Rukometni klub Lovćen 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) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of throwing it into the g ...

club from

Old Royal Capital Cetinje Old Royal Capital Cetinje ( Montenegrin and Serbian: Prijestonica Cetinje / Пријестоница Цетиње) is one of the territorial subdivisions of Montenegro. It has the status of the Old Royal Capital (), which is also translated in ...

, that plays in

Montenegrin First League The First League of Montenegro ( Montenegrin: ''Prva crnogorska fudbalska liga'' — ''Prva CFL'' — ''1. CFL''; ) is the top football league in Montenegro. Founded in 2006, competition is headed by the Football Association of Montenegro. 10 tea ...

. For decades, Lovćen has been the most successful Montenegrin men's handball club and the only team from Montenegro which won men's handball trophies in the Yugoslav era. During the 2001 and 2002, Lovćen played in the

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 me ...

History

Formed at 1949, Lovćen is among oldest handball clubs in Montenegro. During the decades, especially from 80's until today, Lovćen became most successful Montenegrin men's handball club, but the most trophied team from

. There is huge number of great Montenegrin, Yugoslav and European players which produced handball school of Lovćen. During the decades, Lovćen became most important base of

Montenegro men's national handball team The Montenegro national handball team represents Montenegro in international handball competitions. The national team was formed in 2006 shortly after Montenegro became independent. Montenegro played their first official match on 3 January 2007 ...

players. First biggest success, Lovćen made during the start of 80's, when they became permanent member of Yugoslav Second League. In the second half of the same decade, Lovćen won the trophy of Second League champion and became first Montenegrin men's handball club which gained promotion to the First League of SFR Yugoslavia.

First seasons in the First league

First match in First league of SFR Yugoslavia, Lovćen played in October 1988 against

RK Jugović RK Jugović () is a Serbian handball club based in Kać, Novi Sad. They compete in the top tier Serbian handball league, the Arkus league. History Founded as RK Mladost in 1956, the club changed its name to RK Jugović in 1960. They made thei ...

away and won with result 23:20. Their first season in strongest domestic competition, Lovćen finished in sixth place. After three successful years in the SFR Yugoslavia, and the matches against great names of European handball like Zagreb Hromos, Metaloplastika Šabac or

RK Borac Banja Luka Rukometni klub Borac Banja Luka (Serbian Cyrillic: Рукометни клуб Бopaц Бања Лука) is a handball club from Banja Luka, Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is part of the Borac sports society. The federal leagu ...

, Lovćen was relegated at the end of season 1990/94. At the season 1994/95, Lovćen returned to the First League of

FR Yugoslavia Serbia and Montenegro ( sr, Cрбија и Црна Гора, translit=Srbija i Crna Gora) was a country in Southeast Europe located in the Balkans that existed from 1992 to 2006, following the breakup A relationship breakup, breakup, or ...

and in the next years made notable results. With the second place at the end of season 1996/96, Lovćen get promotion to their first European competition -

EHF Cup The EHF European League is an annual men's handball club competition organised by the European Handball Federation (EHF) since 1981. It is the second-tier competition of European club handball, ranking only below the EHF Champions League. Previ ...

1997/98. In the next two seasons, team was placed on the top positions of Yugoslav First League, with placements at the Quarterfinals of the EHF Cities Cup and

Trophies in the FR Yugoslavia

One of the glory days in the club history was 17 May 2000. On that day, Lovćen won their first champions title in the First League. With the four points more than Sintelon Bačka Palanka, Lovćen provided their first appearance in the

. Season 2000/01 was the most successful in the club history. At the EHF Champions League 2000/01 Lovćen finished as first team in the Group 'D' and played in the Quarterfinals. On that season, fans at Cetinje watched Lovćen games against great European clubs like

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, win ...

or Portland San Antonio. At the same period, Lovćen won another one title in the First Yugoslav League, with two points more than

Partizan Belgrade Jugoslovensko sportsko društvo Partizan ( sr-Cyrl, Југословенско спортско друштво Партизан, lit=Yugoslav Sports Society Partizan), commonly abbreviated as JSD Partizan ( sr-Cyrl, ЈСД Партизан, link ...

