Paris Saint-Germain Handball (PSG) is a French professional handball club founded in 1941, and based in the city of

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. The club is the handball department of

Paris Saint-Germain Paris Saint-Germain Football Club (), commonly referred to as Paris Saint-Germain, Paris, Paris SG or simply PSG is a professional football club based in Paris, France. They compete in Ligue 1, the top division of French football. As Fr ...

. PSG play in the highest tier of French handball, the

LNH Division 1 LNH Division 1, doing business as Starligue and currently known as Liqui Moly Starligue for sponsorship reasons, is the premier men's professional handball league in France. It is administered by the Ligue Nationale de Handball, under delegation ...

. Their home ground for LNH matches is Stade Pierre de Coubertin, which has a

seating capacity Seating capacity is the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, in terms of both the physical space available, and limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that ...

of 3,400 spectators. For

EHF Champions League The Men's EHF Champions League is the most important club handball competition for men's teams in Europe and involves the leading teams from the top European nations. The competition is organised every year by EHF. The official name for the men ...

matches, the club play at

Halle Georges Carpentier Halle Georges Carpentier is a multi-use indoor sporting arena that is located in the 13th arrondissement of Paris, France. The arena can be used for multiple sporting events, including: boxing, martial arts, badminton, table tennis, volleybal ...

, which has a seating capacity of 4,500 spectators. Initially called Patriotes d'Asnières (1941–1942), the club has gone through several name changes: Asnières Sports (1942–1987), Paris-Racing-Asnières (1987–1988), Paris-Asnières (1988–1992), PSG-Asnières (1992–2002), and Paris Handball (2002–2012). After being bought by Paris Saint-Germain owners

Qatar Sports Investments Qatar Sports Investments (QSi) is a closed shareholding organization founded in 2005 and based in Doha, Qatar. Revenues generated from ventures of QSi are reinvested into Qatar's sport, leisure and entertainment sectors. QSi is led by Chairman N ...

(QSI) in 2012, the club became Paris Saint-Germain Handball. Since its inception, the club has won 23 titles. Domestically, Paris SG have clinched 9 LNH Division 1 titles, six French Cups, three Coupes de la Ligue, a record four French Super Cups and two LNH Division 2 titles. They are the only club in French handball to have ever won all their matches in LNH Division 1 in a season, which they did in the 2021–22 season. In international club handball, the capital side finished runners-up in the 2016–17 edition of the Champions League. PSG also have a reserve team that currently play in the Championnat National 1, which serves as the third tier of French handball. They have played in Nationale 1 since 2017–18, after clinching the

Championnat National 2 The Championnat National 2, commonly known as National 2 and formerly known as Championnat de France Amateur (CFA), is a football league competition. The league serves as the fourth tier of the French football league system behind Ligue 1, Ligu ...

title and winning promotion during the 2016–17 season.

History

First titles (1941–2012)

The Parisian club was founded in 1941. Initially, it took the name of Patriotes d'Asnières before becoming Asnières Sports one year later. Asnières Sports was presided by Christian Picard, whose son Gérard Picard took over during the 1975–1976 season and remained president until 2003. In 1987, the club's management succeeded in convincing the Paris City Council to partner Asnières Sports and create a major handball team in the capital. This resulted in the Hauts-de-Seine team moving to Paris and being renamed Paris-Racing-Asnières then Paris-Asnières. Relegated in 1989, Paris-Asnières immediately bounced back to the top flight in 1990 after winning the D2 title. At the time, the club's most notable players were future French internationals

Jackson Richardson Jackson Richardson (born 14 June 1969) is a retired French handball player. As the captain of the French handball team, he was the flag carrier during the Olympic Games opening ceremony in Athens on 13 August 2004. Biography Richardson started ...

and Patrick Cazal. In 1992, the club came under the management of

Paris Saint-Germain Football Club Paris Saint-Germain Football Club (), commonly referred to as Paris Saint-Germain, Paris, Paris SG or simply PSG is a professional football club based in Paris, France. They compete in Ligue 1, the top division of French football. As ...

