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VfL Gummersbach

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VfL Gummersbach
Full nameVerein für Leibesübung von 1861 e. V.
FoundedMarch 3, 1861; 165 years ago (1861-03-03)
ArenaSchwalbe-Arena
Capacity4,132
PresidentDieter Brüning
Head coachGuðjón Valur Sigurðsson
LeagueHandball-Bundesliga
2025–264th of 18
Club colours   
Team colours
Team colours
Team colours
Team colours
Home
Team colours
Team colours
Team colours
Team colours
Away
Website
Official site

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.

Gummi – the official mascot of VfL Gummersbach.

History

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Founding and early history

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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.[1]

The handball department was founded in 1925.[2] 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.

Success years in the 70s and 80s

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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.[3] 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.[4]

Later years

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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.[5]

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.[6][7]

Crest, colours, supporters

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Kits

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Accomplishments

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Winners: 1981–82, 1982–83, 1984–85

Team

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Current squad

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Squad for the 2026–2027 season[8]

Transfers

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Transfers for the 2026–27 season

Transfer History

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Notable players

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Coaching history

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References

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  1. ↑ "Die Historie des VfL Gummersbach" (in German). VfL Gummersbach. Retrieved 25 April 2026.
  2. ↑ "Die Geschichte des VfL muss umgeschrieben werden". Oberberg Aktuell (in German). 9 August 2022. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
  3. ↑ European Cup 1970 edition - Todor66
  4. ↑ 1982 IHF Cup - Todor66
  5. ↑ www.eurohandball.com/ec/ehf Archived 28 February 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ↑ "VfL Gummersbach verliert Lizenz" (in German). Der Spiegel. 19 May 2011. Retrieved 25 April 2026.
  7. ↑ "Gummersbach erhält Lizenz für Bundesliga" (in German). Rheinische Post. 29 May 2011. Retrieved 25 April 2026.
  8. ↑ "Unsere Mannschaft". VfL Gummersbach. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
  9. ↑ https://www.handball-world.news/artikel/naechster-top-transfer-perfekt-gummersbach-holt-dujshebaev-1192039
  10. ↑ https://www.vfl-gummersbach.de/vfl-holt-spanischen-nationaltorhueter-ignacio-biosca-kuzmanovic-verlaesst-gummersbach-zum-saisonende/
  11. ↑ https://www.handball-world.news/artikel/vfl-gummersbach-schwedens-megatalent-wird-koester-ersatz-1157380
  12. ↑ https://www.handball-world.news/artikel/dringend-benoetigte-verstaerkung-loewen-schnappen-sich-mahe-1235870
  13. ↑ https://www.scm-handball.de/news/news-detail-page/sc-magdeburg-verpflichtet-torhueter-dominik-kuzmanovic
  14. ↑ https://www.kn-online.de/sport/regional/handball-nationalspieler-julian-koester-wechselt-2026-zum-thw-kiel-QEFRMVHCBNDGHCV4HLC5C3EF7Y.html
  15. ↑ "Offiziell: Kay Smits kommt zum VFL Gummersbach".
  16. ↑ "Handball Bundesliga: Gummersbach verpflichtet portugiesischen Nationalspieler".
  17. ↑ https://www.handball-world.news/artikel/kuenftig-champions-league-das-ist-der-neue-klub-von-giorgi-tskhovrebadze-1137989
  18. ↑ "Leseprobe – VFL Gummersbach. Die Chronik by Verlag die Werkstatt – Issuu". 19 November 2015. Archived from the original on 13 June 2023. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
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