. On 8 November 2000, Lovćen recorded their biggest win in the Yugoslav League - against

Vojvodina Novi Sad Sportsko društvo Vojvodina ( sr-Cyrl, Спортско друштво Војводина, lit=Vojvodina Sports Society), commonly abbreviated as SD Vojvodina ( sr-Cyrl, СД Војводина, link=no), formed in 1914, is a multi-sport club ...

at Cetinje - 43:17. EHF Champions League 2000/01 - Group D At the 2001/02 season, Lovćen again participated in the

, but finished domestic season at the second place, after three dramatic play-off finals against

(24:23, 24:25, 24:25). During that season, Lovćen won their first trophy on the Yugoslav Cup - in the final match, in

Vršac Vršac ( sr-cyr, Вршац, ; hu, Versec; ro, Vârșeț) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative centre of the South Banat District in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. As of 2011, the city urban area had a pop ...

, club from Cetinje defeated Sintelon Bačka Palanka - 19:18. Next year, Lovćen repeated their success in the Cup of Yugoslavia and that was the last club's trophy during the

era. In the next seasons, Lovćen stayed in the top of domestic league, with permanent appearances in the European cups.

Montenegrin independence

Following the

Montenegrin independence An independence referendum was held in Montenegro on 21 May 2006. Nohlen, D & Stöver, P (2010) ''Elections in Europe: A data handbook'', p1372 It was approved by 55.5% of voters, narrowly passing the 55% threshold. By 23 May, preliminary refere ...

, national handball association of Montenegro established their own First League and

Cup Competition A single-elimination, knockout, or sudden death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final matc ...

. Lovćen became the first champion of independent Montenegro in the season 2006/07, after 20 matches - 18 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss. In the next years, Lovćen became weaker in the domestic championship. During the period from 2007 to 2011, Lovćen didn't won any First League title, but they triumphed in the Cup seasons 2009, 2010 and 2011. Finally, at the end of season 2011/12, Lovćen again became Champion of Montenegro, with new Cup title. Same success club made in the season 2012/13, with the best performance in Montenegrin men's handball - 21 match / 21 win (League and Cup). New doubles (league and cup winner) Lovćen made at seasons 2013/14 and 2014/15. Lovcenvardar

Honours and achievements

National Championships - 11 *Champion of FR Yugoslavia (2) **''2000, 2001.'' * Champion of Montenegro (9) **''2007, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021'' National Cups - 14 *Winner of the FR Yugoslavia Cup (2) **''2002, 2003.'' * Winner of the Montenegrin Cup (12) ** ''2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022'' European Cups *

**''5th place - 2001.''

RK Lovćen in domestic and regional competitions

First League seasons

From the 1988 until today, Lovćen played 23 seasons in the First Handball League of

SFR Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as SFR Yugoslavia or simply as Yugoslavia, was a country in Central and Southeast Europe. It emerged in 1945, following World War II, and lasted until 1992, with the breakup of Yug ...

and

Montenegro ) , image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Podgorica , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , official_languages = M ...

. Five times, club from Cetinje won the champions' title - in the seasons ''1999/00, 2000/01, 2006/07, 2011/12'' and ''2012/13''. ''* Play-off 1997/98 - semifinals: Lovćen - Crvena zvezda 28:29, 23:22, 24:29''
''* Play-off 2000/01 - final: Lovćen - Sintelon 33:23, 23:22''
''* Play-off 2001/02 - final: Lovćen - Partizan 24:23, 24:25, 24:25''

National Cup trophies

Most trophies in the club history, Lovćen won in the national Cup. Club from Cetinje holds 2 winner titles in the Cup of

and five in the

Montenegrin Cup The Montenegrin Cup ( Montenegrin and Serbian: ''Kup Crne Gore'') is the national football cup played in Montenegro, established in 2006. The winner of the cup is awarded a spot in the second qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League if they h ...

. Lovćen hold Cup trophies from the seasons ''2001/02, 2002/03, 2008/09, 2009/10, 2010/11, 2011/12, 2012/13''. Below is the list of final matches in which Lovćen won the Cup trophy.

SEHA League seasons

Lovćen has been a member of Regional SEHA League since its establishment. During the past seasons, Montenegrin club made several great results, like two wins against

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slop ...

