{{short description|German handball club}} {{expand German|topic=sport|THW Kiel|date=January 2025}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2023}} {{Infobox handball club| | clubname = VfL Gummersbach | fullname = Verein für Leibesübung von 1861 e. V. | image = 195px | founded = {{start date and age|1861|3|3}} | ground = Schwalbe-Arena | capacity = 4,132 | manager = Guðjón Valur Sigurðsson | chairman = Dieter Brüning | colour1 = 174EA0 | colour2 = White | league = Handball-Bundesliga | season = 2024–25 | position = 7th of 18 | pattern_la1= | pattern_b1 = | pattern_ra1= | leftarm1 = 174EA0 | body1 = 174EA0 | rightarm1 = 174EA0 | shorts1 = 174EA0 | socks1 = | pattern_la2= | pattern_b2 = | pattern_ra2= | leftarm2 = ff0000 | body2 = ff0000 | rightarm2 = ff0000 | shorts2 = FFFFFF | socks2 = | website = https://www.vfl-gummersbach.de/ }}
'''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.
thumb|''Gummi'' – the official mascot of VfL Gummersbach.
==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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vfl-gummersbach.de/unser-vfl/historie/|publisher=VfL Gummersbach|title=Die Historie des VfL Gummersbach|language=de|access-date=25 April 2026}}</ref>
The handball department was founded in 1925.<ref>{{cite web | url= https://www.oberberg-aktuell.de/lokalmix/---die-geschichte-des-vfl-muss-umgeschrieben-werden----a-77612| title= Die Geschichte des VfL muss umgeschrieben werden |work= Oberberg Aktuell| date= 9 August 2022 | accessdate=2022-08-10|language=de}}</ref> 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''.
=== Succes 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.<ref>[http://todor66.com/handball/Euro_Cups/Men_CC_1970.html European Cup 1970 edition - Todor66]</ref> 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.<ref>[http://todor66.com/handball/Euro_Cups/Men_IHF_1982.html 1982 IHF Cup - Todor66]</ref>
=== 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.<ref>[http://www.eurohandball.com/ec/ehfc/men/2008-09/round/7/Final www.eurohandball.com/ec/ehf] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100228222305/http://www.eurohandball.com/ec/ehfc/men/2008-09/round/7/Final |date=28 February 2010 }}</ref>
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.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.spiegel.de/sport/sonst/handball-bundesliga-vfl-gummersbach-verliert-lizenz-a-763692.html|publisher=Der Spiegel|title=VfL Gummersbach verliert Lizenz|date=19 May 2011|access-date=25 April 2026|language=de}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://rp-online.de/sport/handball/gummersbach-erhaelt-lizenz-fuer-bundesliga_aid-13437993|title=Gummersbach erhält Lizenz für Bundesliga|publisher=Rheinische Post|date=29 May 2011|access-date=25 April 2026|language=de}}</ref>
==Crest, colours, supporters== ===Kits=== {| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed" style="width:65% !style="color:#FFFFFF; background:#174EA0"| HOME |- |{{Football kit | pattern_la = _tromso1617a | pattern_b = _tromso1617a | pattern_ra = _tromso1617a | pattern_sh = _tromso1617a | pattern_so = | leftarm = | body = | rightarm = | shorts = | socks = | title = Select<br>2014–16 }} |}
