13.09.2010, 09:22
Building the future

VELUX EHF Men’s Champions League countdown, part 15: Kadetten Schaffhausen (SUI)

Building the future

Six goals to little – and the dream of playing in the EHF Champions League was over. Last season Kadetten Schaffhausen were the big surprise of the EHF Champions League Wild Card Tournament in Leon.

With an equal amount of points as winner Ademar, the Swiss team missed the European tournament due to the goal difference. But they turned out to be highly successful in the EHF Cup, eliminating favoured teams like SG Flensburg-Handewitt.

Schaffhausen even reached the finals against German side TBV Lemgo and won the home match, but with a higher defeat away they still missed their first ever title in the European Cups, which reminded them of in 2008 and 2009, when they reached the semis of the Cup Winner’s Cup.

Now Kadetten – four times Swiss champion – have qualified for the fourth time directly for the EHF Champions League group matches. Hopes are high to go on after the Group Stage.

Coach Petr Hrachovec can rely on an internationally experienced squad with players like Icelandic goalkeeper Björgwin Gustafsson, Slovak Peter Kuckucka or Czech wing player Jan Filip.

Due to the close proximity to Germany, Kadetten again managed to transfer players from the Bundesliga, like Rares Jurca (Göppingen) or Vaclav Vrany (Coburg), to the river Rhine.

With their impressive squad the club sets high objectives: reaching the Last 16 in the EHF Champions League, and defending the titles of Swiss champion and cup winner.

Their season started well, as Schaffhausen won the Swiss Supercup by beating Pfadi Winterthur 37:35 after double extra-time.

In the EHF Champions League Group C Kadetten will meet Chekhovskie Medvedi, Cuatro Rayas Valladolid, Pick Szeged, AaB Aalborg and Dinamo Minsk.

After the draw the club representatives were pleased with those opponents: Coach Petr Hrachovec said: "The favourites in our group are Valladolid and Medvedi, but we are determined to reach the Last 16."

Manager Peter Leutwyler added: "We are pleased to compete with the best European teams." Team captain David Graubner is even more optimistic: "I see fourth place as our minimal goal."

Schaffhausen is building for the future – not only on sportive level. After adding Rolf Frey to their management, they have recently started building a new playing hall including a boarding school.

Key facts

Newcomers: Florien Goepfert (from RTV Basel), Rares Jurca (from Frisch Auf Göppingen), Vlaclav Vrany (from Cobourg), Fabio Baviera (from GC Militia Zürich)

Left the club: Manuel Liniger (to TBV Lemgo), Mathias Oltmanns (to GC Militia Zürich), Matthias Rauh, and Patrick Bläuenstein (both: end of career)

Coach: Petr Hrachovec (CZE, since 2008)

Club records

Four times Swiss Champion (2005, 2006, 2007, and 2010), twice runners-up in Switzerland (2008, 2009), and three times Swiss cup winner
EHF Cup finalist 2010, cup winners Cup semi finalist 2008, 2009

Find more information here.

TEXT: Björn Pazen