(''30:28, 27:25''),

Vardar The Vardar (; mk, , , ) or Axios () is the longest river in North Macedonia and the second longest river in Greece, in which it reaches the Aegean Sea at Thessaloniki. It is long, out of which are in Greece, and drains an area of around . Th ...

(''23:21'') and Tatran Prešov (''30:29''). Today, Lovćen is the only SEHA League member from Montenegro. In their first SEHA League season, Lovćen made surprising result, with final placement on 6th position. Year after that, Lovćen finished season on the same table position. In the season 2013/14, because of new SEHA League criteria, SRC Lovćen hall was reconstructed, with changing capacity from 1,500 to 2,020. During that season, Lovćen made poorest performance in the SEHA League, winning 9th place on the final table.

RK Lovćen in Europe

Handball club Lovćen is permanent member of European handball competitions since 1997. The greatest result Lovćen made during the EHF Champions League 2000/01 when they participated in the quarterfinals against

. Until today, Lovćen played 69 games in European Competitions. Montenegrin club won 27 games, with three draws and 39 defeats.

Seasons in European competitions

Lovćen played 18 seasons in the EHF European competitions: 1997/98 -

1998/99 - EHF Cities Cup
1999/00 -

2000/01 -

2001/02 -

2002/03 -

EHF Cup Winners' Cup The EHF Cup Winners' Cup was the official competition for men's and women's handball clubs of Europe that won their national cup, and took place every year. From the 2012–13 season, the men's competition was merged with the EHF Cup. Winners ...

2003/04 -

2005/06 -

2006/07 -

EHF Challenge Cup The Men's EHF European Cup is an annual men's handball club competition organised by the European Handball Federation (EHF). It is the third-tier competition of European club handball, after the EHF Champions League and the EHF European League. ...

2007/08 -

2008/09 -

2009/10 -

2010/11 -

2011/12 -

2012/13 -

2013/14 -

2014/15 -

2015/16 -

Matches

During the history, Lovćen participated in every European clubs' competition -

(''former EHF Cities Cup'') and

Opponents by countries

In the European competitions, Lovćen played against clubs from various 19 countries, including Montenegro.

Current squad

RK Lovćen Cetinje roster - season 2013/14
''As of 10 March 2014'' ;Goalkeepers *1 Vladan Abramović *16 Vuko Borilović *22 Dušan Cicmil ;Right wingers *8 Mirko Radović *20 Draško Kaluđerović ;Left wingers *9 Igor Marković (cap) *7 Milan Popović *99 Vuk Lipovina ;Line players *18 Ivan Radović *20 Andrija Pejović *41 Stefan Čizmović ;Back players *4 Petar Petričević *11 Miodrag Stanojević *17 Marko Drašković *23 Vuk Latković *34 Bogdan Nikolić *43 Lukasz Achruk *44 Miloš Ojdanić *77 Goran Lasica Coach: Zoran Abramović
Official kit supplier:

Legea Legea (stylised as LEGEA) is an Italian sportswear company, founded in 1993 by brothers Giovanni, Emilia and Luigi Acanfora. It is one of the most popular brands among Italian amateur football teams, then expanding to professional clubs. Legea is ...

Sponsors: Prijestonica Cetinje / Old Royal Capital Cetinje ''(city government)'', Lovćen Osiguranje / Lovćen Insurance

Notable former players

Veselin Vujović Veselin Vujović (born 18 January 1961) is a Montenegrin handball coach and former professional player. He is the current coach of Iran national team. As a player, Vujović competed at the 1984 and 1988 Summer Olympics for the Yugoslavia nation ...

Pero Milošević Pero may refer to: * Pero (mythology), several personages in Greek mythology ** Pero (princess), daughter of Neleus * Pero (name), a list of people with either the given name or surname Pero * Pero language, a language of Nigeria * Pero, Lombardy, ...

Goran Đukanović Goran Đukanović, (born 5 November 1976) is a Montenegrin former handball player. Career Over the course of his career, Đukanović played for his hometown club Lovćen on several occasions, helping them win back-to-back Yugoslav championships i ...

Ratko Đurković Ratko Đurković (born 9 February 1975) is a Montenegrin handball coach and former player who is currently coach of Crvena zvezda. Club career After starting out at his hometown club Lovćen, Đurković played for fellow Yugoslav teams Metalopl ...

