Hypo Niederösterreich


Hypo Niederösterreich is an Austrian women's handball club, headquartered in Maria Enzersdorf. They are one of the most successful teams on the EHF Champions League, having won the title eight times. They are also former winners of the EHF Champions Trophy in 2000.
Between 2011 and 2014, Hypo NÖ had a partnership with the Brazilian Handball Confederation, playing host to various players of the Brazil women's national handball team - including Alexandra Nascimento, who already played for Hypo since 2003 - and coach Morten Soubak. During the period, Brazil won the 2013 World Women's Handball Championship with six Hypo Nö players in its roster. Hypo Nö also won the EHF Women's Cup Winners' Cup that year.
WWW hypo-noe.at/index.php

History

Founding and the first years

Hypo Niederösterreich was founded in 1972 by a group of successful Austrian athletes, among others, Liese Prokop, Maria Sykora and Eva Janko, and the coach Gunnar Prokop.
In just a few years Hypo NÖ established itself as one of the biggest teams in Austrian handball and won their first Austrian league title in 1977.
In the 1980's they became one of the strongest teams in Europe. In 1987 they made the final of the EHF Champions League for the first time, but lost to Ukrainian side Spartak Kiev. In 1988 they made the final again, but once again lost to Spartak Kiev.
The following year they won the title for the first time.

The Prokop Controversy

On the 29th of October in a Champions League match with 7 seconds remaining against french Metz Handball the Hypo NÖ coach, Gunnar Prokop, entered the field and tackled Metz player Svetlana Ognjenović in order to stop a counterattack. The score was 27–27 at the time, and he thus prevented Metz from potentially winning the match. Prokop got a red card, but Metz could not score and match did end in a 27-27 draw.
Days after, on November 4th 2009, the European Handball Federation suspended Prokop from all handball related activities for three years, as well as for life for all political and administrative positions in handball and a fine of 45,000 euros. The club received a fine of 30,000 euroes. They also had 1 point deducted in the Champions League; the one point they had gained by drawing Metz.
The fine was later reduced to 10,000 euroes and Prokop's suspension reduced to 1 year.

After Prokop

Gunnar Prokop resigned and was replaced by Christian Mali He was however fired after only 6 days and replaced by Oh Seong-Ok as player-coach until the end of the season.
Afterwards Martin Matuschkowitz took over for a season.
In 2011 Hungarian Andras Nemeth took over. in 2013 they won the EHF Cup Winners' Cup and Nemeth resigned the same season. He was replaced by Danish Morten Soubak.
In 2019 they managed to not win the Austrian League for the first time since 1978, when they lost the final to WAT Atzgersdorf.

Honours

  • Women Handball Austria:
  • *Winners : 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
  • ÖHB Cup:
  • *Winners : 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
  • EHF Champions League:
  • *Winners : 1989, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1998, 2000
  • *Runners-Up : 1987, 1988, 1991, 1996, 2008
  • *Semi-finals : 1984, 1985, 1997, 1999, 2005, 2007, 2009
  • EHF Champions Trophy:
  • *Winners : 2000
  • *Runners-Up : 2004, 2008
  • EHF Cup Winners' Cup:
  • *Winners : 2013
  • *Runners-Up : 2004
  • Women Handball International League:
  • *Winner: 2003

Team

Current squad

;Goalkeepers
  • 32 Stephanie Reichl
  • 16 Petra Blazek
  • 28 Nina Plavotic
  • 33 Anastasija Milosevic
;Wingers
;RW
;LW
;Line players
;Back players
;LB
  • 48 Sonja Frey
  • 21 Patricia Tomic-Kesina
  • 70 Viktoria Polansky
;CB
;RB
  • 10 Andrea Pavković
  • 14 Rebecca Chroust
  • 23 Phibie Kovacs

Technical staff

Head Coach: Ferenc KovácsAssistant Coach: Alla MatuschkowitzPhysiotherapist: Sven KöhlerPhysiotherapist: Dr. Olaf Sonntag

Selected former players

Coaching history