{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed" style="width:65% !style="color:#FFFFFF; background:#174EA0"| AWAY |- |{{Football kit | pattern_la = _gais17a | pattern_b = _gais17a | pattern_ra = _gais17a | pattern_sh = _gais17a | pattern_so = | leftarm = | body = | rightarm = | shorts = | socks = | title = Select<br>2014–16 }} |}
==Accomplishments== *'''1. Handball-Bundesliga:''' 12 **{{gold medal}}: 1966, 1967, 1969, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1988, 1991 *'''2. Handball-Bundesliga:''' **{{gold medal}}: 2022 *'''DHB-Pokal:''' **{{gold medal}}: 1977, 1978, 1982, 1983, 1985 *'''EHF Champions League:''' **{{gold medal}}: 1967, 1970, 1971, 1974, 1983 **{{silver medal}}: 1972 *'''EHF Cup Winners' Cup:''' **{{gold medal}}: 1978, 1979, 2010, 2011 *'''EHF Cup:''' **{{gold medal}}: 1982, 2009 *'''European Club Championship:''' **{{gold medal}}: 1979, 1983 **{{silver medal}}: 2006 * '''Double''' : '''Winners''': 1981–82, 1982–83, 1984–85
==Team== ===Current squad=== :''Squad for the 2025–2026 season''<ref>{{cite web |title=Unsere Mannschaft |url=https://www.vfl-gummersbach.de/teams/bundesliga/mannschaft/ |website=VfL Gummersbach |access-date=9 February 2026}}</ref> {{Col-begin}} {{Col-2}} ;Goalkeepers *{{0}}1 {{flagicon|CRO}} Dominik Kuzmanović * 16 {{flagicon|DEN}} Bertram Obling ;Left Wingers *{{0}}5 {{flagicon|SLO}} Tilen Kodrin *{{0}}6 {{Flagicon|MNE}} Miloš Vujović ;Right Wingers *{{0}}8 {{flagicon|GER}} Lukas Blohme * 11 {{flagicon|GER}} Mathis Häseler ;Line players *{{0}}4 {{flagicon|ISL}} Elliði Snær Viðarsson * 27 {{flagicon|SLO}} Kristjan Horžen * 66 {{flagicon|CZE}} Štěpán Zeman {{Col-2}} ;Left Backs *{{0}}7 {{flagicon|GER}} Julian Köster (c) * 15 {{flagicon|GER}} Miro Schluroff * 30 {{flagicon|GER}} Tom Kiesler ;Central Backs * 20 {{flagicon|SWE}} Ludvig Hallbäck * 22 {{flagicon|FRA}} Kentin Mahé ;Right Backs * 14 {{flagicon|ISL}} Teitur Örn Einarsson * 31 {{flagicon|NED}} Kay Smits {{Col-end}}
===Transfers=== :''Transfers for the 2026–27 season'' {{Col-begin}} {{Col-2}} ;Joining Image:Arrow-up.png * {{flagicon|ESP}} Ignacio Biosca (GK) ''(from {{flagicon|FRA}} HBC Nantes)'' * {{flagicon|SWE}} Nikola Roganović (LB) ''(from {{flagicon|SWE}} HK Malmö)'' * {{flagicon|ISL}} Garðar Ingi Sindrason (CB) ''(from {{flagicon|ISL}} FH)'' * {{flagicon|ESP}} Alex Dujshebaev (RB) ''(from {{flagicon|POL}} Industria Kielce)'' {{col-2}}
;Leaving Image:Arrow-down.gif * {{flagicon|CRO}} Dominik Kuzmanović (GK) ''(to {{flagicon|GER}} SC Magdeburg)'' * {{flagicon|GER}} Julian Köster (LB) ''(to {{flagicon|GER}} THW Kiel)'' {{col-end}}
===Transfer History===
{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed" style="font-size:95%" |- ! style="color:white; background:#174EA0|20x20px '''Transfers for the 2025–26 season''' |- | {{Col-begin}} {{Col-2}} ;Joining Image:Arrow-up.png * {{flagicon|NED}} Kay Smits (RB) from {{flagicon|GER}} SG Flensburg-Handewitt * {{flagicon|POR}} João Gomes (RB) from {{flagicon|POR}} Sporting CP {{col-2}} ;Leaving Image:Arrow-down.gif * {{flagicon|GEO}} Giorgi Tskhovrebadze (RB) to {{flagicon|CRO}} RK Zagreb{{col-end}} |}
