ŽRK Vardar () is a Macedonian women's handball club from Skopje, North Macedonia. The team currently competes in the Macedonian women's First League of Handball, Women's Regional Handball League and used to be a top competitor in the Women's EHF Champions League.
History
The Beginning WHC Vardar was founded in 1961, as part of the Vardar Sports Club in Skopje, which had been founded in 1947.
WHC Grafichar Skopje club was established in 1948, and it was the top quality team at the time. They won many titles including the last one in 1960 before the fusion. In 1961 Grafichar renamed itself to Vardar and almost the entire team of the club Grafichar joined the team. WHC Vardar started with winning the championship in 1961. The next few seasons they played in a higher rank including playoffs for the Federal First Division. In 1963 after the earthquake, the Vardar team was dismissed and they didn't compete for many seasons until 1970. Most of the players joined HC Rabotnicki and Metalurg Skopje. New Come Back In the year 1970 after the financial situation got better they started to compete in Macedonian league again. They won 4 championships in a row from 1971 until 1974 and played qualification for the higher rank Federal Division. They didn't manage to get to higher rank losing tight barrage games with 1 or 2 goals difference in aggregate. In 1976 and 1977 they won the Macedonian championship again and next year they qualified for the second Division Federal League. They won the Second Division in 1978 and reached the play-offs for top flight federal division, but lost in aggregate 1 goal difference. In the next years they got back in the Macedonian league again. They won the title in 1983 .They played in the Macedonian league until 1992. After 1992 Macedonian league became the top flight league where they had tough competition in newly rising club Kometal GP Skopje. First league days Until Kometal Gjorče Petrov officially stopped working, Vardar was the only other club to win any title in any of the competitions in Macedonia by winning the 1994 Macedonian Cup. In the 2012/2013 season with the arrival of the new sponsor and sporting director Sergey Samsonenko along with some new players, the team started to achieve more positive results and won its first league title. Stardom Days Vardar got back on the champions track in the beginning of 2011 when their financial situation improved again. They brought new players and started constructing a team with which Vardar began winning championships and cups, as well as the Regional League. They performed successfully in the Women's Champions league, securing victories against high-level teams. In the year 2012 the new Sports center Jane Sandanski was built which became handball temple of Glory . Since 2013, the team had three 3rd-place finishes in the EHF Champions League and two 2nd-place finishes in the seasons 2016–17 and 2017–18 being the only team that competed in the all EHF Final Four Tournaments. Recent rank Earlier in 2018 the president of the club, Gordana Naceva, announced the breakup of the team made up from world class players and added that they will focus on young players. In the season 2019 and 2020 Vardar finished 3rd in the Macedonian league. They didn't play in the Champions league any more after they've decided that their team is not strong enough for the competition.
Arena information Unlike the usual situation in handball of clubs renting halls from municipalities or private owners, HC Vardar itself is the owner of the Jane Sandanski Arena where they play all their home matches in the Women's EHF Champions League, the Women's Regional Handball League and in the domestic competitions.
