Cinderella story in central Germany

In 2005 TSV Hannover-Burgdorf played in the third German division – and already at that time team captain Lars Lehnhoff and coach Christopher Nordmeyer were part of the team, which then made their way to the second and in 2009 to the first division.

When Nordmeyer took over as the coach in February 2011, the team was close to relegation to the second division again.
But he succeeded to keep the club in bundesliga and 18 months later, TSV Hannover-Burgdorf finished on sixth position, qualifying for a European Cup competition for the first time.

By beating Swiss runners-up Kadetten Schaffhausen in the third qualification round, they managed to be among the 16 best teams of this competition in their maiden campaign.

In Group A the team from central Germany will face Lugi, Leon (former club of TSV player Joan Andreu) and Csurgo – announcing the clear objective to make it to the quarter-finals.  

Manager Benjamin Chatton is confident: “The draw put us in a very interesting group with different challenges. In our first participation in the EHF Cup we are looking forward to enjoy every game and gain experience of the Group Matches. Our main goal is to reach the quarter-finals, although it will be a very difficult task for our team.”

Team captain Lars Lehnhoff, who wears the Hannover jersey for a lifetime, is also expecting to proceed.

“I like those matches ahead of us. I’m especially excited for my teammates Juan Andreu and Gustav Rydergard who will face former clubs or teams of their home country. We’ll have our chances in this group to advance to the quarter/finals but it’ll be a tough test for us,” he said.

Three questions to coach Christopher Nordmeyer:

What are your expectations for the EHF Cup Group Phase - concerning your objectives and your group opponents?

Christopher Nordmeyer: We wanted to avoid the French clubs in the Group Matches so we are satisfied with the draw. Ademar Leon is a big name in the European handball business.

Those two games will be a lot of fun for our team. Lugi and Csurgo are a little bit unknown, but any club which reached the group stage must have quality players and has to be taken very seriously. Though we will try to give our best in every match and hope that we can reach the next round.

What does the participation in the Group Phase of the EHF Cup mean to you and your club?

Christopher Nordmeyer: It is a great honour for us and a historic event for the club to be part of the group stage. In our qualification match against Kadetten Schaffhausen we already witnessed the huge support of our fans, the city Hannover and the whole region. That was so much fun that we are very excited about the experiences in the group phase.

What teams are your personal favourites to reach the EHF Cup Finals?

Christopher Nordmeyer: The French teams of Montpellier Agglomeration HB, Chamberry Savoie Handball and HBC Nantes are all capable of reaching the final tournament. Füchse Berlin as the host of the EHF Cup Finals are a huge favourite, too. Pick Szeged is another team which should have high expectations because they are regularly playing in the Champions League. Last but not least I think that Ademar Leon has a good chance to be part of the EHF Cup Finals.

TSV Hannover-Burgdorf (GER)

The road to the Group Phase:
Qualification Round 3: TSV Hannover-Burgdorf vs Kadetten Schaffhausen 28:28, 41:27

Newcomers: Nikolai Weber (HSG Wetzlar, Germany), Borut Mackovsek (RK Celje, Slovenia), Vasko Sevaljevic (HC Dinamo Minsk, Belarus), Runar Karason (Rhein-Neckar Löwen, Germany), Mario Clößner (reactivated, TSV Hannover-Burgdorf).

Left the club: Nenad Puljezevic (unknown), Aivis Jurds (ThSV Eisenach, Germany), Malte Semisch (TuS N-Lübbecke, Germany), Morten Olsen (Saint Raphal Var HB, France), Jannis Fauteck (HF Springe, Germany), Tamas Mocsai (Veszprem; Hungary).

Coach: Christopher Nordmeyer (since February 2011)

First ever participation in EHF European club competitions