HSG Wetzlar

HSG Wetzlar
HSG Wetzlar
Full name	Handballspielgemeinschaft Wetzlar
Founded	1904; 122 years ago as TSV Dutenhofen
Arena	Buderus Arena
Capacity	5,000
Head coach	Frank Carstens
League	Handball-Bundesliga
2025–26	16th of 18
Club colours
Home	Away
	Website ; Official site

HSG Wetzlar is a professional handball club from Wetzlar, Germany. It competes in the top-tier Handball-Bundesliga and in the German Handball Cup. They have played in the Bundesliga since 1998 without relegation.

*Wetzi* – the official mascot of HSG Wetzlar.

History

The modern club was founded in 1992 by a fusion of TSV Dutenhofen and Münchholzhausen, which were founded in 1904 and 1909 respectively.^[1] From 1992 to 1999 they were known as Handballspielgemeinschaft Dutenhofen/Münchholzhausen and from 1999 to 2004 they were known as HSG D/M Wetzlar. They have had their modern name, HSG Wetzlar, since then.

In 1997 they managed a bit of a sensation, when they reached the final of the DHB-Pokal as a second division team, which qualified them for the EHF Cup the following season. Here they once again surprised, when they reached the final.

In the 2016-17 season they reached their best league position ever - a 6th place in the Bundesliga with over 40 points.^[2] During this season Philipp Weber was the league top scorer with 224 goals in 34 games^[3] and their coach Kai Wandschneider was selected as coach of the season.

Crest, colours, supporters

Kits

HOME
2011-12	2015–16	2016–17	2023–24

AWAY
2015–16	2016–17	2023–24

THIRD
2016–17

Accomplishments

DHB-Pokal final:
- 1997, 2001
EHF Cup Winner's Cup final:
- 1998

Rivalry

HSG Wetzlar's arch-rival is the neighbouring club TV Hüttenberg and games between the clubs are considered as the "Mittelhessenderby".^[4]

Team

Current squad

Squad for the 2024–25 season

Goalkeepers

Left Wingers

18 Lukas Becher
50 Lion Zacharias

Right Wingers

Line players

Left Backs

9 Ole Klimpke
19 Philipp Ahouansou

Central Backs

Right Backs

Technical staff

Head coach: Frank Carstens
Assistant coach: Filip Mirkulovski

Transfers

Transfers for the 2026–27 season

Joining

Petter Øverby (LP) from THW Kiel^[5]
László Bartucz (GK) from MT Melsungen^[6]
Nikolaj Læsø (LB) from Bjerringbro-Silkeborg Håndbold^[7]
Tomáš Piroch (RB) from SC DHfK Leipzig^[8]
Doruk Pehlivan (LB) from HC Elbflorenz Dresden^[9]
Martí Soler (LW) from MT Melsungen
Paul Kompenhans (CB) from TV Hüttenberg

Leaving

Andreas Palicka (GK) to Füchse Berlin^[10]
Stefan Čavor (RB) to RD Slovan^[11]
Anadin Suljaković (GK) to SC DHfK Leipzig^[12]
Philipp Ahouansou (LB) to TVB Stuttgart^[13]
Justin Müller (CB) to HSG Krefeld

Transfer History

Transfers for the 2025–26 season

Joining

Bart Ravensbergen (GK) from Frisch Auf Göppingen^[14]
Nikola Grahovac (LP) from ONE Veszprém^[15]
Filip Vistorop (CB) from ThSV Eisenach^[16]
Josip Šimić (LP) from 1. VfL Potsdam^[17]
Ahmed Seesa (LW) from RK Vojvodina^[18]
Karim Handawy (GK) from Al-Safa Club^[19]
David Cyrill Akakpo (RW) from 1. VfL Potsdam
Niklas Theiss (RB) from TV Hüttenberg
Andreas Palicka (GK) from Kolstad Håndball^[20]

Leaving

Domen Novak (RW) to SG Flensburg-Handewitt^[21]
Vladimir Vranješ (LP) to Csurgói KK^[22]
Zsolt Krakovszki (RW) to Győri ETO-UNI FKC^[23]
Rasmus Meyer Ejlersen (LP) to Ribe-Esbjerg HH
Viktor Petersen Norberg (RB) to HC Elbflorenz
Till Klimpke (GK) to HØJ Elite^[24]

Transfers for the 2024–25 season

Joining

Marius Göbner (GK) (from own youth)
Lion Zacharias (LW) (from Rhein-Neckar Löwen)
Philipp Ahouansou (LB) (from Rhein-Neckar Löwen)
Jona Schoch (CB) (from HBW Balingen-Weilstetten)
Dominik Mappes (CB) (from VfL Gummersbach)
Justin Müller (CB) (from Nordsjælland Håndbold)
Noel Hoepfner (RB) (from own youth)
Zsolt Krakovszki (RW) (from NEKA)
Tizian Weimer (RW) (from own youth)
Georg Löwen (P) (from SC Magdeburg)

