Vipers Kristiansand is a professional handball club from Kristiansand, Norway. The team competes in REMA 1000-ligaen, the top division in the country, since its promotion in 2001.

Vipers Kristiansand
Full nameVipers Kristiansand
Short nameVipers
Founded12 January 1938 (as IK Våg)
ArenaAquarama Kristiansand
Capacity2,200
PresidentTerje Marcussen
Head coachSlovakia Tomáš Hlavatý
LeagueREMA 1000-ligaen
2023–241st
Team colours
Team colours
Team colours
Team colours
Home
Team colours
Team colours
Team colours
Team colours
Away
Website
Official site

They claimed their first Norwegian championship in 2018, ending an 18 times streak for the champions from Larvik HK.[1] Since then, they've shown strong dominance in Norway and claimed 7 consecutive league titles, 7 cup titles and 5 playoff titles.

For the first time in the club's history, they qualified for the 2018–19 Women's EHF Final 4 in Budapest, where they took the 3rd place and a historic bronze medal.[2] On 30 May 2021, they won the 2020–21 Women's EHF Champions League and the following year they succeeded again, becoming the first Norwegian team to win EHF Champions League two years in a row. In 2023, they claimed another Women's EHF Final 4 title and secured the treble while the EHF FINAL4 Women in Budapest broke the world record for spectator attendance at women’s handball matches.[3]

On 20 October 2024, the club announced they were going to seek bankruptcy.[4] On 21 October 2024, it was reported that the club would not seek bankruptcy after all. A group of investors were interested in saving the club, in exchange that a new board of directors were elected and that the current one collectively stepped off.[5]

Achievements

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REMA 1000-ligaen:

  • Gold: 2017/2018, 2018/2019, 2019/2020, 2020/2021, 2021/2022, 2022/2023, 2023/2024
  • Silver: 2016/2017
  • Bronze: 2002/2003

Norwegian Cup:

  • Gold: 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022/23, 2023/2024[6]
  • Silver: 2010

EHF Champions League:

EHF Cup:

Team

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Current squad

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Squad for the 2024-25 season

Transfers

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Transfers for the 2025–26 season

Technical staff

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  • Head coach:   Tomáš Hlavatý
  • Assistant coach:   Lene Rantala
  • Goalkeeping coach:

Notable former national team players

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Notable former club players

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Kit manufacturers

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Period Kit manufacturer
–2016   Playmaker
2016–2023   Umbro
2023–   Puma

