ŽRK Vardar

ЖРК Вардар ŽRK Vardar WHC Vardar
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Full name	Ženski rakometen klub Vardar Skopje
Founded	1961
Arena	Jane Sandanski Arena
Capacity	7,500
President	Gordana Naceva
Head coach	Indira Kastratović
League	Skopsko Super League
2014–15	Skopsko Super League, 1st
Colours
Club colours
Home Away
Website Official site

ŽRK Vardar (WHC Vardar) (Macedonian: ЖРК Вардар) is a Macedonian women's handball club from Skopje. The team currently competes in the Macedonian women's First League of Handball and in the Women's EHF Champions League.

History

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 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.

Since 2013, they have three 3rd-place finishes in the EHF Champions League.

Accomplishments

• Macedonian First League:

Winners (4): 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016

• Macedonian Cup

Winners (4): 1994, 2014, 2015 and 2016

European

• EHF Champions League:

Semifinalists (3): 2013–14 (3rd), 2014–15 (3rd), 2015–16 (3rd)

Other tournaments

• Bucharest Trophy:
  • Third Placed: 2015

Team

Current squad

Squad for the 2016–17 season

Goalkeepers

• 01 Dragana Petkovska
• 12 Amandine Leynaud
• 31 Inna Suslina
• Mayssa Pessoa

Right Wingers

• 04 Jovanka Radicević
• 91 Sara Ristovska

Left Wingers

• Camilla Herrem
• Tamara Mavsar

Line players

• 20 Anja Althaus
• 27 Andrea Čović

Left Backs

• 11 Sanja Damnjanović
• 23 Andrea Penezić
• 30 Alena Ikhneva

Central Backs

• 71 Tatiana Khmyrova
• 77 Andrea Lekić

Right Backs

• 15 Barbara Lazović
• 22 Andrea Klikovac
• Alexandra Lacrabere

Technical staff

• Owner: Sergei Samsonenko
• President: Gordana Naceva
• Head Coach: Indira Kastratović
• Assistant Coach: David Davis
• Conditional coach: Marija Lojanica
• Physiotherapist: Rubincho Srbinoski
• Physiotherapist: Bojana Bozinovska

Selected former players

• Julija Nikolić
• Marija Shteriova
• Dragana Pecevska
• Biljana Crvenkoska
• Ivana Gakidova
• Nigina Saidova
• Ekaterina Kostyukova
• Olga Chernoivanenko

• Marija Lojpur
• Marina Dmitrović
• Allison Pineau
• Siraba Dembele
• Ana Đokić
• Itana Grbić
• Maja Sokać
• Begoña Fernández

Kit manufacturers

• Hummel International

European competitions record

UEFA competitions
Competition	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	Goals For	Goals Against	Last season played
EHF Champions League	16	11	0	5	456	399	2015–16
EHF Champions League	16	9	2	5	435	403	2014–15
EHF Champions League	16	11	3	2	461	374	2013–14
EHF Cup	4	3	0	1	102	85	2012–13
EHF Cup	2	0	0	2	40	79	2011–12
EHF Cup Winners' Cup	2	0	0	2	31	75	2009–10
EHF Challenge Cup	2	0	1	1	62	65	2008–09
Total	58	34	6	18	1587	1480

#Q = #preliminary, #R = #round, PO = play-offs, G = Group stage, R16 = last 16, QF = quarter-finals

EHF Champions League

Season	Round	Club	Home	Away	Aggregate:
2013-14	Q2-SF	Jomi Salerno	35-16
	Q2-F	Fleury Loiret Handball	33-25
	GM (Group D)	Larvik	27–27	31–29	1st
		Balonmano Bera Bera	30–20	23–19
		RK Podravka Koprivnica	39–26	35–17
	MR (Group 1)	FC Midtjylland	24–23	24–25	1st
		Thüringer HC	31–25	24–24
		IK Sävehof	24–18	27–27
	SF (F4)	Budućnost	20–22
	3rd (F4)	FC Midtjylland	34–31
2014-15	GM (Group C)	Budućnost	24–24	17–23	2st
		Podravka Koprivnica	35–25	27–26
		Thüringer HC	26–21	20–21
	MR (Group 1)	Dinamo-Sinara	28–27	25–33	2nd
		HC Leipzig	26–20	23–26
		RK Krim	41-30	47–29
	QF	Győri Audi ETO KC	24-18	27-27	51–45
	SF (F4)	Budućnost	17–27
	3rd (F4)	Dinamo-Sinara	28–26
2015-16	GM (Group C)	FC Midtjylland	33–24	25−15	1st
		Hypo Niederösterreich	37−25	38–25
		Győri Audi ETO KC	22–27	27−28
	MR (Group 2)	CSM Bucharest	22−21	30−25	3rd
		Budućnost	26−24	19−31
		IK Sävehof	37−25	29−26
	QF	Larvik	34–20	26–28	60–48
	SF (F4)	CSM Bucharest	21–27
	3rd (F4)	Budućnost	30–28

EHF Cup

Season	Round	Club	Home	Away	Aggregate
2011–12	R32	Békéscsabai Előre	20–39	20–40	40–79
2012–13	2Q	Patras	28–19	27–16	55–35
	R16	Kuban Krasnodar	30–28	17–22	47–50

External links

• Official website
• ŽRK Vardar on Facebook