Neckarsulmer SU (women's handball)

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Sport-Union Neckarsulm was founded on New Year's Day in 2009 as Neckarsulmer Sport-Union (NSU) through the merger of Sportvereinigung Neckarsulm 1946 and Sportfreunde Neckarsulm. The name alludes to the NSU Motorenwerke, the predecessor of Audi, which was located in the city of Neckarsulm until 1985. The multi sports club consists of 17 different sections of which the women's handball section is one of the best known because of their multi-year participation in the Bundesliga, Germany's most important handball league.

After two championship titles in regional fifth and fourth tier leagues, coach Emir Hadzimuhamedović led the team also to promotion to the 2. Bundesliga in the summer of 2013. In the following years, the team established itself there and gained promotion to the Bundesliga as second division champions in 2016. A big part in the various promotions from regional amateur levels to professional tiers played the successful under-17 team, which won the German championship in 2011. Talented players of this youth team formed an integral part of the first team in later years.^[1]

In addition to its sporting successes in league competitions, Sport-Union also won the HVW-Pokal, the regional cup competition in the region of Württemberg, twice in its first four years of existence. In 2011, the team defeated TV Großbottwar, which was then playing two leagues higher than themselves, 34:24 in the final at the SCHARRena Stuttgart. Two years later they crowned themselves cup champion of 2013 at the same venue after a commanding win against third division rivals TG Nürtingen (33:24).^[2][3]

After promotion to the Bundesliga Neckarsulmer Sport-Union was fighting against relegation for their first three years in Germany's top tier but eventually managed to stay in the league. With coaches Pascal Morgant and Tanja Logvin at the helm, the team established itself in the following years as a solid force in the Bundesliga with a sixth-place finish in the 2020–21 season, the best result to date.

In 2021 Neckarsulmer Sport-Union was forced to change its name and crest due to unwanted associations with the right-wing extremist organization National Socialist Underground, although the abbreviation NSU has a long regional tradition in and around the city of Neckarsulm.^[4] Now playing as Sport-Union Neckarsulm the club produced players like Selina Kalmbach or Sarah Wachter who went on to become internationals for Germany.

Season	Tier	League	Position	Games	Goals	Diff.	Points	DHB-Pokal
2009–10	V	Württembergliga (Nord)	9th/12	22	559:602	-43	19:25	−
2010–11	V	Württembergliga (Nord)	1st/12	22	802:507	+295	44:0	−
		Württembergliga playoffs	1st/4	6	223:140	+83	12:0
2011–12	IV	BW-Oberliga	1st/14	26	967:700	+267	50:2	Round of 32
2012–13	III	3. Liga (Süd)	1st/14	26	881:665	+216	48:4	−
2013–14	II	2. Bundesliga	7th/14	28	799:796	+3	27:29	Round of 16
2014–15	II	2. Bundesliga	4th/14	26	761:686	+75	34:18	First round
2015–16	II	2. Bundesliga	1st/16	30	937:726	+211	53:7	Quarterfinals
2016–17	I	Bundesliga	12th/14	26	624:725	-101	13:39	Round of 16
2017–18	I	Bundesliga	13th/14	26	619:795	-176	10:42	Round of 32
2018–19	I	Bundesliga	12th/14	26	652:763	-111	13:39	Quarterfinals
2019–20	I	Bundesliga	9th/14	18	458:527	-69	12:24	Quarterfinals
2020–21	I	Bundesliga	6th/16	30	872:845	+27	37:23	Round of 16
2021–22	I	Bundesliga	7th/14	26	797:813	-16	26:26	Round of 16
2022–23	I	Bundesliga	12th/14	26	681:786	-105	15:37	Round of 16
2023–24	I	Bundesliga	10th/14	26	703:772	-69	14:38	Round of 16
2024–25	I	Bundesliga	9th/12	22	603:641	-38	16:28	Round of 16
		Bundesliga playdowns	semifinals	2	68:43	+25	4:0
2025–26	I	Bundesliga	6th/12	20	577:588	-11	17:23	Quarterfinals
		Bundesliga playoffs

