VfL Gummersbach is a professional handball club from the German city of Gummersbach, North Rhine-Westphalia. Currently, VfL Gummersbach competes in the Handball-Bundesliga and the DHB-Pokal. The club has seen great success, especially from the late 1960s until the early 1990s.
History Founding and early history The club was founded as a multisports club on March 3, 1861, as Gummersbacher Turnverein(GTV). The youth department was founded in 1884, and in 1906 women were included as members.
The handball department was founded in 1925. While field handball was the most popular variant in Germany at the time, Gummersbach focused on indoor handball.
In April 1937 they fused with another local team SSV Gummersbach, and afterwards they became known as VfL Gummersbach von 1861.
Success years in the 70s and 80s In 1966 the club won the German Championship for the first time. In 1970 the club won the European Cup, beating SC Dynamo Berlin in the final.European Cup 1970 edition - Todor66 During the 1970s the club won four more German championships, as well as 2 German cups and five European Cups.
During the 1980s Gummersbach remained one of the strongest teams in West Germany behind TUSEM Essen and TV Großwallstadt. They also won the first edition of the IHF Cup in 1982.1982 IHF Cup - Todor66
Later years In 2004-05 they qualified for a European tournament again, the EHF Cup after 13 years absence. They reached the semifinal were they lost to SC Magdeburg. In the 2006-07 season they played in the EHF Champions League again, where they reached the quarter finals. In 2008-09 they won their first international title in 26 years, when they beat RK Velenje in the final of the 2008-09 EHF Cup.www.eurohandball.com/ec/ehf
In the 2011-12 the team lost their Bundesliga license due to a 2 million euro dificit in their budget. Fans and sponsors went together to close the gap and appealed the license revocation, meaning that the club could continue playing at the top level, subject to strict conditions from the league.
Crest, colours, supporters Kits HOME
AWAY
Accomplishments 1. Handball-Bundesliga: 12 : 1966, 1967, 1969, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1988, 1991 2. Handball-Bundesliga: : 2022 DHB-Pokal: : 1977, 1978, 1982, 1983, 1985 EHF Champions League: : 1967, 1970, 1971, 1974, 1983 : 1972 EHF Cup Winners' Cup: : 1978, 1979, 2010, 2011 EHF Cup: : 1982, 2009 European Club Championship: : 1979, 1983 : 2006 Double Winners: 1981–82, 1982–83, 1984–85
Team Current squad Squad for the 2026–2027 season
Goalkeepers 16 Bertram Obling Ignacio Biosca Left Wingers 5 Tilen Kodrin 6 Miloš Vujović Right Wingers 8 Lukas Blohme 11 Mathis Häseler Line players 4 Elliði Snær Viðarsson 27 Kristjan Horžen 66 Štěpán Zeman
Left Backs 15 Miro Schluroff 30 Tom Kiesler Nikola Roganović Central Backs 20 Ludvig Hallbäck Garðar Ingi Sindrason Right Backs 14 Teitur Örn Einarsson 31 Kay Smits Alex Dujshebaev
Transfers Transfers for the 2026–27 season
Joining Alex Dujshebaev (RB) from Industria Kielcehttps://www.handball-world.news/artikel/naechster-top-transfer-perfekt-gummersbach-holt-dujshebaev-1192039 Ignacio Biosca (GK) from HBC Nanteshttps://www.vfl-gummersbach.de/vfl-holt-spanischen-nationaltorhueter-ignacio-biosca-kuzmanovic-verlaesst-gummersbach-zum-saisonende/ Nikola Roganović (LB) from HK Malmöhttps://www.handball-world.news/artikel/vfl-gummersbach-schwedens-megatalent-wird-koester-ersatz-1157380 Garðar Ingi Sindrason (CB) from FH
Leaving Kentin Mahé (CB) to Rhein-Neckar Löwenhttps://www.handball-world.news/artikel/dringend-benoetigte-verstaerkung-loewen-schnappen-sich-mahe-1235870 Dominik Kuzmanović (GK) to SC Magdeburghttps://www.scm-handball.de/news/news-detail-page/sc-magdeburg-verpflichtet-torhueter-dominik-kuzmanovic Julian Köster (LB) to THW Kielhttps://www.kn-online.de/sport/regional/handball-nationalspieler-julian-koester-wechselt-2026-zum-thw-kiel-QEFRMVHCBNDGHCV4HLC5C3EF7Y.html
Transfer History
Transfers for the 2025–26 seasonJoining Kay Smits (RB) from SG Flensburg-Handewitt João Gomes (RB) from Sporting CP
Leaving Giorgi Tskhovrebadze (RB) to RK Zagrebhttps://www.handball-world.news/artikel/kuenftig-champions-league-das-ist-der-neue-klub-von-giorgi-tskhovrebadze-1137989
Notable players
Coaching history Petre Ivănescu Velimir Kljaić Sead Hasanefendić Horst Dreischang (1959–1971)
References
External links