Accomplishments Domestic competitions Macedonian First League: Winners (6): 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18
Macedonian Cup Winners (6): 1994, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018
European competitions EHF Champions League: Runner-up: 2016–17, 2017–18 Third placed: 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16
Other competitions Women's Regional Handball League: Winners: 2016–17, 2017–18 Runner-up: 2013–14
Bucharest Trophy: Third placed: 2015
Vardar Trophy: Winners: 2015 Runner-up: 2017
Kits
HOME
AWAY
Team Current squad of the first team Current squad Squad for the 2021–22 season WHC Vardar 1961Goalkeepers 1 Jovana Trajkoska 12 Simona Grujovska 16 Andrea Ilić Right Wingers 28 Sara Minovska 40 Iva Jakovchevska 74 Mirjana Petkovska Left Wingers 8 Stefanija Gjeorgievska 21 Ivona Trpevska 26 Bojana Dinevska Line players 93 Katerina Damjanoska
Left Backs 3 Marija Gocevska 31 Andrea Sedloska 97 Milica Nikolić Central Backs 10 Ana Marija Božinovska 14 Keti Angelovska 23 Angela Grozdanovska 33 Ana Marija Kolarovska 51 Marija Galevska Right Backs 24 Angela Kostović
Staff
Professional staff Position Name Head coach Dragana Pecevska Ristova Assistant coach Biljana Crvenkoska Goalkeeping coach Aleksandar Carchev Conditioning coach Marija Lojanica Physiotherapists Bojana Božinovska
Management Position Name Owner Mihajlo Mihajlovski President Gordana Naceva Executive director Davor Stojanovski Operative manager Ana Stojkov Sporting director Eduard Koksharov
Former club members Notable former players
Julija Nikolić Marija Shteriova Dragana Pecevska Biljana Crvenkoska Andrea Beleska Ivana Sazdovski Robertina Mečevska Dragana Petkovska Sara Ristovska Mirjeta Bajramoska Teodora Keramičieva Ivana Gakidova Simona Stojanovska Sara Mitova Jovana Micevska Leonida Gičevska Jovana Sazdovska Inna Suslina Polina Kuznetsova Tatiana Khmyrova Olga Chernoivanenko Nigina Saidova Ekaterina Kostyukova Alena Ikhneva Olesya Kiriy Ekaterina Lubyanaya Oksana Orekhova Anastasia Svetlova Anna Vinogradova Olga Vinogradova Evgenia Zhulkina Andrea Lekić Dragana Cvijić Marija Petrović Sanja Damnjanović Marija Lojpur Marina Dmitrović Tatjana Trbovic Andrea Klikovac Jovanka Radičević Ana Đokić Itana Grbić Allison Pineau Siraba Dembélé Amandine Leynaud Alexandra Lacrabère Andrea Penezić Andrea Čanađija Maja Sokač Barbara Lazović Tamara Mavsar Dayane Pires da Rocha Mayssa Pessoa Begoña Fernández Dziyana Ilyina Anja Althaus Camilla Herrem
Notable former coaches Indira Kastratović (2012–2015) Ace Stankovski Sime Simovski Jan Pytlick (2015–2016) Kim Rasmussen (2015) David Davis (2016–2017) Roberto García Parrondo (2018–2019) Eduard Koksharov (2016) Irina Dibirova
Kit manufacturers Hummel International
European competitions record
EHF Champions League Season Round Club Home Away Aggregate2013–14 Q2-SF Jomi Salerno35–16 Q2-F Fleury Loiret Handball33–25 GM(Group D) Larvik27–2731–29 1st Balonmano Bera Bera30–2023–19 RK Podravka Koprivnica39–2635–17 MR(Group 1) FC Midtjylland24–2324–25 1st Thüringer HC31–2524–24 IK Sävehof24–1827–27 SF (F4) Budućnost20–22 3rd (F4) FC Midtjylland34–312014–15 GM(Group C) Budućnost24–2417–23 2nd Podravka Koprivnica35–2527–26 Thüringer HC26–2120–21 MR(Group 1) Dinamo-Sinara28–2725–33 2nd HC Leipzig26–2023–26 RK Krim41–3047–29 QF Győri ETO KC24–1827–2751–45 SF (F4) Budućnost17–27 3rd (F4) Dinamo-Sinara28–262015–16 GM(Group C) FC Midtjylland33–2425−15 2nd Hypo Niederösterreich37−2538–25 