Handball: Season recap

For both the Men’s and the Women’s teams the season of 2007/2008 has been the best so far in the history of FCK Handball. The Men won the Danish Championship for the first time and the Women got their first ever medal winning the bronze.

By Lars Kristensen

The Men
From the very beginning of the season, the team proved to be a cut above the rest. Losing only three games during the regular season, they qualified for the play-offs early and won the league in style with four games still to play.

In the best-of-three semi finals, FCK Handball got off to a shaky start only managing a draw (31-31) at home against Bjerringbro-Silkeborg. In the away game, however, the team proved the better side and having lead from early on they got the much-needed win (39-37) and thus the scene was set for the team’s first ever appearance in the Danish Finals. There, they were up against the reigning champions of GOG Svendborg – a very experienced side who had appeared in fifteen of the last 20 finals. FCK Handball won the first game by a comfortable margin (36-29) and in the second game after at one point having trailed by five they fought their way back to get the all-important draw (31-31) that secured the team’s first ever Danish Championship.

Actually, FCK Handball almost doubled their success due to a very successful campaign in the EHF Cup. In fact, they made it all the way to the finals without even losing a single game but, there, the team unfortunately bowed out to German giants Nordhorn losing on close aggregate (57-60). However, as FCK Handball enters the EHF Champions League for the first time next season, two very close matches against the No. 5 in this year’s Bundesliga does show that the team is ready to pit itself against Europe’s finest.

The Women
The women also had a solid season throughout as they made it to their first ever play-offs and their first ever Cup Final. In the play-off semis, they lost out to Ikast/Bording but having finished third in the league, they were already certain of the bronze. In the Danish Cup, they made it one better, however, making it all the way to the final where only Viborg proved stronger.

Having just recorded its best season ever, FCK Handball will still look to take it even further next season when Anja Andersen takes charge of the team, as she is arguably one of the most successful club coaches in recent history having won three Danish Championships and three Champions League titles in the last six years. 

New Indoor Arena
On a final note, first stage on the new Capinordic Arena is well under way. Scheduled for completion in January of 2010 the new arena will provide a app. 4.500 seat capacity for handball games.