Metz Handball

Metz Handball is a French handball club from Metz, France. Founded in 1965 under the name ASPTT Metz, the club has an exceptional track record with some 40 titles won, which is the all-time record for a French women's team sport. Chaired by Thierry Weizman since 2005, the club is becoming increasingly professional and now aims to play a leading role in Europe.

The men's team also played in 1st League between 1971 and 1983, and nowadays plays in Nationale 1 (3rd division) since 2020.

History

If Metz Handball has become over the last decades the most prestigious women's handball club in France, it is also one of the oldest institutions playing in the French elite.

The club was created in 1965 under the name of ASPTT Metz, but it will be necessary to wait a few more years to see the creation of a feminine team in 1968, which make the current fame of the club.

Vice-champions of France and semi-finalists of the Cup of Cups in 1977, the men's team gave ASPTT Metz its first prestige. But in the shadow, the women's team progressed year after year until being promoted in 1986 in the best league in France, without ever leaving it since. The coach of the team at that time was French Olivier Krumbholz, who later became the successful national manager for France.
Since the promotion, Metz HB has had overwhelming success with 24 National Championships from 1989 to 2022, which is the all-time record in the French Women's First League Championship.

Metz Handball is progressively establishing itself as a strong place in European handball. A first epic saw the Dragonnes reach the semi-final of the Cup Winners Cup in 1999. They then became famous in the EHF Cup where, after several quarter finals, they played a first European final in 2013 but did not manage to win the title. The following seasons, the club gains momentum and shines in the Champions League. Unlucky quarter-finalists in 2017 and 2018, Metz participated for the first time in the Final 4 of Europe's most prestigious competition in 2019, where they finished fourth.

After a season without any trophy in 2021, Metz Handball realizes the most beautiful season of its history. The club won a 24th French Championship title, a 10th French Cup, and became famous in the Ligue Butagaz Énergie with a flawless record: 26 victories in 26 games. For the second time in its history, the Dragonnes participated in the Final 4 of the EHF Champions League and won their first European medal by finishing third.

Name

* 1967–2002: ''ASPTT Metz''
* 2002–2005: ''Handball Metz Métropole''
* 2005–2009: ''Handball Metz Moselle Lorraine''
* 2009–: ''Metz Handball''

Results

* French Women's First League Championship:
**Winners (24): 1989, 1990, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022
**Runner-up (7): 1991, 1992, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2012, 2015, 2021
* French Women's Cup Championship:
**Winners (10): 1990, 1994, 1998, 1999, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2019, 2022
**Runner-up (7): 1987, 1992, 1993, 2001, 2005, 2009, 2018
*French Women's League Cup Championship:
**Winners (7): 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014
**Runner-up (1): 2004
*European Women's EHF Cup:
**Silver: 2013
*European Women's EHF Cup Winners' Cup:
**Semi-finalist: 1999, 2004, 2010, 2011
*European EHF Women's Champions League:
**Bronze: 2022
**Quarterfinalists: 2017, 2018, 2021
**Fourth place: 2019

European record

Team

Current squad

:''Squad for the season 2022–23''

;Goalkeepers
* 1 Camille Depuiset
* 99 Hatadou Sako
;Wingers
;LW
* 6 Chloé Valentini
* 21 Laura Kanor
;RW
* 14 Debbie Bont
* 70 Julie Leblevec
;PV
* 27 Sarah Bouktit
* 28 Noémie Barthélémy
* 33 Luisa Schulze

;Back players
;LB
* 2 Bruna de Paula ( c)
*8 Ćamila Mičijević
* 26 Stelvia de Jesus Pascoal
;CB
* 10 Kristina Jørgensen
* 11 Tamara Horacek
;RB
* 19 Louise Burgaard
* 24 Emma Jacques
* 61 Valeriia Maslova

Transfers

:''Transfers for the 2023–24 season''

; Joining
* Lucie Granier (RW) ''(from ESBF Besançon)''
* Anne Mette Hansen (LB) ''(from Győri Audi ETO KC)''
* Djazz Chambertin (LB/CB) ''(from OGC Nice Côte d'Azur Handball)''
* Alina Grijseels (CB) ''(from Borussia Dortmund Handball)''
* Emma Tucella (RW) ''(from Metz Handball (centre de formation)''
* Zaliata Mlamali (LW) ''(from Metz Handball (centre de formation)''

