minutes and had to admit defeat with 27:31.
At this point in time the club had reached its first climax in terms of sport as well as popularity, as the game against Barcelona was seen as an important gain in prestige for handball in Bosnia and Herzegovina in general. But already in the second leg it was announced that the young team cannot handle the successes properly. Izviđač lost 19:39 in Barcelona , with the team slaughtered especially in the first half (5:19). Also in the national championship Izviđač lost noticeably to ground and at the end of the season had to give up both titles of the previous year to RK Bosna Sarajevo .
The second era of Josip Glavaš and highlight in the European Cup (2003-2005)
The missed championship eventually cost coach Boris Jarak his job; his predecessor was appointed as his successor: Josip Glavaš. Glavaš quickly recognized the potential of the still young team, which he only strengthened by two more wingers for the new season. National success soon turned up again, so that Izviđač could celebrate his third championship in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the 2003/04 season. In the EHP-Pokal, in which Izviđač only had to intervene in the second round, the THW Kiel faced a big chunk. However, the audience response was significantly less than against Barcelona, so that the sports hall was only well filled with 2,800 spectators . Izviđač, who showed his newly gained international experience, even took a two-goal lead against strong Kielers at the break (14:12). But just like against Barcelona in the previous season, the team ran out of breath shortly before the end, so that they had to admit defeat 25:28. The poor performance in the second leg also offered parallels to Barcelona, even though they were n't slaughtered quite as high in the Ostseehalle with 23:38 as a year earlier in Catalonia. It is noteworthy, however, that the eventual winner of the tournament again knocked you out of the competition.
The early exit in the EHF Cup against Kiel had a positive aspect: the top European clubs did not get the opportunity to take a close look at Izvi Spielerač's players, so the squad for the 2004/05 season remained almost unchanged. As a champion, Izviđač was able to start a third attempt to qualify for the group stage of the EHF Champions League. As a guest at Panellinios Athens , the opportunity was not missed this time: The Greeks were completely overwhelmed with Izvisač's well-rehearsed team from the first minute and had to admit defeat in their own hall with 35:27. The second leg in Ljubuški became a mere formality and was rather energy-saving in front of 3,500 spectators with 24:23.
This enabled Izviđač to qualify for the group stage of the EHF Champions League for the first time, where the clubs BM Ciudad Real , KIF Kolding and Pfadi Winterthur were drawn in Group E. The opening game Ciudad Real took place on October 9, 2004 in the completely sold-out domestic sports hall. But Izviđač never managed to defeat the Spaniards - who played with an ensemble of seasoned top players - and lost with 23:37. Something similar happened to Izviđač a week later in Denmark, where there was no answer to the fast-paced game of the Scandinavians and they lost 29:38. The team had their backs to the wall before the home game against Pfadi Winterthur and could only hope to stay in the European Cup with a win. In front of 2,200 spectators in the local sports hall, Izviđač showed that the high hardship of the first two group games was not in vain and achieved a convincing 35:29 victory over the Swiss.
With the success, some spectators returned: the memorable second game against Kolding 7 days later, there were at least 2,800 in the sports hall. After their effortless victory in the first leg, the Danes had made it to Ljubuški with a big chest. But just a few minutes after kick-off, the initially arrogant Scandinavians had to realize that this game will demonstrate a completely different balance of power than the game in Denmark. Izviđač acted much more cautiously and patiently, leaving the Danes with little opportunity to develop their fast counterattack. At halftime they led accordingly deserved with 21:18; In the second half a gripping and very purposeful exchange of blows developed. Both teams had an astonishingly high hit rate and left only a few chances unused. When Dragan Ćavar scored a 3-goal lead (37:34) two minutes before the end, the grandstands were already raging and celebrated their team's second victory in the current competition, which was finally sealed with 37:36.
Izviđač's players were also able to confirm their playful quantum leap in the second leg in Spain at Ciudad Real. The team had learned to deal with fast-paced play, consistently punished the opponent's inattentiveness and was now able to play 60 minutes at the limit. So Izviđač was able to show a 30:34 defeat that they were no longer a shooting gallery in the Champions League. With a 29:27 away win at Pfadi Winterthur, they finally secured third place in the group in the last group game and thus remained in the European Cup Winners' Cup, although they only failed to advance in the Champions League because of the direct comparison with Kolding.
In the round of 16 of the cup winners' competition, the Slovenian representative RK Prevent from Slovenj Gradec , who wanted to celebrate his 50th anniversary with the home game against Izvi Pokač , was waiting . A Slovenian victory celebration was also made possible by the referees, who had sent a total of 4 Izviđač players off in the final minute of the game. Against two field players, the Slovenes had little trouble to play a comfortable 38:34 until the final whistle. In the second leg in Ljubuški Izviđač was able to prove his new international experience in front of 2,500 spectators and beat RK Prevent in the final phase with 30:22.