, a partnership that lasted 10 years. This led to another name change, and Paris-Asnières became PSG-Asnières. PSG-Asnières finished second in the

during the 1995–96 season and then reached the French Cup final in 2001, losing to Montpellier. During that time, PSG-Asnières managed to attract several international players such as

Stéphane Stoecklin Stéphane Stoecklin (born 12 January 1969 in Bourgoin-Jallieu, Isère) is a French handball player and World champion. He received bronze medals with the French national team at the 1992 Summer Olympics in BarcelonaDenis Lathoud, Gaël Monthurel,

Nenad Peruničić Nenad Peruničić (; born 1 May 1971) is a Serbian handball coach and former player. Club career Born in Pljevlja, Peruničić made his senior debut with Jugović in the Yugoslav Championship, before moving to Crvena zvezda in 1990. He spent t ...

and Olivier Girault. The latter set up home in Paris in 1999, playing for the club until 2008 and then coaching the team until 2011. Under yet another name, Paris Handball began 2002 with new club owner Louis Nicollin. During the next decade, the club played in the

during the 2005–06 season, and won its first major trophy in 2007 with star player Kévynn Nyokas. Paris Handball registered a 28-21 win in the French Cup final over Pays d'Aix. But there were tough times too. At the end of the 2008–09 season, the club was relegated to Division 2. Paris Handball won the LNH Division 2 the very next season and rejoined the top clubs. In 2012, the team narrowly avoided relegation in the last round of play.

Domestic dominance (2012–)

Finale coupe de France masculine 2015-01

After being bought by

owners

(QSI) in 2012, the club became Paris Saint-Germain Handball. Under the initiative of

Nasser Al-Khelaifi Nasser bin Ghanim Al-Khelaifi ( ar, ناصر بن غانم الخليفي; born 12 November 1973) is a Qatari businessman and the chairman of beIN Media Group, chairman of Qatar Sports Investments, president of Paris Saint-Germain and the Qatar ...

, a new management and playing team was assembled.

Jean-Claude Blanc Jean-Claude Blanc (; born 9 April 1963 in Chambéry, France) is a French general manager and former marketing executive of Paris Saint-Germain F.C. and former CEO of Juventus F.C., Juventus Football Club. Education Blanc holds an International Bu ...

was named General Manager, Philippe Gardent signed as first-team manager, and a host of international stars arrived at the French capital, including

Didier Dinart Didier Dinart (born 18 January 1977) is a French retired handball player and current coach of US Ivry Handball. During his playing days, he played for the internationally renowned BM Ciudad Real handball team in Spain (where he was partner to, am ...

Luc Abalo Luc Kangny Abalo (born 6 September 1984) is a French handball player who plays for Zeekstar Tokyo and the French national team. Being a member of the national team since 2005, he won gold medals at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, 2009, 2011 and ...

, Samuel Honrubia,

Mikkel Hansen Mikkel Hansen (born 22 October 1987) is a Danish handball player for Aalborg Håndbold and the Danish national team. Hansen is regarded as one of the greatest players in handball history, and has been named the IHF World Player of the Year for a ...

, Marko Kopljar , José Manuel Sierra and Antonio García. In the 2012–13 season, PSG claimed their maiden league success, which also meant the club secured a spot in the

. However, PSG were denied the double by Montpellier in the French Cup final. Big-name signings kept coming in the 2013–14 season with the arrivals of Daniel Narcisse,

Igor Vori Igor Vori (born 20 September 1980) is a Croatian retired handball player and current coach. He is currently working as the sports director of the Croatian national team. Vori competed for Croatia in the 2004, 2008 and the 2012 Summer Olymp ...

Jakov Gojun Jakov Gojun (born 18 April 1986) is a Croatian handball player for Füchse Berlin. He competed for the Croatia national team at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, winning the bronze medal. Due to his defensive playing style he has been nicknam ...