* Petar Kapisoda * Nenad Puljezević *

Igor Butulija Igor Butulija (; born 21 March 1970) is a Serbian former handball player and coach. Club career Born in Belgrade, Butulija started out at Crvena zvezda and remained there until 1993. He would later return to the club on two more occasions (in 199 ...

* Stevo Nikočević *

Goran Stojanović Goran Stojanović (born 24 February 1977) is a Montenegrin-Qatari handball player for the Al Rayyan and the Qatar. Club career After starting out at his hometown club Mornar Bar, Stojanović played for Crvena zvezda (2000–2002), Lovćen (2002 ...

* Alen Muratović * Nikola Marinović *

Predrag Peruničić Predrag Peruničić (; born 27 June 1967) is a Serbian former handball player. Club career Over the course of his career that spanned 20 years, Peruničić played for Partizan on four separate occasions, winning three national championships (19 ...

Draško Mrvaljević Draško Mrvaljević (born 17 November 1979) is a Montenegrin former handball player. Career Over the course of his career that spanned more than two decades, Mrvaljević played for Lovćen (1997–2000), Sintelon (2000–2002), Teucro (2003– ...

Mladen Rakčević Mladen Rakčević (born 10 February 1982) is a Montenegrin former handball player. Career During his career, Rakčević played for RK Lovćen, Lovćen (2000–2005), RK Vardar, Vardar (2005–2009), RK Kolubara, Kolubara (2009–2010), RK Metalur ...

* Dejan Unčanin * Marko Dobrković * Aleksandar Svitlica *

Blažo Lisičić Blažo Lisičić (born 22 August 1972) is a Montenegrin former handball player. Club career Born in Titograd, Lisičić was signed by Proleter Zrenjanin as a teenager. He would become a member of the team that won two Yugoslav Championship titl ...

* Dalibor Čutura * Igor Marković * Ivan Ražnatović * Vuk Milošević * Petar Vujanović * Ilija Ivanović * Stevan Vujović * Novica Rudović * Nebojša Stojinović * Nikola Vujović * Marko Dapčević * Milan Vučićević * Brano Božović * Radivoje Ristanović * Goran Biljaka * Mladen Čačić * Miodrag Ašanin * Andrija Pejović * Ivan Šmigić * Marko Pejović * Danijel Vukićević *

Ivan Perišić Ivan Perišić (; born 2 February 1989) is a Croatian professional footballer who plays for Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur and the Croatia national team. Usually deployed as a winger, he has also featured as an attacking midfielder, se ...

* Goran Lasica * Aleksandar Beljić * Milan Vučićević *

Bogdan Petričević Bogdan Petričević (born 6 September 1989) is a Montenegrin handball player who plays for RK Lovćen Rukometni klub Lovćen is a Montenegrin handball club from Old Royal Capital Cetinje, that plays in Montenegrin First League. For decade ...

* Vasko Ševaljević *

Muhamed Mustafić Muhamed Mustafić (born April 6, 1981 in Rogatica Rogatica ( sr-cyrl, Рогатица) is a town and municipality located in eastern Republika Srpska, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013, it has a population of 10,723 inhabitants ...

* Selman Beširović * Blažo Popović * Vladan Lipovina * Danilo Mihaljević

Notable coaches

* Branko Dumnić *

Ljubomir Obradović Ljubomir Obradović (born 16 September 1954) is a Serbian handball coach of the Cape Verde men's national handball team, Cape Verde national team. Managerial honours ;Comercio e Industria (Setubal) *Portuguese Handball Second Division, Portuguese ...

Ranko Popović Ranko Popović (; born 26 June 1967) is a Serbian football manager and former player. He was most recently the manager of Japanese club Machida Zelvia. Playing career Born in Peć, SAP Kosovo, SR Serbia, Popović started out at local club B ...

Nikola Adžić Nikola () is a given name which, like Nicholas, is a version of the Greek ''Nikolaos'' (Νικόλαος). It is common as a masculine given name in the South Slavic countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, North Macedonia, Monteneg ...

External links

Official website

Handball Federation of Montenegro

balkan-handball
{{DEFAULTSORT:RK Lovcen Lovćen Cetinje Lovcen Handball clubs established in 1949 1949 establishments in Yugoslavia