A centenary celebration for the Zebras

The first home turf of those boys was the schoolyard of the nearby teachers' college. As more and more children flocked to the teams, the club built a sports field at Wulfsbrook in 1928. There, the handball players wore striped jerseys, which is why they were called “Zebras” from then on.

And so, 100 years ago, the history of one of the best-known clubs in world handball began. The Zebras are not only German record champions and record cup winners, but four-time EHF Champions League winners. Only record winners Barça have won this coveted trophy more often than THW Kiel.

As THW (and Barça) play their 23rd quarter-finals in the EHF Champions League this week, those fans travelling to Kiel’s first leg against Paris Saint-Germain Handball on Wednesday (20:45 CEST, live on EHFTV) can visit a special exhibition "The Zebras – A Century of Handball" with extraordinary historical objects in the city museum.

It tells of THW legends like Hein Dahlinger and Magnus Wislander, coaches like Noka Serdarusic and Alfred Gislason, and manager Uwe Schwenker. It also illuminates crises and cuts.

But the focus is on the passion of the Zebras’ fans. They are invited to share their very personal THW memories with the visitors of the exhibition. How did the small club on the outskirts of Kiel rise to the top in field handball until 1948 and later on became a top sports brand? Which great players, coaches and managers have ensured further titles and triumphs in the hall since then? What existential crises did the club have to survive?

Many unusual exhibits tell of the club’s success story and the passion of the fans. The whole story is related to a former military airplane hangar, which later-on turned into a sports hall in the center of Kiel, the ‘Ostseehalle’, later the Sparkassen-Arena, and now the Wunderino-Arena. With the increase in capacity, Kiel became a stronghold of German handball and a fortress of their sport. In 1948, Kiel became German outdoor champions for the first time; in 1957, their dominance in German indoor handball started. Since then they have become German champions 22 times.

The 100 years of history of THW Kiel includes many spectacular EHF Champions League quarter-finals. In 2023, for the third consecutive time, THW and PSG duel for the ticket to Cologne. So far the score is level, with Kiel progressing last year and Paris winning in 2021.

THW’s history is closely connected to the 30 years of the EHF Champions League. In the inaugural season of the new competition (1993/94), Kiel failed to qualify, but from 1994 they have been an almost constant participant in Europe’s top-flight competition and are making their 25th appearance this year. Since 1994, THW Kiel only missed qualification for the Champions League four times - and in those four seasons, they won the EHF Cup instead.

Since the 1996/97 season, Kiel’s participation in the Champions League has always included the quarter-finals. Their first quarter-finals were in 1997, when Kiel beat the first-ever Champions League winners, Caja Santander, but then failed in the semi-finals against Zagreb. In 2000, Kiel played their first finals, but could not stop FC Barcelona from winning their fifth consecutive trophy by winning 54:52 in aggregate.

Three times in a row, Kiel failed in the quarter-finals (against Ljubljana, Barcelona and Flensburg), but in 2007 they reached the finals again and finally took the trophy by beating their local rivals Flensburg. The moment is a special part of the 100-year exhibition.

When the playing system of the EHF Champions League changed to the EHF FINAL4 format in 2009/10, Kiel beat their German rivals Rhein-Neckar Löwen to make it to Cologne, when they ended their series of defeats in Champions League finals against Barcelona to become the first-ever EHF FINAL4 winners.

But another part of the story and history was written one year later: it is hard for champions to return to Cologne, and if there, to defend the trophy. In the thrilling 2011 quarter-finals, Kiel were eliminated by later-on winners Barcelona.

In 2012, they had their perfect season, winning all matches in Bundesliga, German Cup and the Champions League to become the first team to win the trophy in Cologne for the second time. Since 2010, Kiel were four times winners and made it eight times to Cologne.

Now, in their 100th anniversary season, they hope to blow their famous ship’s horn again in the LANXESS arena. Paris Saint-Germain are all that stands in the Zebras’ way.

Photos © Sascha Klahn, Uros Hocevar/Kolektiff