Fahrudin Melić Fahrudin Melić (born 22 July 1984) is a Montenegrin handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball or Olympic handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pa ...

and Gábor Császár. PSG reached the Champions League quarterfinals for the first time in its history, but failed to keep up the pace with Dunkerque in the league. Despite this, the season finished on a high note, thanks to a victory in the French Cup final against Chambéry, adding a second national cup trophy to the club's honours. In the 2014–15 season, new manager

Zvonimir Serdarušić Zvonimir Serdarušić (; born 2 September 1950) is a Croatian former professional handball coach and player who competed in the 1976 Summer Olympics for Yugoslavia. In May 1998, he also acquired German citizenship. Career Yugoslavia Serdaruši ...

and star signing

Nikola Karabatić Nikola Karabatić (born 11 April 1984) is a French handball player for Paris Saint-Germain and the French national team. With the French national handball team, he has won three Olympic gold medals (Summer Olympics of 2008, 2012 and 2020), four ...

led the capital club to its second league title following a nail-biting battle for top spot against Montpellier. PSG claimed the trophy on the last day of the season, after a win over Tremblay. The league crown rounded off a domestic treble, going alongside the French Cup and the French Super Cup that they had won after beating Nantes and Dunkerque, respectively. On the European stage, PSG's hopes were dashed, for a second time, by Veszprém in the Champions League semifinals. PSG continued its winning ways in the 2015–16 season by claiming a second French Super Cup and a third league title. However, the crowning moment was reaching the Champions League Final4 for the first time in its history. Along the way, the club downed

THW Kiel THW Kiel is a handball club from Kiel, Germany. Currently, they compete in the Handball-Bundesliga and are the record champion with 22 titles. 2007 and 2012 were the most successful years in the club's history, as THW completed the treble, wi ...

at the

Sparkassen-Arena The Wunderino-Arena (formerly known as Ostseehalle) is an indoor arena, in Kiel, Germany. It is primarily used by THW Kiel (team handball) and as a venue for rock/pop concerts. It holds up to 13,500 people. History Construction was determined ...

, where the German side had been undefeated for four years; topped its group for the first time ever; and trumped Kiel in the third-place play-off. Additionally,

set a new record for goals in a Champions League season, with no fewer than 141 strikes to his name. In the 2021–22 season they finished off LNH Division 1 with 60 points on 30 matches, being the only team ever in the french league to achieve that.

Crest, colours, supporters

Naming history

Kits

Identity

Parent club

represent both the city of

and the nearby royal town of

Saint-Germain-en-Laye Saint-Germain-en-Laye () is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France in north-central France. It is located in the western suburbs of Paris, from the centre of Paris. Inhabitants are called ''Saint-Germanois'' or ''Saint-Ge ...

. As a result, red, blue and white are the club's traditional colours. The red and blue are Parisian colours, a nod to revolutionary figures

Lafayette Lafayette or La Fayette may refer to: People * Lafayette (name), a list of people with the surname Lafayette or La Fayette or the given name Lafayette * House of La Fayette, a French noble family ** Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette (1757� ...

and

Jean Sylvain Bailly Jean Sylvain Bailly (; 15 September 1736 – 12 November 1793) was a French astronomer, mathematician, freemason, and political leader of the early part of the French Revolution. He presided over the Tennis Court Oath, served as the mayor of Pa ...

, and the white is a symbol of French royalty and Saint-Germain-en-Laye. On the club's crest, the

Eiffel Tower The Eiffel Tower ( ; french: links=yes, tour Eiffel ) is a wrought-iron lattice tower on the Champ de Mars in Paris, France. It is named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower. Locally nicknamed "' ...

in red and the blue background represent Paris, while the

fleur de lys The fleur-de-lis, also spelled fleur-de-lys (plural ''fleurs-de-lis'' or ''fleurs-de-lys''), is a lily (in French, and mean 'flower' and 'lily' respectively) that is used as a decorative design or symbol. The fleur-de-lis has been used in the ...

in white is a hint to the

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...

of Saint-Germain-en-Laye. The fleur de lys is a royal symbol as well and recalls that French King

Louis XIV , house = Bourbon , father = Louis XIII , mother = Anne of Austria , birth_date = , birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France , death_date = , death_place = Palace of Ver ...

was born in the town. Throughout its history, PSG have brandished several different crests, but all of them have featured the club's three historical colours. Likewise, PSG's most iconic shirts have been predominantly red, blue or white, with the remaining two colours included as well. The club's official mascot, Germain the Lynx, also sports PSG's traditional colours.

Grounds

Stadium

The Stade Pierre de Coubertin, with a

of 3,400 spectators, serves as PSG's home stadium for

matches. For

games, on the other hand, the club use

as its home venue. It has a seating capacity of 4,500 spectators.

