Siófok aim to get back to the top
Hungary’s Siófok KC were champions in the Women’s EHF Cup 2019, and in 2020/21 finished as runners-up in 2021 in the very first EHF Finals Women.
Since then, the squad has changed almost entirely with only captain Nelli Such remaining in the team from those two finals. Despite this, they hope to regain the form which took them all the way through the competition two years ago.
Main facts
- Siófok qualified for the group phase after first triumphing over MKS FunFloor Lublin, then beating CS Magura Cisnadie in the final qualifying round
- the Hungarian side will face BV Borussia 09 Dortmund, ES Besancon Feminin and Molde Elite in group A
- two key players left the club. Katarina Jezic and Simone Böhme both joined Turkish club Kastamonu, playing in the EHF Champions League
Most important question: Can Siófok find consistency?
Siófok have played nine domestic games so far this season, winning four and losing five. In friendly matches against fellow European League sides, Siófok recorded a home win and an away loss against HC Podravka Vegeta, and beat Molde Elite 31:29 at home in August.
Many new faces joined over the summer, so some inconsistency is perhaps expected. However, their results so far this season show they can be competitive in their group if they can find a run of form.
How they rate themselves
With multiple newcomers, reaching the EHF Finals again is not a key aim.
“Our main goal of this season was to qualify for the EHF European League group phase. We did it, so we are satisfied. This competition is getting stronger and stronger every year. Group A is really strong, but of course we will do everything to go as far as we can,” says head coach Uros Bregar.
However, the three rivals in the group also mean familiar faces.
“I’m happy that we will meet two old mates, Camille Austin from Besancon and Tor Odvar Moen from Molde,” says captain Such. The French wing was at Siófok when they won the EHF Cup and reached the European League final, while the Norwegian coach managed the team between 2018 and 2020.
Under the spotlight: Nelli Such
The right wing earned the captain’s armband step-by-step after joining Siófok from FTC where she won the Cup Winner’s Cup twice. The Hungarian national team member was not initially an automatic starter, but now the line-up cannot be imagined without her name.
The 175cm tall athlete has great memories of the second-tier European competition.
“This competition is really my favourite. In the past years we were so successful in it, so we want to continue in making history,” she says.
What the numbers say
Siófok delivered the club’s biggest triumphs with only a few domestic players. Since then, the management changed the philosophy and in the current squad 13 players out of 19 are Hungarian.
Did you know?
Uros Bregar, who took over Siófok in November 2021 after five seasons at Slovenian side Krim Mercator Ljubljana is also the head coach of the Serbian women’s national team.
Arrivals and departures:
Newcomers: Dejana Milosavljevic (Podravka), Hawa N’Diaye (Toulon), Dounia Abdourahim (Toulon), Marina Rajcic (Kastamonu), Blanka Kajdon (Vasas), Ana Kojic (Mosonmagyaróvár)
Left the club: Katarina Jezic, Simone Böhme (Kastamonu), Andela Janjusevic (CS Rapid Bucuresti), Simona Sarkova (Kisvárda), Maja Vojnovic (Saint-Armand Handball)
Past achievements
EHF European League
Runners-up (1): 2020/21
EHF Cup
Winners (1): 2018/19
Quarter-finals (1): 2019/20
Last 16 (1): 2015/16
Cup Winners’ Cup
Last 16 (1): 2014/15
