Neckarsulmer SU (women's handball)

Sport-Union Neckarsulm
Sport-Union Neckarsulm
Full name	Sport-Union Neckarsulm e.V.
Short name	SUN, Sport-Union
Founded	1 January 2009; 15 years ago
Arena	Ballei-Sporthalle
Capacity	1,300
President	Rolf Härdtner
Head coach	Thomas Zeitz
League	Handball Bundesliga Frauen
2022-23	12th
Club colours
Home	Away
	Website ; Official site

Neckarsulm

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Location of Sport-Union Neckarsulm

Sport-Union Neckarsulm is the women's handball team of the sports club Sport-Union Neckarsulm, from the town of Neckarsulm in the southwest of Germany. The team competes domestically in the Handball-Bundesliga and the DHB-Pokal. They play their home matches at the Ballei-Sporthalle and usually wear dark navy shirts and shorts.

History[edit]

Early years[edit]

Sport-Union Neckarsulm was founded on New Year's Day in 2009 as Neckarsulmer Sport-Union (NSU) through the merger of Sportvereinigung Neckarsulm 1946 and Sportfreunde Neckarsulm. The name alludes to the NSU Motorenwerke, the predecessor of Audi, which was located in the city of Neckarsulm until 1985. The multi sports club consists of 17 different sections of which the women’s handball section is one of the best known because of their multi-year participation in the Bundesliga, Germany‘s most important handball league.

Climbing up the league pyramid[edit]

After two championship titles in regional fifth and fouth tier leagues, coach Emir Hadzimuhamedović led the team to promotion to the 2. Bundesliga in the summer of 2013. In the following years, the team established itself there and gained promotion to the Bundesliga as second division champions in 2016.

A big part in the various promotions from regional amateur level to professional tiers played the successful under-17 team, which won the German championship in 2011. Talented players of this youth team formed an integral part of the first team in later years.^[1]

New name and establishment in the Bundesliga[edit]

After promotion to the Bundesliga Neckarsulmer Sport-Union was fighting against relegation for their first three years in Germany’s top tier but eventually managed to stay in the league. With coaches Pascal Morgant and Tanja Logvin at the helm, the team established itself in the following years as a solid force in the Bundesliga with a sixth place finish in the 2020-21 season, the best result to date.

In 2021 Neckarsulmer Sport-Union was forced to change its name and crest due to unwanted associations with the right-wing extremist organization National Socialist Underground, although the abbreviation NSU has a long regional tradition in and around the city of Neckarsulm.^[2] Now playing as Sport-Union Neckarsulm the club produced players like Selina Kalmbach or Sarah Wachter who went on to become internationals for Germany.

Season to season[edit]

Season	Tier	Division	Position	Points	DHB-Pokal
2009–10	V	Württembergliga (Nord)	9th/12	19:25
2010–11	V	Württembergliga (Nord)	1st/12	44:0
2011–12	IV	BW-Oberliga	1st/14	50:2	Round of 32
2012–13	III	3. Liga (Süd)	1st/14	48:4
2013–14	II	2. Bundesliga	7th/14	27:29	Round of 16
2014–15	II	2. Bundesliga	4th/14	34:18	First round
2015–16	II	2. Bundesliga	1st/16	53:7	Quarterfinals
2016–17	I	Bundesliga	12th/14	13:39	Round of 16
2017–18	I	Bundesliga	13th/14	10:42	Round of 32
2018–19	I	Bundesliga	12th/14	13:39	Quarterfinals
2019–20	I	Bundesliga	9th/14	12:22	Quarterfinals
2020–21	I	Bundesliga	6th/16	37:23	Round of 16
2021–22	I	Bundesliga	7th/14	26:26	Round of 16
2022–23	I	Bundesliga	12th/14	15:37	Round of 16
2023–24	I	Bundesliga			Round of 16

Arena[edit]

Sport-Union Neckarsulm play their home matches at the Ballei-Sporthalle, a multi-purpose arena which hosts up to 1,300 spectators (standing and seated). The arena complex also includes a hall for cultural events for up to 1,000 people as well as a restaurant and a bowling alley.^[3] The men’s handball team of the club plays selected matches at the Ballei as well. The arena is among the most visited in the Bundesliga.^[4]

Name: Ballei-Sporthalle
Location: Neckarsulm, Germany
Capacity: 1,300 spectators^[5]
Address: Deutschordensplatz 1, 74172 Neckarsulm

The club's most prominent supporters' group is Blaue Wand ("Blue wall"), which is located in sector B of Ballei's Foyer-Tribüne. The Blaue Wand arranges away day travels as well as meet-and-greets with players and staff and is also heavily involved in the organisation of home matches.^[6]