===Notable players=== {{columns-list| *{{flagicon|Germany}} Heiner Brand *{{flagicon|Germany}} Stefan Kretzschmar *{{flagicon|Germany}} Erhard Wunderlich *{{flagicon|Germany}} Andreas Dörhöfer *{{flagicon|Germany}} Mark Dragunski *{{flagicon|Germany}} Frank von Behren *{{flagicon|Germany}} Patrick Wiencek *{{flagicon|Germany}} Christian Ramota *{{flagicon|Germany}} Adrian Pfahl *{{flagicon|Germany}} Klaus-Dieter Petersen *{{flagicon|Germany}} Jochen Brand *{{flagicon|Germany}} Klaus Brand *{{flagicon|Germany}} Frank Dammann *{{flagicon|Germany}} Joachim Deckarm *{{flagicon|Germany}} Jochen Feldhoff *{{flagicon|Germany}} Frank Dammann *{{flagicon|Germany}} Claus Fey *{{flagicon|Germany}} Rudi Rauer *{{flagicon|Germany}} Henning Wiechers *{{flagicon|Germany}} Klaus Westebbe *{{flagicon|Germany}} Andreas Thiel *{{flagicon|Germany}} Dirk Rauin *{{flagicon|Germany}} Gerd Rosendahl *{{flagicon|Germany}} Franz-Josef Salewski *{{flagicon|Germany}} Klaus Schlagheck *{{flagicon|Germany}} Hansi Schmidt *{{flagicon|Germany}} Christian Fitzek *{{flagicon|Germany}} Stefan Hecker *{{flagicon|Germany}} Holger Löhr *{{flagicon|Germany}} Thomas Krokowski *{{flagicon|Germany}} Helmut Kosmehl *{{flagicon|Germany}} Rüdiger Neitzel *{{flagicon|Germany}} Gunnar Jaeger *{{flagicon|Germany}} Rolf Jaeger *{{flagicon|Germany}} Klaus Kater *{{flagicon|France}} Daniel Narcisse *{{flagicon|France}} Igor Anić *{{flagicon|France}} Kentin Mahé *{{flagicon|France}} François-Xavier Houlet *{{flagicon|Serbia}} Vladan Krasavac *{{flagicon|Serbia}} Aleksandar Stanojević *{{flagicon|Serbia}} Momir Ilić *{{flagicon|Croatia}} Vjenceslav Somić *{{flagicon|Croatia}} Drago Vuković *{{flagicon|Iceland}} Kristján Arason *{{flagicon|Iceland}} Guðjón Valur Sigurðsson *{{flagicon|Denmark}} Erik Veje Rasmussen *{{flagicon|South Korea}} Kyung-Shin Yoon *{{flagicon|Montenegro}} Goran Stojanović *{{flagicon|MKD}} Borko Ristovski *{{flagicon|Slovenia}} Aljoša Rezar *{{flagicon|Norway}} Rune Erland *{{flagicon|Hungary}} Nándor Fazekas *{{flagicon|Austria}} {{flagicon|Hungary}} Viktor Szilágyi }}
===Coaching history=== *{{flagicon|Romania}} Petre Ivănescu *{{flagicon|Croatia}} Velimir Kljaić *{{flagicon|BIH}} Sead Hasanefendić *{{flagicon|GER}} Horst Dreischang (1959–1971)<ref>{{cite web | url=https://issuu.com/werkstatt-verlag/docs/leseprobe_____vfl_gummersbach_______6697107337a599 | title=Leseprobe – VFL Gummersbach. Die Chronik by Verlag die Werkstatt – Issuu | date=19 November 2015 | access-date=13 June 2023 | archive-date=13 June 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230613100253/https://issuu.com/werkstatt-verlag/docs/leseprobe_____vfl_gummersbach_______6697107337a599 | url-status=dead }}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{commons}} *{{Official website}}
{{Handball-Bundesliga}} {{EHF Champions League winners}} {{EHF Cup winners}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vfl Gummersbach}} Category:Handball clubs in Germany Category:Handball-Bundesliga Category:Handball clubs established in 1861 Category:1861 establishments in the German Confederation Category:Sports clubs and teams in North Rhine-Westphalia Category:Oberbergischer Kreis