Handball-Club Leipzig e. V., normally called HC Leipzig or just HCL, is a women's handball club based in Leipzig, Germany. They currently play in the 2nd Bundesliga, but have historically been considered one of the best German women's handball clubs with many domestic and international titles.
Contents
History
The roots to HC leipzig goes a long way back. In 1963 the handball sections of SC Lokomotive Leipzig and BSG Rotation Leipzig-Mitte fused to become SC Leipzig. Prior to the formation, both clubs had each won the East German Championship once. After the formation they won 13 East German Championships as well as the European Cup in 1966 and 1974.
SC Leipzig was dissolved in 1993, and various sections of the clubs joined different clubs from Leipzig. The women's handball section joined VfB Leipzig. However, VfB Leipzig ran into economic difficulty in the late 1990s, and to preserve the handball team, the independent club HC Leipzig was formed. In their first season under the new name, the club won the DHB Pokal.
In the second half of the 2016-17 season it was revealed that HCL had accumulated a debt of €1.3 million, and therefore had to file for insolvency, for which they were deducted four points. The following summer the team lost their Bundesliga license due to the debt, and was thus relegated to the 3. Liga. The decision was appealed by the club, but later rejected by the Bundesliga. The case was then taken to the board of the German Handball Association, which ruled that HCL could keep their license, subject to the condition that an irrevocable payment of an equity increase of €600,000 be made by July 14, 2017, and that all outstanding wages be paid up to and including June 2017. Despite the favourable ruling, the club could not pay the amount in time, and the club subsequently filed for insolvency, and had to restart in the 3. Liga on the license of their former second team.
In 2019 the club was promoted to the 2. Bundesliga.
Honours
Domestic competitions
Handball-Bundesliga Frauen:
Champions (6): 1998, 1999, 2002, 2006, 2009, 2010
German Cup:
Winners (7): 1996, 2000, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2014, 2016
German Supercup:
Winners (1): 2008
DDR-Oberliga:
Champions (15): 1953, 1957, 1965, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1984, 1988, 1991
FDGB-Pokal:
Winners (3): 1971, 1983, 1987
European competitions
EHF Women's Champions League:
Winners (2): 1966, 1974
Runners-Up (4): 1967, 1970, 1972, 1977
EHF Women's Cup Winners' Cup:
Runners-Up (2): 1978, 1997
Women's EHF Cup:
Winners (2): 1986, 1992
Runners-Up (1): 2009
Team
Current squad
Squad for the 2021–22 season
16 Anna Kröber
26 Annabell Krüeger
2 Pauline Uhlmann
3 Lara Seidel
7 Julia Weise
10 Emely Theilig
14 Hanna Ferber-Rahnhöfer
20 Sharleen Greschner
22 Emily Glimm
23 Tyra Bessert
24 Lotta Röpcke
25 Lilli Röpcke
33 Christin Conrad
36 Stefanie Hummel
35 Jacqueline Hummel
41 Wiebke Meyer
99 Nina Reißberg
Club Manager: Torsten Brunnquell
Head Coach: Fabian Kunze
Assistant Coach: Philip Brommann
Goalkeeping Coach: Wieland Schmidt
Physiotherapist: Sophie Höpfner
Squad for the 2017–18 season
Technical staff
Club Manager: Kay-Sven Hähner
Head Coach: Norman Rentsch
Assistant Coach: Max Berthold
Goalkeeping Coach: Wieland Schmidt
Fitness and Athletics Coach: Isabelle Kellmann
Physiotherapist: Christian Markus
Physiotherapist: Danilo Menge
Team Doctor: Dr. Gotthard Knoll
Notable former players
Natalie Augsburg
Nora Reiche
Ulrike Stange
Katja Schülke
Luisa Schulze
Susann Müller
Anne Müller
Katja Langkeit
Nina Müller
Grit Jurack
Anne Hubinger
Saskia Lang
Franziska Mietzner
Shenia Minevskaja
Sara Eriksson
Sara Holmgren
Karolina Kudlacz
Karolina Szwed
Debbie Bont
Maura Visser
Jessy Kramer
Rikke Nielsen
Louise Lyksborg
Chana Masson
Idalina Borges Mesquita
Else Marthe Sörlie Lybekk
Renate Urne
Ionica Munteanu