Rhein-Neckar Löwen

Rhein-Neckar Löwen is a professional handball club founded in 2002, based in Mannheim, Germany. The club competes in the German Handball-Bundesliga and continentally in EHF European League. Rhein-Neckar Löwen play their home games in SAP Arena, with a seating capacity of 14,500.

The club won the German championship twice under the leadership of Nikolaj Jacobsen, in 2016 and in 2017.



History
On 1 July 2002, the club was founded, originally named SG Kronau/Östringen, following a merger between two clubs, TSG Kronau and TSV Baden Östringen. Their home ground was Rhein-Neckar-Halle. In their first season, 2002–03, the club succeeded to achieve promoting from the 2. Bundesliga to the top tier of the German handball, the Handball-Bundesliga. A season after, in 2003–04, they were relegated from the 16th position, but they returned again to the first Bundesliga in 2004–05 season, after finishing the season in the 2nd place of the 2. Bundesliga. In 2005–06 season, SG Kronau/Östringen home games were moved from the old Rhein-Neckar-Halle to the newly built SAP Arena in Mannheim. In this season, they reached the final of DHB Cup. They lost 25–26 to HSV Hamburg, and finished 6th in the Handball-Bundesliga. In the following season, they lost again in DHB Cup final, with a 33–31 to THW Kiel, and finished 8th in the Handball-Bundesliga.

In the beginning of 2007–08 season, the club's name renamed to Rhein-Neckar Löwen. This season, they lost in the final of EHF Cup Winners' Cup to MKB Veszprém. The Hungarians secured the title after a 60:65 win on aggregate over Rhein-Neckar Löwen. In this season, Löwen's youth team won the German championship for the first time in the history of the club. The 2008–09 season was Rhein-Neckar Löwen's best season by then, finishing 3rd in Bundesliga, and reaching the semi-final of EHF Champions League, in their first time in this competition. In 2009–10, Rhein-Neckar Löwen reached the German Cup final again. It was their third appearance in the cup final, but again they finished as runners-up, this time after a 33–34 loss to HSV Hamburg.

The club won its first title on 19 May 2013, after beating HBC Nantes (26–24) in the Final Four of EHF Cup, on its first year as EHF Cup, a merge between EHF European Cup and EHF Cup Winners' Cup.

In 2013–14, Rhein-Neckar Löwen reached the DHB Cup Final Four for the seventh time in its history, but defeated by SG Flensburg (26–30) in the semi-final. In the EHF Champions League, Löwen reached the quarterfinals, and won FC Barcelona (38–31) at home, but in Palau Blaugrana they lost, 24–31, and were eliminated from EHF Champions League because of the away goals. In the Bundesliga, Löwen headed to the final game of the season as table leaders, with the same total of points like THW Kiel. Although they won VfL Gummersbach (40–35), they lost the championship to THW Kiel, who won Füchse Berlin, with a better result, 37–23. THW Kiel finished the season with a better goals difference and won the championship. Löwen finished only second.

A season after, in 2014–15, Rhein-Neckar Löwen appointed Nikolaj Jacobsen as their new head coach. He led Löwen again to the second place, and they finished as runners-up to THW Kiel for the second season in a row. But in 2015–16, Jacobsen was the first head coach to lead Löwen to a national championship, as they beat SG Flensburg by a one point. They also won the DHB-Supercup after a 27–24 win over SC Magdeburg. A season after, in 2016–17, they defended the title and achieved their second Bundesliga championship in their history.

Accomplishments

 * Handball-Bundesliga:
 * 2016, 2017
 * DHB-Pokal:
 * 2018, 2023
 * DHB-Supercup:
 * 2016, 2017, 2018
 * EHF Cup:
 * 2013

Team

 * Squad for the 2024–25 season


 * Goalkeepers
 * 1 🇸🇪 Mikael Appelgren
 * 29 🇩🇪 David Späth
 * Left wingers
 * 15 🇩🇪 David Móré
 * 🇩🇪 Tim Nothdurft
 * Right wingers
 * 24 🇩🇪 Patrick Groetzki
 * 26 🇩🇪 Niklas Michalski
 * Line players
 * 9 Steven Plucnar Jacobsen
 * 80 🇩🇪 Jannik Kohlbacher
 * 🇩🇪 Valentin Willner


 * Left backs
 * 22 🇸🇪 Gustav Davidsson Injury icon 2.svg
 * 45 Halil Jaganjac
 * 🇩🇪 Sebastian Heymann
 * Central backs
 * 8 🇩🇪 Magnus Grupe
 * 10 🇩🇪 Juri Knorr
 * 25 🇸🇪 Olle Forsell Schefvert
 * Right backs
 * 42 Jon Lindenchrone
 * Ivan Martinović
 * 🇮🇸 Arnór Snær Óskarsson

Transfers

 * Transfers for the 2024–25 season


 * [[File:Arrow-up.gif]] Joining
 * 🇩🇪 Tim Nothdurft (LW) (from 🇩🇪 Bergischer HC)
 * 🇩🇪 Sebastian Heymann (LB) (from 🇩🇪 Frisch Auf Göppingen)
 * Ivan Martinović (RB) (from 🇩🇪 MT Melsungen)
 * 🇮🇸 Arnór Snær Óskarsson (RB) (back from loan at 🇩🇪 VfL Gummersbach)
 * 🇩🇪 Valentin Willner (P) (from own youth)
 * 🇩🇪 Magnus Grupe (CB) (from own youth)