; Leaving
* Noémie Barthélémy (LP) (retires)
* Debbie Bont (RW) (retires)
* Tamara Horacek (CB) ''(to Neptunes de Nantes)''
* Valeriia Maslova (RB) ''(to Brest Bretagne Handball)''
* Ćamila Mičijević (LB) ''(to Paris 92)''
* Bruna de Paula (LB/CB) ''(to Győri Audi ETO KC)''
* Laura Kanor (LW) ''(to Rapid București)''
* Stelvia de Jesus Pascoal (LB) (to ??)''

Technical staff

:''Staff for the 2022–23 season.''
* Head coach: Emmanuel Mayonnade
* Assistant coach: Yekaterina Andryushina
* Physicak coach: Nicolas Jarzat
* Goalkeeping coach: Alexandra Hector
* Physiotherapist: Alexandre Pawlowski
* Physiotherapist: Pierre Gilet
* Doctor: Thierry Weizman

Academy

Training Center

:''As of the 2022–23 season.''

;Goalkeepers
* 16 Fatima Camara
* 71 Mélanie Halter

;Left Wingers
* 23 Zaliata Mlamali
* 25 Sarah Obry
* 47 Fantine Philipps
;Right Wingers
* 42 Emma Tuccella
* 98 Manon Errard
;Line players
* 3 Kenza Bougherch
* 7 Merle Albers

;Left Backs
* 51 Lily Balássi
* 20 Laura Fauvarque
;Centre Backs
* 9 Délia Golvet
* 17 Claire Koestner
;Right Backs
* 5 Andela Zagar
* 15 Alice Monteillet
* 29 Lalie Vernay

Men's team

:''As of the 2022–23 season.''

;Goalkeepers
* 25 Hugo Bordy
* 97 Nicolas Balmy

;Left Wingers
* 3 Thiebaud Marotta
* 9 Geoffrey Bettenfeld
* 57 Antonin D'hondt
;Right Wingers
* 19 Nathan Andrezo
* 44 Xavier Blond
;Line players
* 15 Arthur Abate
* 93 Médérick Grégoire

;Left Backs
* 7 Frederik Olsen
* 94 Romain Baumann
;Centre Backs
* 17 Adrien Goffin
* 14 Guillaume Bettendfeld
;Right Backs
* 30 Steven Bello

Statistics

Top scorers in the EHF Champions League

:''(All-Time) – Last updated on 16 February 2023''

Individual awards in the EHF Champions League

Notable former players

* Camille Ayglon
* Paule Baudouin
* Chloé Bulleux
* Cléopâtre Darleux
* Béatrice Edwige
* Laura Flippes
* Laura Glauser
* Manon Houette
*/ Melinda Jacques-Szabó
* Nina Kamto Njitam
*
* Laurisa Landre
* Amandine Leynaud
* Marion Limal
* Stéphanie Ludwig
* Nodjialem Myaro
* Claudine Mendy
* Gnonsiane Niombla
* Allison Pineau
* Katty Piejos
* Linda Pradel
* Sophie Remiatte
* Maakan Tounkara
* Isabelle Wendling
* Grâce Zaadi
* Justina Praça
* Klaudija Bubalo
* Kristina Franić (Elez)
* Ivana Kapitanović
*
* Lenka Černá
* Lara González
* Xenia Smits
* Andrea Farkas
* Marina Vukčević (Rajčić)
* Jurswailly Luciano
* Yvette Broch
* Ekaterina Andryushina
*/
* Kristina Liščević
* Tatjana Medved
* Svetlana Ognjenović
* Slađana Pop-Lazić
* Ana Gros
* Olga Peredery

Head coach history

Stadium

*Name: Les Arènes
*City: Metz
*Capacity: 5,000
*Address: 5 avenue Louis-le-Débonnaire 57000
*Played in the arena since: 2001-

Kit manufacturers

* Kempa

References

External links

*

{{Lorraine topics

French handball clubs
Sport in Metz