Leaving

Leonard Grazioli (GK) (to Pfadi Winterthur)
Emil Mellegård (LW) (to HØJ Elite)
Hendrik Wagner (LB) (to TBV Lemgo)
Lenny Rubin (LB) (to TVB Stuttgart)
Magnus Fredriksen (CB) (to SønderjyskE Herrehåndbold)
Mathias Pedersen (CB) (to Amo Handboll)
Julian Fuchs (RW) (end of loan MT Melsungen, joins Bergischer HC)
Erik Schmidt (P) (to AEK Athens)

Notable former players

References

External links

Official website

[1] Website of HSG Dutenhofen/Münchholzhausen

[2] "Saison 2016/17: DKB Handball-Bundesliga - Tabelle". SIS Handball-Ergebnisdienst. Retrieved 14 June 2017.

[3] "Saisonstatistik". dkb-handball-bundesliga.de. Retrieved 10 September 2017.

[4] "Mittelhessen-Derby im Sportzentrum Hüttenberg" (in German). HSG Wetzlar. 19 December 2024. Retrieved 12 February 2025.

[5] ttps://thw-handball.de/weitere/2026/05/kreislaeufer-petter-overby-laeuft-ab-dem-sommer-fuer-die-hsg-wetzlar-auf/

[6] ttps://www.handball-world.news/artikel/nach-abschied-von-melsungen-bartucz-bleibt-in-der-bundesliga-1212356

[7] ttps://www.handball-world.news/artikel/hsg-wetzlar-holt-2021-weltmeister-aus-daenemark-1227204

[8] ttps://www.hsg-wetzlar.de/news/detail/tomas-piroch-unterschreibt-bei-der-hsg-wetzlar

[9] ttps://www.handball-world.news/artikel/nach-mueller-abgang-so-reagiert-die-hsg-wetzlar-1217543

[10] ttps://www.daikin-hbl.de/de/hbl/content/füchse-berlin-verpflichten-andreas-palicka-ab-sommer-2026-–-ab-sofort-läuft-er-für-die-hsg-wetzlar-auf

[11] ttps://www.handball-world.news/artikel/wetzlars-rekord-torschuetze-cavor-verlaesst-bundesliga-1202858

[12] ttps://www.sportschau.de/regional/mdr/mdr-suljakovic-wird-ebner-nachfolger-im-dhfk-tor-100.html

[13] ttps://www.handball-world.news/artikel/trotz-klassenerhalt-ahouansou-verlaesst-wetzlar-1226014

[14] "Handball: HSG Wetzlar bestätigt Bart Ravensbergen als Klimpke-Nachfolger".

[15] "Handball: HSG Wetzlar verpflichtet Kreisläufer aus Veszprem".

[16] "Handball: HSG Wetzlar verpflichtet Rückraumspieler aus Eisenach".

[17] "Handball: Zu diesem Klub wechselt WM-Überraschung Josip Simic".

[18] "Handball Bundesliga - Neuzugang aus Ägypten: HSG Wetzlar verstärkt sich auf Linksaußen".

[19] ttps://www.handball-world.news/artikel/wetzlar-torhueter-verpflichtet-er-darf-aber-noch-nicht-einreisen-1143752

[20] ttps://www.daikin-hbl.de/de/hbl/content/füchse-berlin-verpflichten-andreas-palicka-ab-sommer-2026-–-ab-sofort-läuft-er-für-die-hsg-wetzlar-auf

[21] "Neuer Mann für Rechtsaußen". 4 September 2024.

[22] "Régi ismerős tér vissza a kézilabda NB I-be". May 2025.

[23] "Krakovszki Zsolt hazatér! – ETO university handball team". 18 March 2025.

[24] "Zukunft geklärt: Till Klimpke verlässt Handball-Bundesliga".

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

[18]

[19]

[20]

[21]

[22]

[23]

[24]

v t e Handball-Bundesliga
2026–27 teams	HBW Balingen-Weilstetten Bergischer HC Füchse Berlin SG BBM Bietigheim ThSV Eisenach HC Erlangen Frisch Auf Göppingen VfL Gummersbach HSV Hamburg SG Flensburg-Handewitt TSV Hannover-Burgdorf THW Kiel TBV Lemgo SC Magdeburg MT Melsungen TVB Stuttgart Rhein-Neckar Löwen HSG Wetzlar
Seasons	2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25 2025–26 2026–27