Handball in Croatia

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history

The word Handball used Franjo Bučar in Croatia first, when he in the journal Sokol the German game Schleuderball described in 1904th However, the first organized games and events did not take place until 1930–1950. However, this handball game did not correspond to today's. Since the game was very much influenced by football , the game was initially played on a large football field with eleven players each. This was also called veliki Rukomet (great handball). It was not until 1950 that handball came into play in its current form. This was then called mali Rukomet (small handball). After the big handball came to an end in 1958 , the small handball became only handball.

The first handball game took place on May 29, 1930 after a year of practice between two teams from the state high school in Varaždin under the direction of the sports teacher Zvonimir Suligoj . In Zagreb, the students of the 1st State Real Men High School on Klaićeva Street began with handball under the direction of the sports teacher Vladimir Janković . With the reopening of the sports field of the secondary school in Zagreb on June 1, 1935, a game between the teams of the secondary schools in Zagreb and Ljubljana (8: 3) took place.

The first handball championship was held between the secondary schools in Zagreb in 1935/36. The first international handball game at club level took place on July 19, 1939 in Zagreb. The student national teams from Zagreb and Graz met each other (2:11). In the same year handball sections were founded, based on the Zagreb sports associations at the time:

  • 1st Croatian Municipal Sports Club (1st hrvatski građanski športski klub)
  • Croatian sports club Ličanin (Hrvatski športski klub Ličanin - later renamed HŠK Martinovki)
  • Šparta Municipal Electrical Center (Gradska elektična centrala Šparta)
  • HŠK meteor
  • HŠK Concordija
  • ŠK Željezničar (later renamed HŠK Trnje & SK Marathon)

In the spring of 1940 a handball workers' association was founded, which took over the organization of the handball championship in Zagreb. The first master was HŠK Meteor. In autumn 1941 the first Croatian handball association ( Hrvatski rukometni savez ) was founded, which took over the coordination of 10 clubs and organized the national championships until 1944.

The first game of the Croatian national team took place on June 14, 1942 against Hungary in Budapest (0: 9).

After the Second World War , the individual handball sections were transformed into fiscal cultural communities: Mladost, Metalac, Akademičar, Grafičar, Slavija, Milicionar & Lokomotiva. The newly founded Fiskulturelle Verband in Croatia (Fiskulturni savez Hrvatske, FISAH for short ) held the first championship in Zagreb in 1945. In December 1946 a committee for handball was founded at the Fiskulturellem Verband. At a conference on December 19, 1948 in Zagreb, the foundations of the Croatian Handball Federation were renewed. Until 1992 all Croatian competitions (also in former Yugoslavia) took place under the care of the handball association Croatia (Rukometni savez Hrvatske).

The first women's team was founded by the Fiscal Cultural Active of the 2nd Classical Gymnasium in Zagreb. Accordingly, the first game took place in 1948, when the teams from the 2nd Classical Gymnasium and the 6th Women's Gymnasium met. The first national championship for women was held in Split in 1949.

The first international meeting took place in 1950. The national teams of Yugoslavia and Belgium played against each other in Zagreb (18: 3).

The last championship in men's handball was held in 1957/58. Participants were seven clubs. The women's competition was held for the last time in 1956 with just three clubs.

The first official game of small handball took place on February 24, 1950 between the Metalac and Maksimir clubs in the Zagreb Exhibition Center. Just one year later, the women's first small handball game took place in Nova Gradiška . The official start of the season of the league of small handball for men and women was in 1953. The national cup has been held since 1955. The following clubs have had the most successes since then among men in the league:

  • RK Partizan (Bjelovar)
  • RK Zagreb
  • RK Prvomajska (Zagreb)
  • RK Medveščak (Zagreb)

And for the women:

  • ŽRK Lokomotiva (Zagreb)
  • ŽRK Podravka (Koprivnica)

People also drew attention to themselves at the European level. For example, RK Partizan Bjelovar won the European championship cup in 1972, RK Zagreb followed in 1992 & 1993.

In the women's category, Podravka Vegeta won the European Cup in 1996. The clubs ŽRK Osijek (1982 & 1983) and ŽRK Dalma Split (1984) won the cup winners' cup . Last but not least, they also secured two wins in the IHF Cup, ŽRK Trešnjevka (1982) and ŽRK Lokomotiva (1991).

After the civil war in Croatia, the new handball association Hrvatski Rukometni Savez (HRS for short) was founded. Croatia has been a member of the International Handball Federation IHF since April 10, 1992, and of the European Handball Federation EHF since July 23, 1992 .

successes

Croatian Handball League Men

The first division (1. HRL) has been playing in a season with 16 teams since the 2007/08 season. Masters and two relegated teams are determined in a double round with a total of 30 match days. As with the women, the main sponsor is the dairy production company Dukat from Zagreb, which is why the league is also called Dukat 1. HRL . Series champion in the league has been RK Zagreb since 1991 , which has no competition in the league.

Croatian handball league women

The women's league consists of twelve teams. After the round two , the first four teams play a final four for two wins. The two winners play in the final, the losers for third place, again with a return game. The women's team of Podravka Vegeta from Koprivnica, which has won all championships since the independent Croatian league, should certainly be emphasized .

Denis Špoljarić in action

Known players

Web links