Ballei-Sporthalle

Capacity	1,500
Field size	50 m × 31.75 m (164.0 ft × 104.2 ft)
Construction
Broke ground	19 June 1978
Opened	6 October 1979[5]
Architect	Karl-Ulrich Bechler[6]

Sport-Union Neckarsulm play their home matches at the Ballei-Sporthalle, a multi-purpose arena which hosts up to 1,500 spectators (1,125 seated and 375 standing).^[7] The arena complex also includes a hall for cultural events for up to 1,000 people as well as a restaurant and a bowling alley.^[8] The men's handball team of the club plays selected matches at the Ballei as well. The arena is among the most visited in the Bundesliga^[9] and hosted, among others, a friendly match of the Soviet Union men's national handball team in 1989 as well as a international fixture between the women's teams of Germany and Romania in March 2009 (37:24).^[10]

• Name: Ballei-Sporthalle
• Location: Neckarsulm, Germany
• Capacity: 1,500 spectators
• Address: Deutschordensplatz 1, 74172 Neckarsulm

The club's most prominent supporters' group is Blaue Wand ("Blue wall"), which is located in sector K of Ballei's Audi-Tribüne since the 2025–26 season. Until then the group was situated in sector B. Blaue Wand arranges away day travels as well as meet-and-greets with players and staff and is also heavily involved in the organisation of home matches.^[11]

Bundesliga attendances at Ballei-Sporthalle^[A]

Season	Overall	Average	Rank	Notes
2016–17	14,305	1,100	4th/14	[12]
2017–18	13,541	1,041	7th/14	[13]
2018–19	13,550	1,042	6th/14
2019–20	7,511	938	9th/14[14]	[15]
2020–21	1,217	304	5th/16[16]	[17]
2021–22	9,378	721	1st/14[18]	[19]
2022–23	11,878	914	5th/14	[20]
2023–24	12,865	990	5th/14	[21]
2024–25	12,075	1,006	8th/12	[22]
2025–26

A. ^{^} Including playoff/playdown matches.

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Squad for the 2025–26 season.^[23]

No.	Position	Player	Nationality	Date of birth (age)	Height	Year signed	Signed from	End of contract
Goalkeepers
12	GK	Johanna Fossum		(2003-01-25) 25 January 2003 (age 23)	1,75m	2024	Sola HK	2026
29	GK	Lena Ivančok		(2001-03-29) 29 March 2001 (age 25)	1,84m	2023	RK Lokomotiva Zagreb	2026
Wingers
19	RW	Iva van der Linden		(1998-04-19) 19 April 1998 (age 27)	1,78m	2024	Boden Handboll IF	2026
21	LW	Alessia Riner		(2004-01-08) 8 January 2004 (age 22)	1,70m	2023	LK Zug	2028
22	RW	Meret Ossenkopp		(1998-06-21) 21 June 1998 (age 27)	1,75m	2025	HL Buchholz 08-Rosengarten	2027
59	LW	Antje Döll		(1988-10-03) 3 October 1988 (age 37)	1,70m	2025	HB Ludwigsburg	2028
Line players
5	P	Kim Hinkelmann		(2001-10-16) 16 October 2001 (age 24)	1,83m	2023	Holstebro Håndbold	2027
39	P	Merle Albers		(2004-04-19) 19 April 2004 (age 21)	1,83m	2025	Palente Besançon Handball	2028
Backcourt players
7	LB	Angunn Gudmestad		(2001-05-08) 8 May 2001 (age 24)	1,67m	2024	Aker Topphåndball	2026
11	CB	Annefleur Bruggeman		(1997-07-23) 23 July 1997 (age 28)	1,81m	2022	Bayer 04 Leverkusen	2028
13	LB	Alicia Soffel		(1999-02-11) 11 February 1999 (age 27)	1,76m	2025	HSG Bensheim/Auerbach	2027
14	LB	Kamila Kordovská		(1997-12-04) 4 December 1997 (age 28)	1,79m	2025	Handball Plan-de-Cuques	2027
17	CB	Lynn Holtman		(2004-07-07) 7 July 2004 (age 21)	1,75m	2024	Westfriesland SEW	2026
23	LB	Munia Smits		(1999-12-23) 23 December 1999 (age 26)	1,78m	2022	HSG Bad Wildungen	2028
58	RB	Lilli Holste		(2001-04-25) 25 April 2001 (age 24)	1,79m	2024	HSG Bensheim/Auerbach	2026
78	LB	Paulina Uścinowicz		(1999-10-16) 16 October 1999 (age 26)	1,83m	2025	HSV Solingen-Gräfrath	2027