Training facilities

In 2023, the club's first team and academy will move to the

Paris Saint-Germain Training Center The Paris Saint-Germain Training Center, sometimes referred to as Campus PSG, located in Poissy, Paris Region, will be the new training ground and sports complex of Paris Saint-Germain Football Club. It will replace Camp des Loges — the cl ...

. On the second plateau of the new

training ground A training ground is an area where professional association football teams prepare for matches, with activities primarily concentrating on skills and fitness. They also sometimes form part of a club's youth system, as clubs consider it important t ...

and

sports complex A sports complex is a group of sports facilities. For example, there are track and field stadiums, football stadiums, baseball stadiums, swimming pools, and Indoor arenas. This area is a sports complex, for fitness. Olympic Park is also a kind ...

handball players – professionals as well as academy attendees – will enjoy the use of two fields, a stand with a capacity of 250 spectators, fitness rooms, recovery areas, staff offices and meeting rooms.

Supporters

Between 2010 and 2016, with the impossibility for fan groups to support parent club

(men's football team) at home or away, the PSG faithful turned to

Paris Saint-Germain Féminine Paris Saint-Germain Féminine (), commonly referred to as Paris Saint-Germain, Paris SG, or simply Paris or PSG, are a French professional football club based in Paris. Founded in 1971, they compete in Division 1 Féminine, the top divi ...

, and to a lesser extent to the

Paris Saint-Germain Academy The Paris Saint-Germain Academy, commonly known as the PSG Academy, is the youth system of both Paris Saint-Germain (men's team) and Paris Saint-Germain Féminine (women's team). Established in 1970, the academy is managed by the Associa ...

sides, being the very rare case of fan groups supporting their club's women's football team. Liberté Pour les Abonnés and Nautecia, which were among several groups that reunited Boulogne and Auteuil supporters, were behind this initiative. PSG ultras have also occasionally attended big matches of the club's handball team ever since it was bought by PSG owners

(QSI) in 2012.

Ownership and finances

Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani ( ar, تميم بن حمد بن خليفة آل ثاني; born 3 June 1980, Doha, Qatar) is the Emir of Qatar who succeeded his father, Sheikh Hamad, after Hamad abdicated in his favour. Tamim is the fourth son ...

, ruler of

Qatar Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it ...

, bought 70% of parent club

through state-owned shareholding organization

(QSI). Colony Capital (29%) and Butler (1%) remained minority shareholders. In March 2012, QSI purchased the remaining 30% stake to become PSG's sole shareholder, valuing the club at €100m. PSG thus became one of the wealthiest clubs in the world. Paris Saint-Germain Handball (previously called Paris Handball) were then bought by PSG owners QSI in 2012. In late June 2019, Paris Saint-Germain announced a long-term contract extension with kit manufacturer

Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine give ...

, which is now one of European football's most lucrative and the biggest sponsorship agreement in the club's history. PSG are tied to the American brand until 2032 and will more than triple their previous €25m deal with an annual figure in excess of €80 million. PSG said the new

deal will cover the men's and women's football teams, as well as their handball outfit.

Honours

:''As of the 2021–22 season.''

Domestic

**Winners (9):

2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20,

2020–21 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...

, 2021–22 **''Runners-up (3):'' 1995–96, 2004–05, 2013–14 * LNH Division 2 **Winners (2): 1989–90, 2009–10 **''Runners-up (1):'' 1985–86 *

(Academy) **Winners (1): 2016–17 *

Coupe de France The Coupe de France, formerly known as the Coupe Charles Simon, is the premier knockout cup competition in French football organized by the French Football Federation (FFF). It was first held in 1917 and is open to all amateur and profession ...

**Winners (6): 2006–07, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2017–18,

, 2021–22 **''Runners-up (4):'' 2000–01, 2007–08,

, 2015–16 * Coupe de la Ligue **Winners (3): 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19 **''Runners-up (3):'' 2004–05, 2005–06, 2015–16 *

Trophée des Champions The Trophée des Champions (, ) is a French association football trophy contested in an annual match between the champions of Ligue 1 and the winners of the Coupe de France. It is equivalent to the super cups found in many other countries. His ...