 * [[File:Arrow-down.gif]] Leaving
 * 🇩🇪 Joel Birlehm (GK) (to 🇩🇪 TSV Hannover-Burgdorf)
 * 🇩🇪 Uwe Gensheimer (LW) (retires)
 * 🇩🇪 Lion Zacharias (LW) (to 🇩🇪 HSG Wetzlar)
 * 🇩🇪 Philipp Ahouansou (LB) (to 🇩🇪 HSG Wetzlar)
 * 🇩🇪 Robert Timmermeister (LB) (loan to 🇩🇪 HBW Balingen-Weilstetten)
 * Andreas Holst Jensen (LB) (to ?)
 * Niclas Kirkeløkke (RB) (to 🇩🇪 SG Flensburg-Handewitt)
 * 🇩🇪 Tobias Reichmann (RW) (to 🇩🇪 Füchse Berlin)
 * 🇮🇸 Ýmir Örn Gíslason (P) (to 🇩🇪 Frisch Auf Göppingen)


 * Transfers for the 2025–26 season


 * [[File:Arrow-up.gif]] Joining
 * Manuel Zehnder (CB) (from 🇩🇪 HC Erlangen) ?
 * 🇩🇪 Luca Witzke (CB) (from 🇩🇪 SC DHfK Leipzig) ?


 * [[File:Arrow-down.gif]] Leaving
 * 🇩🇪 Juri Knorr (CB) (to Aalborg Håndbold) ?

Notable former players
• 🇩🇪 Henning Fritz (2007–2012)

• 🇩🇪 Christian Schwarzer (2007–2009)

• 🇩🇪 Michael Haaß (2006–2007)

• 🇩🇪 Oliver Roggisch (2007–2014)

• 🇩🇪 Christian Zeitz (2002–2003)

• 🇩🇪 Michael Müller (2009–2012)

• 🇩🇪 Stefan Kneer (2014–2016)

• 🇩🇪 Hendrik Pekeler (2015–2018)

• 🇩🇪 Steffen Fäth (2018–2020)

• 🇩🇪 Marius Steinhauser (2012–2017)

• 🇩🇪 Nikolas Katsigiannis (2020–2022)

• 🇨🇭 Andy Schmid (2010–2022)

• 🇮🇸 Ólafur Stefánsson (2009–2011)

• 🇮🇸 Róbert Gunnarsson (2010–2012)

• 🇮🇸 Guðjón Valur Sigurðsson (2008–2011, 2016–2019)

• 🇮🇸 Stefán Rafn Sigurmannsson (2012–2016)

• 🇮🇸 Alexander Petersson (2012–2021)

• 🇮🇸 Snorri Guðjónsson (2009–2010)

• 🇸🇪 Kim Ekdahl du Rietz (2012–2018, 2021)

• 🇸🇪 Tomas Svensson (2011–2012)

• 🇸🇪 Andreas Palicka (2016–2021)

• 🇸🇪 Jesper Nielsen (2018–2021)

• 🇸🇪 Jerry Tollbring (2017–2021)

• 🇵🇱 Mariusz Jurasik (2003–2009)

• 🇵🇱 Sławomir Szmal (2005–2010)

• 🇵🇱 Karol Bielecki (2007–2012)

• 🇵🇱 Krzysztof Lijewski (2011–2012)

• 🇷🇸 Žarko Šešum (2010–2014)

• 🇷🇸 Darko Stanić (2015)

• 🇷🇸 Bogdan Radivojević (2017–2019)

• 🇷🇸 Ilija Abutović (2018–2022)

• 🇳🇴 Børge Lund (2010–2012)

• 🇳🇴 Bjarte Myrhol (2009–2015)

• 🇳🇴 Harald Reinkind (2014–2018)

• 🇪🇸 Gedeón Guardiola (2014–2020)

• 🇪🇸 Isaías Guardiola (2012–2014)

• 🇪🇸 Rafael Baena González (2015–2018, 2020)

• 🇲🇰 Borko Ristovski (2015–2016)

• 🇲🇰 Dejan Manaskov (2016–2017)

• 🇲🇰 Filip Taleski (2017–2019)

• Niklas Landin Jacobsen (2012–2015)

•  Mads Mensah Larsen (2014–2020)

• 🇸🇰 Richard Štochl (2015)

• 🇸🇰 Maroš Kolpak (1997–2007)

• 🇷🇺 Dmitri Torgovanov (2005–2007)

• 🇷🇺 Sergei Gorbok (2007–2010, 2013–2014)

• 🇫🇷 Jackson Richardson (2009)

• 🇫🇷 Romain Lagarde (2019–2021)

• 🇭🇺 Gábor Ancsin (2009–2011)

• 🇭🇺 Dániel Buday (2007–2008)

•  Ivan Čupić (2010–2012)

• 🇨🇿 Jan Filip (2008–2009)

• 🇪🇪 Mait Patrail (2020–2022)

• 🇧🇾🇩🇪 Andrej Klimovets (2005–2010)

• 🇺🇦🇩🇪 Oleg Velyky (2005–2008)

Notable former coaches

 * Nikolaj Jacobsen
 * 🇩🇪 Michael Roth
 * 🇩🇪 Christian Schwarzer
 * 🇫🇷 Frédéric Volle
 * 🇧🇾 Yuri Shevtsov
 * 🇸🇪 Ola Lindgren
 * 🇮🇸 Guðmundur Guðmundsson