SG Flensburg-Handewitt has gotten off to a strong start to the season and, with 8:0 points, has established itself among the top teams in the Opel HBL. The third home game is coming up on Sunday. The match against HC Hamburg tips off at 6 p.m.
A new logo and a new identity after nearly 25 years in the Hanseatic city: HSV Handball is history. The new name is Handballclub Hamburg, or HCH for short. “With the new name and clear direction, we’re visibly turning a new chapter,” emphasizes Niklas Weller, who has hung up his handball shoes and now serves as president. On the sporting front, the team’s goal is to improve on last season’s tenth-place finish in the standings. A result they hope to match again if possible. The first few games, however, brought more disappointment than anything else. There were no wins in the first four matchdays. “The guys aren’t quite where I’d hoped they’d be,” said HC coach Torsten Jansen. The fact that the Hamburg team needs patience this season is also due to a major roster shakeup. Key positions had to be filled.
The Handball
Club’s New Roster With Niklas Weller and Andreas Magaard, two pivot players left the club. They were replaced by Norwegian national team player Martin Hovde and Jan Schmidt, who had already seen some action during the second half of last season. Goalkeeper Mohamed El-Tayar, left-hander Jacob Lassen, and left wing Casper Mortensen—three more key players—also departed. Their replacements are relatively inexperienced: Goalkeeper Leon Nowottny was the third-string goalkeeper at THW Kiel and is now set to back up Robin Haug. Left wing Noah Beyer has previously played for TUSEM Essen and Bergischer HC in the top division of handball. Norwegian right back Nicolai Daling comes directly from the domestic league. As early as the third game, HC Hamburg had to digest some bitter news. Playmaker Moritz Sauter suffered a torn cruciate ligament and will likely be out for the rest of the season. “This is a very difficult situation for us as a club, because with him gone, one of our most important players will be sidelined for a long time,” says sports director Johannes Bitter. During the preseason, HC Hamburg had already signed the young Bosnian playmaker Alem Hadžić. Elias Kofler, Nicolaj Jørgensen, and Einar Olafsson are the other right-handed backcourt players.