Transfers for the 2025–26 season.^[24]

Transfers for the 2026–27 season.^[25][26]

Technical staff for the 2025–26 season.^[27]

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Competitive matches and goals in the Bundesliga only.^[A] As of 26 April 2025.^[28][29][30]

Most appearances

Rank	Player	Years	Games
1	Selina Kalmbach	2016–2022	134
2	Sarah Wachter	2019–2023	97
3	Irene Espínola Pérez	2018–2022	95
4	Seline Ineichen	2016–2020	91
5	Nele Reimer	2017–2020 2021–2022	82
6	Annefleur Bruggeman	2022–	76
7	Sharon Nooitmeer	2021–2024	75
8	Lynn Knippenborg	2019–2022	72
9	Nathalie Hendrikse	2019–2022	72
10	Jill Kooij	2019–2022	72

Top goalscorers

Rank	Player	Years	Games	Goals	Ratio
1	Irene Espínola Pérez	2018–2022	95	420	4.42
2	Nele Reimer	2017–2020 2021–2022	82	361	4.40
3	Lynn Knippenborg	2019–2022	72	324	4.50
4	Nathalie Hendrikse	2019–2022	72	280	3.89
5	Nina Engel	2022–2024	50	263	5.26
6	Munia Smits	2022–	49	217	4.43
7	Seline Ineichen	2016–2020	91	206	2.26
8	Selina Kalmbach	2016–2022	134	205	1.53
9	Lena Hoffmann	2016–2019	52	191	3.67
10	Jill Kooij	2019–2022	72	183	2.54

A. ^{^} Including playoff/playdown matches and goals.

Competitive matches in the Bundesliga only.^[A] As of 26 April 2025.

Coach	Nat.	From	To	G	W	D	L	Win%[B]	PPG	Honours	Notes
Stefan Arnold		07/2009	06/2010	—	−	−	−	—	-
Emir Hadžimuhamedović		07/2010	02/2018	38	9	2	27	023.68	0.53	1 2. Bundesliga 1 3. Liga 1 BW-Oberliga 1 Württembergliga 2 HVW-Pokal
Annamária Ilyés (Caretaker)		02/2018	03/2018	7	0	0	7	000.00	0.00
Tanja Logvin		04/2018	06/2018	7	1	1	5	014.29	0.43
Pascal Morgant		07/2018	01/2020	37	9	1	27	024.32	0.51
Maike Daniels (Caretaker)		01/2020	06/2020	7	3	0	4	042.86	0.86
Tanja Logvin		07/2020	01/2023	67	32	3	32	047.76	1.00
Mart Aalderink (Caretaker)		01/2023	06/2023	14	5	1	8	035.71	0.79
Thomas Zeitz		07/2023	Present	50	17	0	33	034.00	0.68		[31]

A. ^{^} Including playoff/playdown matches.
B. ^{^} Win percentage is rounded to two decimal places.

• 2. Bundesliga
  • Champions (1): 2016
• 3. Liga (Süd)
  • Champions (1): 2013
• Baden-Württemberg Oberliga
  • Champions (1): 2012
• Württembergliga
  • Champions (2): 2011, 2024 (Second team)
• HVW-Pokal
  • Champions (2): 2011, 2013