Team[edit]

Current squad[edit]

Squad for the 2023-24 season.^[7]

No.	Position	Player	Date of birth (age)	Height	Year signed	Signed from	End of contract
Goalkeepers
1	GK	Valentyna Salamakha	(1986-04-23) 23 April 1986 (age 38)	1,76m	2022	CS Gloria Bistrița	2024
29	GK	Lena Ivančok	(2001-03-29) 29 March 2001 (age 23)	1,84m	2023	RK Lokomotiva Zagreb	2025
Wingers
5	RW	Amber Verbraeken	(2002-07-05) 5 July 2002 (age 21)	1,80m	2022	RKHV Quintus	2024
8	RW	Vasiliki Gkatziou	(1997-10-08) 8 October 1997 (age 26)	1,68m	2023	BM Remudas	2025
21	LW	Alessia Riner	(2004-01-08) 8 January 2004 (age 20)	1,70m	2023	LK Zug	2025
55	LW	Rabea Pollakowski	(1998-02-26) 26 February 1998 (age 26)	1,62m	2023	VfL Waiblingen	2025
Line players
3	P	Sharon Nooitmeer	(1999-06-11) 11 June 1999 (age 24)	1,78m	2021	HB Octeville Sur Mer	2024
75	P	Kim Hinkelmann	(2001-10-16) 16 October 2001 (age 22)	1,83m	2023	Holstebro Håndbold	2025
Backcourt players
11	LB	Annefleur Bruggeman	(1997-07-23) 23 July 1997 (age 26)	1,81m	2022	Bayer 04 Leverkusen	2026
17	LB	Arwen Gorb	(2002-06-20) 20 June 2002 (age 21)	1,82m	2023	TSG Ketsch	2025
18	RB	Marloes Hoitzing	(2001-01-25) 25 January 2001 (age 23)	1,79m	2023	VfL Oldenburg	2025
23	LB	Munia Smits	(1999-12-23) 23 December 1999 (age 24)	1,78m	2022	HSG Bad Wildungen	2026
25	RB	Nina Engel	(2003-04-25) 25 April 2003 (age 21)	1,75m	2022	SV Werder Bremen	2024
81	CB	Agni Zygoura	(1996-02-04) 4 February 1996 (age 28)	1,75m	2023	SSV Dornbirn Schoren	2025
97	LB	Veronika Andrýsková	(1997-05-24) 24 May 1997 (age 26)	1,92m	2023	DHK Baník Most	2025

Transfers[edit]

Transfers for the 2024-25 season.^[8]

Joining

Johanna Fossum (GK)
(from Sola HK)
Angunn Gudmestad (LB)
(from Aker Topphåndball)
Sinah Hagen (CB)
(from Buxtehuder SV)
Lilli Holste (RB)
(from HSG Bensheim/Auerbach)
Stefanie Kaiser (P)
(from HSG Blomberg-Lippe)
Aleksandra Orowicz (GK)
(from SG 09 Kirchhof)
Iva van der Linden (RW)
(from Boden Handboll IF)

Leaving

Nina Engel (RB)
(to HSG Bensheim/Auerbach)
Arwen Gorb (LB)
(Unknown)
Marloes Hoitzing (RB)
(to BSV Sachsen Zwickau)
Sharon Nooitmeer (P)
(to Thüringer HC)
Valentyna Salamakha (GK)
(Retired)
Amber Verbraeken (RW)
(to HSG Blomberg-Lippe)
Agni Zygoura (CB)
(Unknown)

Technical staff[edit]

Technical staff for the 2023-24 season.

Head coach: Thomas Zeitz
Assistant coach: tba
Goalkeeping coach: Oliver Rieth
Sporting director: Thomas Zeitz
Fitness coach: Maurice Meister
Fitness coach: Matze Treiber

Physiotherapist: Nikolay Popovski
Physiotherapist: Sergi García
Team doctor: Boris Brand
Team doctor: Anne-Catherine Oppermann
Team coach: Mike Vogelgesang
Team coach: Jutta Perger

Personnel[edit]

Notable former players[edit]

Former coaches[edit]

Coach	From	To	Honours	Notes
Emir Hadzimuhamedović	07/2010	02/2018	1 2. Bundesliga 1 3. Liga 1 BW-Oberliga 1 Württembergliga
Annamária Ilyés (Caretaker)	02/2018	03/2018
Tanja Logvin	04/2018	06/2018
Pascal Morgant	07/2018	01/2020
Maike Daniels (Caretaker)	01/2020	06/2020
Tanja Logvin	07/2020	01/2023
Mart Aalderink (Caretaker)	01/2023	06/2023
Thomas Zeitz	07/2023	Present		^[9]