Rokometni klub Maribor Branik ( en, Maribor Branik Handball Club), commonly referred to as RK Maribor Branik or simply Branik, is a
handball club from
Maribor, Slovenia. Since the 2023–24 season, the club competes only with youth selections. They play their home games at
Tabor Hall, a 3,261 capacity multi-purpose sports venue in Maribor. Between 2004 and 2010, the team was known as RK Klima Petek Maribor due to sponsorship reasons.
Their biggest success is reaching the final of the
Slovenian Handball Cup twice and reaching the quarter-finals of the
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. Prev ...
in the
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 ...
season.
History
Handball in Maribor
![Rokometna tekma Branik-Rudar 1961](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/50/Rokometna_tekma_Branik-Rudar_1961.jpg)
The first handball team in
Maribor was formed in 1925, when the women's selection of the ''1. SSK MB'' played their first
Czech handball match at the
Ljudski vrt
Ljudski vrt ( en, People's Garden) is a football stadium in Maribor, Slovenia, which has a seating capacity of 11,671. It has been the home of NK Maribor since their formation in 1960, with the exception of a short period in early 1961. It wa ...
area.
The first men's handball team, named ''Polet'', was formed in 1949.
They renamed as ''Branik'' in 1951, when they participated in the Yugoslav First League qualifiers.
In 1954, Branik won their first Slovenian Republic League title, and were promoted to the Yugoslav First League.
Between 1955 and 1968, Branik did not achieve any major success and were even relegated to the local
Styrian League in 1966, but returned to the top Slovenian division two years later.
They were relegated again in 1972, but once again returned in 1979 after spending a few years in the local regional leagues.
In 1977, the team merged with Kovinar Tezno to form ''Maribor''.
The team was struggling in the next decade and did not achieve any major results. After Slovenia's independence in 1991, the team was reformed with a help from some former handball players, including Marko Šibila, and reached the Third National Handball League (3. DRL).
Maribor Branik
In 2003, a new club called Maribor Branik was founded. In their first season, the team was promoted to the 2. DRL East.
In 2005–06, they were promoted to the 1. B DRL, where they stayed until the 2008–09 season, when the team was promoted to the top tier
Slovenian First League of Handball.
In the same year, they also finished third in the
Slovenian Handball Cup.
In their first season in the top division, they finished eighth and were runners-up of the Slovenian Handball Cup, where they lost to
Celje in the final.
As runners-up, they gained a place in the
2010–11 EHF Cup Winners' Cup. They reached the quarter-finals, where they lost to the Spanish side
San Antonio
("Cradle of Freedom")
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, map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio
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, subdivision_t ...
.
In the same season, Branik finished fifth in the league. They again finished fifth in the 2011–12 season, and were eliminated in the quarter-finals of the 2011–12
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 ...
by
Maccabi Tel Aviv
Maccabi Tel Aviv ( he, מכבי תל אביב) is one of the largest sports clubs in Israel, and a part of the Maccabi association. Many sports clubs and teams in Tel Aviv are in association with Maccabi and compete in a variety of sports, such ...
from Israel.
The most successful international season for the club was in 2012–13, when they reached the group stages of the
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. Prev ...
, defeating Dudelange,
Kópavogs and Siscia in the qualifications.
They were drawn in the group with Danish team
Tvis Holstebro, Norwegian
Elverum
is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Østerdalen. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Elverum. Other settlements in the municipality include Heradsbygd, Sørskog ...
and Polish
Wisła Płock
Wisła Płock Spółka Akcyjna (''Wisła Płock S.A.''), commonly referred to as Wisła Płock (), is a Polish professional football club, based in Płock, Masovian Voivodeship, which plays in the Ekstraklasa, the top tier of the national fo ...
.
With seven points out of six games, Maribor Branik qualified to the quarter-finals of the competition,
where they were eliminated by
Göppingen
Göppingen (Swabian: ''Geppenge'' or ''Gebbenga'') is a town in southern Germany, part of the Stuttgart Region of Baden-Württemberg. It is the capital of the district Göppingen. Göppingen is home to the toy company Märklin, and it is the bi ...
with 57–56 on aggregate.