Győri ETO KC22–2727−28 MR(Group 2) CSM Bucharest22−2130−25 3rd Budućnost26−2419−31 IK Sävehof37−2529−26 QF Larvik34–2026–2860–48 SF (F4) CSM Bucharest21–27 3rd (F4) Budućnost30–282016–17 GM(Group B) Ferencvárosi TC27–2737–24 1st HC Astrakhanochka39–2531–26 HC Leipzig41–2445–22 MR(Group 1) Metz23−2128−42 1st Budućnost28−3131−28 Thüringer HC36−2631−29 QF FC Midtjylland26–2428–2654–50 SF (F4) CSM Bucharest38–33 F (F4) Győri ETO KC30–31 (ET)2017–18 GM(Group C) Ferencvárosi TC34–3129–28 1st Larvik30–2731–19 Thüringer HC29–2129–21 MR(Group 2) Metz29−2322−24 1st SG BBM Bietigheim30−2238−26 Budućnost31−2430−25 QF FC Midtjylland32–2524–2356–48 SF (F4) Rostov-Don25–19 F (F4) Győri ETO KC26–27 (ET)
EHF Cup Season Round Club 1st leg 2nd leg Aggregate 2002–03R2 Duvanska Industrija Nis11–4514–3325–78 2003–04R2 O.F.N. Ionias21–2812–3033–58 2011–12 R32 Békéscsabai ENKSE20–3920–4040–792012–13 2Q Patras28–1927–1655–35 R16 Kuban Krasnodar30–2817–2247–50
Challenge Cup Season Round Club 1st leg 2nd leg Aggregate1999–001/16 Eastcon AG Vilnius15–3513–3528–701994–95 1/16 ATV Basel24–1623–2347–39 1/8 TV Mainzlar20–3124–2444–541995–961/16 Austria Tabak15–2411–2126–452001–02 R3 RK Skopje18–2016–1434–34 R4 CD Gil Eanes-Lagos13–2531–2644–512008–09R3 Cankaya Beld30–3332–3252–55
Regional Handball League Season Round Club 1st leg 2nd leg Placement2012–13 MR ŽRK Zaječar25–2832–29 5th ŽORK Jagodina36–2624–22 Budućnost21–2621–41 ŽRK Biseri Pljevlja31–2437–20 RK Lokomotiva Zagreb21–2325–28 Podravka Koprivnica23–2522–25 ŽRK Metalurg16–2514–232013–14 MR ŽRK Danilovgrad33–1325–16 2nd Budućnost20–2428–32 RK Krim26–22CAN RK Zagorje35–2733–22 RK Lokomotiva Zagreb16–1421–25 Podravka Koprivnica28–2829–24 ŽRK Metalurg35–2629–222016–17 MR Budućnost29–3028–27 1st Podravka Koprivnica30–1935–18 RK Krim38–2927–26 SF Podravka Koprivnica29–16 F Budućnost27–252017–18 MR Budućnost24–22 31–24
27–2621–20 25–25 1st RK Krim30–27 25–24
29–3432–29 32–31
European competitions record (WHC Vardar SCJS) EHF Cup Season Round Club 1st leg 2nd leg Aggregate 2014–15 R3 Dunaújvárosi KKA20–2815–3035–58
Challenge Cup Season Round Club 1st leg 2nd leg Aggregate2015–16 R3 London Angels HC27–1435–1762–31 L16 Minaqua Vojvodina26–2431–2757–51 QF HC Karpaty Uzhhorod22–1917–2839–472016–17R3 HC Svilengrad-PU 24–17 29–22 53–391/8 H 65 Höör 13–26 20–26 33–52
Statistics
All–time Top 10 Scorers in the EHF Champions League As of 2017–18 season
RankNameSeasonsGoals1 Andrea Penezić43712 Andrea Lekić53353 Jovanka Radičević52934 Barbara Lazović41445 Alexandra Lacrabère21146 Siraba Dembélé31137 Tatyana Khmyrova51058 Maja Sokač3959 Anja Althaus39010 Dragana Cvijić155
Most appearances in the EHF Champions League As of 2017–18 season
RankNameSeasonsAppearances1 Jovanka Radičević5772 Amandine Leynaud5753 Andrea Klikovac5744 Inna Suslina5735 Andrea Lekić5706 Tatyana Khmyrova563 Andrea Penezić463 Barbara Lazović4639 Siraba Dembélé34610 Maja Sokač345 Anja Althaus345
Individual awards in the EHF Champions League SeasonPlayerAward2013–14 Ana ĐokićAll–Star Team (Best Line Player) Jovanka RadičevićAll–Star Team (Best Right Wing)2014–15 Andrea Penezić(shared with Cristina Neagu)Top Scorer (102 goals) Siraba DembéléAll–Star Team (Best Left Wing)2015–16 Jovanka RadičevićAll–Star Team (Best Right Wing)2016–17 Andrea PenezićTop Scorer (98 goals) Camilla HerremAll–Star Team (Best Left Wing)2017–18 Dragana CvijićAll–Star Team (Best Line Player) Amandine LeynaudMVP of the Final 4
References
External links