The Herzegovinian-Slovenian duels saw a continuation in the quarter-finals, when the lot determined that Izviđač had to travel to Velenje to the RK Gorenje . The solid team from Slovenia clearly put their somewhat aloof-looking counterparts in their place and gave Izviđač a 31:37 debacle. So before the second leg in Ljubuški a race to catch up was required to reach the next round. But the fans seemed to have had a good feeling this time, so that the sports hall was sold out again on March 12, 2005 after a long time. RK Gorenje held up well for a long time and left little hope for the break (17:15) that the home team could make up another 4 goals. After the break, however, Izviđač showed a very consistent defensive game, which the Slovenes were increasingly struggling with, and in the 41st minute they took the lead for the first time with 25:17. In the atmosphere heated by 4,000 spectators, the players of the RK Gorenje visibly lost their heads and in the almost 20-minute exchange of blows with 33:25 in the end they lost out.
Reaching the semi-finals in the cup winners' competition was not only by far the greatest success in the club's history for Izviđač, it was also the greatest sporting success in post-war history for all of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The club's fans and board would have preferred to compete against the Croatian champions RK Zagreb in the semi-finals , but the draw made Izviđač travel to Spain once again - this time to see Ademar León . In the first leg in Spain Izviđač showed a strong performance as a team, but some top performers looked worn out by the long European Cup season. In the end you had to go home with a 30:37 defeat and once again hope for a brilliant comeback as in the two previous laps. Despite the support of 3,800 spectators, this time it did not take place; so Izviđač had to admit defeat in the second leg (33:38) and was thus - for the third time in a row - only eliminated from the European Cup by the eventual winner.
Despite the double burden, the team managed to stay ahead nationally and at the end of the long 2004/05 season to celebrate the Bosnian-Herzegovinian championship for the fourth time and so far the last time.
Player sales, coaching changes and sporting recession (2005–2009)
During the summer break of 2005, Izviđač had to pay the price for his successes in the European Cup on the transfer market. Five players left the club abroad, one switched to permanent rivals RK Bosna Sarajevo, and another ended his career. Coach Glavaš had to build a completely new team and tried to fill the holes primarily with new talent from the region. At first, his work seemed to bear fruit once again: In the qualifying round of the Champions League, Izviđač defeated Finnish representative Sjundea IF in both games (36:22 H, 32:27 A) and moved back into the group stage. In Group D there was mainly a reunion with old friends; so the team met next to the Ukrainian representative ZTR Zaporozhye also again on the FC Barcelona, while SC Pick Szeged from Hungary was a complete stranger.
For a long time, the tournament had parallels to the spectacular previous season: first a home defeat against group favorites FC Barcelona (27:35), then a hopelessly inferior performance in Ukraine at ZTR Zaporozhye (20:32), and finally the last first round match at home against SC Pick Szeged - albeit much closer than in the previous season - to win with 23:22. Even if the new Izviđač team presented themselves with a lot of heart, the difference in quality compared to the previous year was noticeable. In the first second leg, at home against Zaporozhye, the team showed their most self-sacrificing performance: 6 minutes before the end, the guests were still four goals ahead when coach Glavaš ordered a 4-2 defense game. Izviđač fought his way back and equalized a minute before the end of the game; then the team was outnumbered, conceded another goal 15 seconds before the end to equalize in the final second to 29:29.
With the draw there was also hope that in the event of a win in the last group game at SC Pick Szeged in Hungary, they could again secure third place and thus remain in the European Cup. But before that, Izviđač had to travel to Barcelona to pick up a defeat there, as expected (27:38). Despite the clear result, it is worth noting that the team played equally up to the 40th minute and were on par with the Catalans at 20:20. But it was precisely in games like these that you finally noticed that the Izviđač team still had a lot of international stamina and experience to gain. The last group game SC Pick Szeged turned out to be a real fiasco; Izviđač lost well deserved with 22:33 and had to make friends with the fourth place in the group and the early exit in the European Cup.
The uninspired performance in Hungary, coupled with the mixed performances in the 2005/06 championship, cost successful coach Josip Glavaš his job for the second time - despite being awarded the title of coach of the year 2005 in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Under his successor, the former player and club official Miro Markić, Izviđač was able to make up ground in the championship until the winter break, but in the end it was no longer enough to defend the title at the end of the season. After the surprising defeat in the cup final against RK Sloga from Doboj , Markić had to vacate his coaching position for the even younger Željko Rezdeušek at the end of the season.
In the summer of 2006 Izviđač turned the carousel of players: 10 further departures obliterated any traces of the glorious Eurofighters of 2005. So Rezdeušek was forced to start from scratch when building a new team and once again primarily build on his own offspring. The young coach did well initially, eliminated UTM Chișinău from Moldova in the first round of the EHF Cup and started the new season with two wins and one draw. But a home defeat on Matchday 4 against RK Bosna Sarajevo (24:29) and the early out of the European Cup against "Viking Malt" Panevezys from Lithuania - two defeats, although both games were played in Ljubuški - brought Izviđač and coach Rezdeušek back into the game Reality back. After a series of 6 defeats in a row in the championship, Dario Mikulić had to leave the field. Under his leadership, the young team was able to stabilize again and at the end of the 2006/07 season, with 4th place in the championship, at least secured participation in the EHF Challenge Cup, and thus the 10th European Cup season in a row.