In 2013–14 and 2014–15, the club finished third in the Slovenian League, which is their best result since the establishment. The club was about to enter the regional
SEHA League
South East Handball Association League or simply SEHA League is a regional men's club handball league in Southeast and East Europe, divided in two zones. Due to sponsorship reasons, the league is also known as the Gazprom League (or Gazprom South ...
alongside Celje and
Gorenje
Gorenje (); stylized as ''gorenje''), is a Slovenian major appliance manufacturer, founded in 1950 by Ivan Atelšek. It is based in Velenje, Slovenia.
It is the fourth largest manufacturer of household appliances in Europe. Appliances are sold un ...
in the 2014–15 season, but all three Slovenian clubs refused entry due to unacceptable financial requirements.
In the 2016–17 season, Maribor Branik reached the final of the Slovenian Cup for the second time in their history, where they lost to Celje 36–28.
Arena
Maribor Branik play their home matches at a 3,261 capacity
Tabor Hall in the
Tabor District of
Maribor. The reserve venue of the club is Lukna Sports Hall, a 2,100 capacity all-seater indoor hall, also located in Maribor.
Supporters and rivalries
Kristijan Petek, the former president of the club, was the first to organize a fan group which would support the team at home matches.
As he was also the owner of the air conditioning company Klima Petek, which was the main sponsor of the club, the fan group was composed of employees of the company.
In 2010, when Andrej Bauman has been appointed a new director of Maribor Branik, the club gained a new group of fans, named Maribor Supporters, which supposedly consisted of the younger members of
Viole Maribor
Viole Maribor, or simply Viole, are a Slovenian ultras group that supports NK Maribor. They are one of two major ultras groups in Slovenia, the other being their traditional rivals, Green Dragons, the supporters of NK Olimpija Ljubljana. The gr ...
, the supporters of
football club
NK Maribor.
In February 2012, Maribor Supporters chanted a song about the
Srebrenica massacre
The Srebrenica massacre ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Masakr u Srebrenici, Масакр у Сребреници), also known as the Srebrenica genocide ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Genocid u Srebrenici, Геноцид у Сребрен ...
against the Bosnian team
Gradačac
Gradačac ( sr-cyrl, Градачац, ) is a city located in the Tuzla Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated in the northeastern part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, roughly south of ...
during the 2011–12
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 ...
match.
The match was temporarily suspended, and the incident received wide coverage in the Slovenian and Bosnian media.
The group was banned by Maribor Branik from attending any home matches, and a police investigation was ordered.
Maribor Branik do not have any major rivals; however, matches between Maribor Branik and
RK Celje
Rokometni klub Celje ( en, Celje Handball Club), currently named Celje Pivovarna Laško due to sponsorship reasons, and commonly referred to as RK Celje or simply Celje, is a handball club from Celje, Slovenia. They were the winners of the Ch ...
are dubbed as the Styrian derby ( sl, Štajerski derbi),
named after
Styria, with
Maribor and
Celje being the two largest cities in the region. Matches between Maribor Branik and
RK Jeruzalem Ormož are also called Styrian derby or Neighbourhood derby ( sl, Sosedski derbi).
Colours, kits and crest
Initially, the club colours were white and black, which are also the colours of the Branik Sports Association. Before the start of the 2011–12 season, Maribor Branik changed its base colour to purple due to the popularity of
NK Maribor, the most successful
football club in Slovenia, which plays in purple jerseys.
A decade later, before the start of the 2021–22 season, the club returned to its original colours, white for home and black for away games.
The club crest is in the form of a shield with an abstract portrayal of a handball player. In 2012, the colours of the crest were changed from black and white to purple and white.
Season-by-season records
Maribor Branik in European handball
The table includes matches from the official
European Handball Federation
The European Handball Federation (EHF) is the umbrella organisation for European handball. Founded on 17 November 1991, it is made of 50 member federations and two associated federations (England and Scotland), and is headquartered in Vienna, A ...
competitions only.
All results (home and away) list Branik's goal tally first.
;Competitions
*QR2 = Second qualification round
*QR3 = Third qualification round
*R1 = First round
*R2 = Second round
*R3 = Third round
*L16 = Last 16
*QF = Quarter-final
*G = Group stage
;Matches
*Pld = Number of matches played
*W = Matches won
*D = Matches drawn
*L = Matches lost
*Win% = Winning percentage
By competition
Honours
League
*
Slovenian Championship
The Slovenian Hockey League is the highest level ice hockey league in Slovenia. The championship phase is contested after the regular season to determine the national champion.