Statistics

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European record

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Season Competition Round Club 1st leg 2nd leg Aggregate
2003–04 EHF Cup Round 3   OF Nea Ionia 37–13 36–21 73–34
Round of 16   ESBF Besançon 31–26 30–32 61–58
QF   Eurostandard G.P. Skopje 41–33 33–24 74–57
SF   Győri Graboplast ETO 29–26 20–29 49–55
2004–05 EHF Cup Round 3   ZMC Amicitia Zürich 19–27 34–25 53–52
1/8   Győri Graboplast ETO 28–38 25–33 53–71
2015–16 EHF Cup Winners' Cup Round 3   Halden HK 25–19 22–20 47–39
Last 16   MKS Selgros Lublin 28–22 22–25 50–47
Quarter-finals   RK Krim 29–27 20–30 49–57
2016–17 EHF Cup R1   Cassano Magnago 52–10 37–12 89–22
R2   WHC Lada Togliatti 23–29 32–26 55–55
2017–18 EHF Cup
  Finalist
Group B   Issy Paris 22–23 24–25 46–48
  København Håndbold 30–23 25–30 55–53
  Handball Club Lada 30–21 24–29 54–50
QF   Brest Bretagne Handball 26–17 29–34 55–51
SF   Viborg HK 31–34 29–23 60–57
F   SCM Craiova 26–22 25–30 51–52
2017–18 EHF Champions League QT1-SF   HC Gomel 43–19
QT1-F   HC Podravka Vegeta 42–14
Group D   Metz Handball 22–30 22–25 44–55
  ŽRK Budućnost 29–19 23–26 52–45
  SG BBM Bietigheim 24–29 24–25 48–54
2018–19 EHF Champions League
  Third place
Group D   CSM București 27–29 31–26 58–55
  Ferencvárosi TC 26–27 35–27 61–54
  SG BBM Bietigheim 27–27 34–26 61–53
Main Round
Group 2
  Győri ETO KC 26–33 29–33 55–66
  RK Krim Ljubljana 29–21 25–24 54–45
  Thüringer HC 31–24 29–21 60–46
QF   ŽRK Budućnost 25–18 24–19 49–37
SF   Győri ETO KC 22–31
Bronze Match   Metz Handball 31–30
2019–20 EHF Champions League Group A   Metz Handball 38–38 17–26 55–64
  RK Podravka Koprivnica 24–25 34–28 58–53
  Ferencvárosi TC 31–22 34–29 65–51
Main Round
Group 1
  Rostov-Don 29–32 26–33 55–65
  Team Esbjerg 31–35 30–35 61–70
  CSM București 23–25 22–28 45–53
2020–21 EHF Champions League
  Winner
Group A   Rostov-Don 23–24 0–10 5th place
  Metz Handball 29–28 0–10
  Team Esbjerg 28–28 27–27
  Ferencvárosi TC 26–31 28–30
  CSM București 30–25 29–22
  SG BBM Bietigheim 10–0 33–29
  RK Krim 37–30 27–26
Round of 16   Odense Håndbold 35–36 30–26 65–62
QF   Rostov-Don 34–27 23–23 57–50
SF   CSKA Moscow 33–30
Final   Brest Bretagne Handball 34–28
2021–22 Champions League
  Winner
Group B   CSKA Moscow 24–27 32–28 2nd place
  RK Krim Mercator 27–26 37–20
  Odense Håndbold 31–27 32–27
  Győri Audi ETO KC 29–35 30–29
  Metz Handball 18–23 25–31
  Kastamonu Bld. GSK 39–25 35–24
  IK Sävehof 34–25 42–23
QF   RK Krim Mercator 33–24 32–25 65–49
SF   Metz Handball 33–27
Final   Győri Audi ETO KC 33–31
2022–23 EHF Champions League
  Winner
Group A   Odense Håndbold 34–27 34–24 1st place
  RK Krim Mercator 27–21 36–31
  SG BBM Bietigheim 30–32 34–32
  Brest Bretagne Handball 31–24 36–29
  FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria 26–26 27–26
  DHK Baník Most 43–21 39–24
  CSM București 35–29 24–27
QF   CS Rapid București 31–25 40–31 71–56
SF   Győri Audi ETO KC 37–35
Final   FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria 28–24
2023–24 EHF Champions League Group B   Team Esbjerg 37–38 37–32 4th place
  Metz Handball 34–36 29–31
  CS Rapid București 29–30 35–30
  FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria 37–26 35–27
  Zagłębie Lubin 34–20 28–24
  RK Krim Mercator 24–24 29–23
  Ikast Håndbold 26–30 31–32
Playoffs   DVSC Schaeffler 29–28 27–27 56–55
QF   Győri ETO KC 23–30 26–24 49–54
2024–25 EHF Champions League Group B   Team Esbjerg 29–30
  ŽRK Budućnost Podgorica 32–23
  HB Ludwigsburg 30–23 29–33
  Győri ETO KC 22–27
  Brest Bretagne Handball 27–30
  CS Rapid București 30–30
  Odense Håndbold 26–24

References

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  1. ^ "Vipers stoppet Larviks vanvittige rekke. Seriemester for første gang" (in Norwegian). Dagbladet. 16 April 2018.
  2. ^ "Vipers til Final 4" (in Norwegian). handball.no. Retrieved 13 April 2019.
  3. ^ "EHF FINAL4 WOMEN SETS WORLD RECORD FOR SPECTATOR ATTENDANCE". eurohandball.com. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
  4. ^ "Vipers Kristiansand blir slått konkurs" (in Norwegian). TV 2. 20 October 2024.
  5. ^ "Vipers leverer ikke konkursbegjæring: – Grunnlag for videre drift" (in Norwegian). Nettavisen. 21 October 2024.
  6. ^ "NM-finaler Kvinner (innendørs)" (in Norwegian). NHF. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  7. ^ "Vipers Kristiansand". European Handball Federation.
  8. ^ "All-Star team gets fresh look in 2019". European Handball Federation. 24 August 2021.
  9. ^ "Fan Favourite Oftedal leads Győr quartet in All-Star Team". eurohandball.com. 28 May 2021.
  10. ^ "Győr quintet headline EHF Champions League All-Star Team". eurohandball.com. 3 June 2022.
  11. ^ "Live blog: Vipers take third straight EHF Champions League trophy". eurohandball.com. 4 June 2023.
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