# Hypo Niederösterreich

Hypo Niederösterreich (Hypo NÖ) 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.

## 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.

## Honours

* Women Handball Austria:
** Winners (44): 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
* ÖHB Cup:
** Winners (33): 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
* EHF Champions League:
** Winners (8): 1989, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1998, 2000
** Runners-Up (5): 1987, 1988, 1991, 1996, 2008
** Semi-finals (7): 1984, 1985, 1997, 1999, 2005, 2007, 2009
* EHF Champions Trophy:
** Winners (1): 2000
** Runners-Up (2): 2004, 2008
* EHF Cup Winners' Cup:
** Winners (1): 2013
** Runners-Up (1): 2004

## Team
### Current squad

    Squad for the 2024–25 season

### Technical staff

* Head Coach: Ferenc Kovács
* Assistant Coach: Alla Matuschkowitz
* Physiotherapist: Sven Köhler
* Physiotherapist: Dr. Olaf Sonntag

## Selected former players

* Belina Lariça
* Jasna Kolar-Merdan
* Ausra Fridrikas
* Tanja Logwin
* Nataliya Rusnachenko
* Liliana Topea
* Simona Spiridon
* Gabriela Rotiș
* Edith Matei
* Sorina Teodorovic
* Gorica Aćimović
* Mariann Rácz
* Katrin Engel
* Petra Blazek
* Iris Morhammer
* Stephanie Subke
* Renata Cieloch
* Rima Sypkus
* Barbara Strass
* Tatyana Dzhandzhgava
* Stanka Božović
* Alla Matushkowitz
* Daniela Piedade
* Barbara Arenhart
* Francine Moraes
* Fernanda da Silva
* Francielle da Rocha
* Ana Paula Rodrigues
* Deonise Cavaleiro
* Idalina Mesquita
* Alexandra Nascimento
* Fabiana Diniz
* Mariana Costa
* Silvia Pinheiro
* Caroline Dias Minto
* Adriana Lima do Nascimento
* Yu Geli
* Anđa Bilobrk
* Vesna Horaček [fr]
* Petra Vrdoljak
* Christina Haurum
* Marion Limal
* Audrey Bruneau
* Sabine Englert
* Beatrix Balogh
* Erika Kirsner
* Dóra Lőwy
* Helga Németh
* Rita Deli
* Bernadett Temes
* Viktória Soós
* Nikolett Brigovácz
* Marianna Nagy
* Tímea Tóth
* Vivien Léránt
* Ibolya Mehlmann
* Anna Hajgató
* Oh Seong-Ok
* Kim Cha-Youn
* Sun Hee-Han
* Myoung Bok-Hee
* Huh Soon-Young
* Park Chung-Hee
* Sonata Vijunaite
* Ruta Latakaite
* Vilma Gainskyte
* Valentina Radulović [fr]
* Terese Pedersen
* Paula Ungureanu
* Alina Marin
* Carmen Petca
* Katarina Tomašević
* Marijana Midzor
* Kornelija Rajkovic
* Lucie Barakova
* Marianna Gubová
* Zuzana Koniková
* Alzbeta Tothová
* Katja Kurent Tatarovac
* Mia Hermansson Högdahl
* Olga Sanko
* Elena Chatalova
* Oxana Pal
* Svetlana Mozgovaya
* Anna Andryushchenko
* Larisa Kiselyova
* Liubov Korotneva
* Tetyana Shynkarenko
* Oksana Sakada
* Mariya Boklashchuk
* Svetlana Morozova
* Ganna Kryvoruchko
* Valentina Ivanko
* Bozena Karkut
* Leora Jones
* Gabriela Kottmann
* Maria Eugenia Musalem Araos
* Vania Mugosa
* Slađana Dronić
* Dragica Đurić-Krstić
* Victoria Farley
* Larisa Shumilova

## Coaching history

* Gunnar Prokop (2005)
* Senad Jagodic
* László Laurencz (1984–1985)
* Vinko Kandija (1985–1987; 1991–1992; 1999–2001)
* János Csík (1987–1989)
* Ton van Linder (1989–1990)
* Sándor Vass (1990–1991)
* Arne Högdahl (1992–1995)
* Ivica Rimanic (1995–1997)
* Martin Matuschkowitz (1997–1998; 2003–2004; 2009–2011; 2016–2018)
* László Kovács (1998–1999)
* Ján Packa (2001–2002)
* János Gyurka (2002–2003)
* Yuriy Klimov (2004–2005)
* Mile Isaković (2005)
* Ryan Zinglersen (2005–2007)
* András Németh (2007–2009, 2011–2013)
* Christian Maly (2009)
* Morten Soubak (2013–2014)
* Ferenc Kovács (2009, 2014–2016; 2018–)