**Winners (4; record):

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

, 2015,

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

**''Runners-up (2):''

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretariat; The global monkeypo ...

European

**''Runners-up:'' 2016–17 **''Third place:'' 2017–18, 2019–20,

Worldwide

2016 IHF Super Globe The 2016 IHF Men's Super Globe, IHF Super Globe was the tenth edition of the tournament. It was held in Doha (Qatar) at the Duhail Handball Sports Hall from 5 to 8 September 2016. Berlin defeated Paris in the final to gain their second title. Tea ...

**''Runners-up (1):''

Doubles and Trebles

Double A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another. Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to: Film and television * Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character * ...

( D1 and CdF) : Winners (4): 2014–15, 2017–18, 2020–21, 2021–22 *League and League Cup Double ( D1 and CdL) **Winners (2): 2016–17, 2018–19 *Domestic Cup Double ( CdF and CdL) **Winners (1): 2017–18 *Domestic Treble ( D1, CdF and CdL) **Winners (1): 2017–18

European record

Note All matches ending with a 10–0 or 5–5 results were assessed by the EHF.

First-team

Current squad

:''Squad for the 2022–23 season'' ;Goalkeepers * 12 Andreas Palicka * 16

Jannick Green Jannick Green Krejberg (born 29 September 1988) is a Danish handball player for Paris Saint-Germain Paris Saint-Germain Football Club (), commonly referred to as Paris Saint-Germain, Paris, Paris SG or simply PSG is a professional foot ...

;Left Wingers *9 Adama Keïta * 20 Mathieu Grebille ;Right Wingers * 14

Ferran Solé Ferran Solé Sala (born 25 August 1992) is a Spanish handball player for Paris Saint-Germain and the Spanish national team. He participated at the 2018 European Men's Handball Championship. Individual awards *All-Star Right wing of the World C ...

* 19

David Balaguer David Balaguer Romeu (born 17 August 1991) is a Spanish handball player who plays for Paris Saint-Germain and the Spanish team. He participated at the 2017 World Men's Handball Championship The 2017 IHF World Men's Handball Championship was ...

;Line players * 15

Henrik Toft Hansen Henrik Toft Hansen (born 18 December 1986) is a Danish professional handball player for Mors-Thy Håndbold and the Danish national team. He is the younger brother of René Toft Hansen. He has three younger siblings: Allan Toft Hansen ( da) ...

* 21 Kamil Syprzak * 22 Luka Karabatić ( c) ;Left Backs * 28 Yoann Gibelin * 71 Elohim Prandi ;Centre Backs *6 Luc Steins *7 Sadou Ntanzi * 44

;Right Backs * 10 Dainis Krištopāns * 23 Dominik Máthé Injury icon 2

Transfers

:''Transfers for the 2023–24 season'' ;Joining ;Leaving * Dainis Kristopans (RB) ''(to

SC Pick Szeged SC Pick Szeged is a Hungary, Hungarian handball club from Szeged, that plays in the Nemzeti Bajnokság I (men's handball), Nemzeti Bajnokság I and the EHF Champions League. The current name of the club is OTP Bank - Pick Szeged due to sponsorshi ...

)'' ? *

(RW)'' (to

)'' ? *

(P) ''(to

Mors-Thy Håndbold Mors-Thy Håndbold is a team handball, handball club, based in Nykøbing Mors and Thisted, Denmark. Currently, Mors-Thy Håndbold competes in the men's Danish Handball League. The home arena of the team is Morsø Sparekasse Arena, Sparekassen Th ...

)''

Notable former players

Academy

Current squad

:''As of the 2022–23 season.'' ;Goalkeepers * 1 Stanis Soullier * 45 Léo Villain ;Left Wingers * 90 Léo Plantin ;Right Wingers * 3 Valentin Bzdynga ;Line players * 98 Gautier Loredon ;Left Backs * 8 Noa Narcisse * 17 Noah Lenclume * 47 Wallem Peleka ;Centre Backs * 4 Baptiste Clay * 26 Louis Perreux ;Right Backs * 27 Tony Mendy * 33 Victor Crenn

Personnel

:''As of 30 December 2020.''

Current staff

Presidents

Managers

References

External links

* * {{Handball in France French handball clubs Paris Saint-Germain F.C.