History
The Slovenian Hockey League was firstly contested in the 1 ...
::Third place:
2013–14,
2014–15
*
Slovenian Second Division
::Runners-up: 2008–09
*Slovenian Third Division
::Runners-up: 2005–06
Cup
*
Slovenian Cup
Slovene or Slovenian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Slovenia, a country in Central Europe
* Slovene language, a South Slavic language mainly spoken in Slovenia
* Slovenes, an ethno-linguistic group mainly living in Slovenia
* Sl ...
::Runners-up: 2009–10, 2016–17
::Semi-finalist: 2008–09, 2011–12
*
Slovenian Supercup
The Slovenian Supercup ( sl, Superpokal Slovenije) was a Association football, football match played between the Slovenian PrvaLiga champions and the Slovenian Football Cup, Slovenian Cup winners. Prior 2007, the match was held only twice, in 1995 ...
::Runners-up: 2010, 2017
International players
The following Maribor Branik players have made at least one appearance for their senior national team.
;Bosnia and Herzegovina
*
Duško Čelica
*
Dejan Malinović
*
Marko Tarabochia
;Croatia
*
Goran Bogunović
*
Zvonimir Kapular
*
Marino Marić
*
Ivan Pešić
*
Mario Šoštarič
Mario Šoštarič (born 25 November 1992) is a professional handball player who plays for SC Pick Szeged. Born in Slovenia, he has represented both Slovenia and Croatia internationally.
Šoštarič started his career with RK Gorenje Velenje, and ...
*
Nikola Špelić
;Estonia
*
Andris Celminš
;Macedonia
*
Renato Vugrinec
;Montenegro
*
Mile Mijušković
*
;Serbia
*
Milan Mirković
;Slovenia
*
Darko Cingesar
*
Dragan Gajić
*
Urh Kastelic
Urh Kastelic (born 27 February 1996) is a Slovenian handball goalkeeper who plays for TBV Lemgo Lippe and the Slovenian national team.
He participated at the 2017 World Men's Handball Championship. In 2014 he won gold medal at Youth Olympic Game ...
*
Tilen Kodrin
Tilen Kodrin (born 14 May 1994) is a Slovenian handball player who plays for VfL Gummersbach and the Slovenian national team.
He participated at the 2017 World Men's Handball Championship
The 2017 IHF World Men's Handball Championship was th ...
*
Gregor Lorger
*
Borut Mačkovšek
*
Niko Medved
Niko Medved (born August 10, 1973) is an American college basketball coach, currently the head men's basketball coach at Colorado State University. Prior to becoming head coach at Colorado State, he was head coach at Drake University and Furman.
...
*
Matjaž Mlakar
Matjaž Mlakar (born 23 December 1981 in Sevnica) is a Slovenian professional handball player.
Information
*Height: 189 cm
*Weight: 103 kg
*Position: Pivot
Career
*Clubs: Sevnica, Gorenje
Gorenje (); stylized as ''gorenje''), is ...
*
Žiga Mlakar
*
Marko Oštir
*
Simon Razgor
*
Aljoša Štefanič
*
Matic Verdinek
*
Jure Vran
*
Miha Zarabec
Miha Zarabec (born 12 October 1991) is a Slovenian handball player who plays for Wisła Płock and the Slovenia national team.
With Slovenia, he competed at the 2016 European Men's Handball Championship
The 2016 EHF European Men's Handball Ch ...
*
Dani Zugan
*
Igor Žabić
Igor Žabić (born 15 August 1992) is a Slovenian handball player who plays for Kadetten Schaffhausen
Kadetten Schaffhausen is a Switzerland, Swiss handball team located in Schaffhausen. Their home matches are played at the BBC Arena which has a ...
*
Stefan Žabić
*
Luka Žvižej
;Notes
References
External links
Official websiteEHF profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maribor Branik, RK
Handball clubs established in 2003
Handball clubs in Slovenia
Sport in Maribor
2003 establishments in Slovenia